Given the choice to serve drinks at a councilman’s party or train to save lives, 32 D.C. fire recruits chose to save lives.
Last week, The Examiner reported that D.C. Fire Chief Dennis Rubin had ordered his recruiting classes and their instructors to help D.C. Councilman Jim Graham host birthday and holiday parties, at a cost to taxpayers of about $4,000 per affair. Rubin insisted that using the recruits as waitstaff was part of the curriculum because it taught the rookies the importance of community service.
But Monday morning, instead of ordering the recruits to that day’s party, the fire department asked the recruits if they’d volunteer.
None of them raised their hands, and the rookies continued their studies, according to a fire department member who asked not to be identified for fear of repercussions.
But when The Examiner showed up to the Columbia Heights Community Center on Monday to photograph the recruits, D.C. Deputy Chief Kenneth Crosswhite insisted that the recruits were there, pointing to four men in the corner.
“We’re not going to let The Examiner dictate how we manage the fire department,” Crosswhite said.
But the four men said they were not recruits, but firefighters. Crosswhite then admitted that the recruits were not needed because the firefighters “were tripping over themselves” to volunteer.
Gary Imhoff, of government watchdog organization D.C. Watch, visited Graham’s holiday party. He said he was collecting more information to file a complaint with the Office of Campaign Finance, the office responsible for investigating violations of the District’s personnel rules regarding employee conduct.
“We’re doing it largely because Graham and Rubin still don’t seem to see anything wrong with this,” Imhoff said. “The recruits who said they wouldn’t volunteer have more much sense than the chief. It’s a strange thing that even after it was exposed, [the fire department and Graham] simply don’t say, ‘Oops, we made a mistake, we didn’t think ahead.’ ”
In August, Rubin had the recruiting class work Graham’s 63rd birthday and bingo bonanza on department time. Rubin also assigned his employees to work Graham’s holiday bash last year.
City laws prevent management from “ordering employees to work any personal services not related to official D.C. government functions and activities,” according to the District’s personnel manual.
“A council member’s birthday or Christmas party is not an official D.C. government function,” Imhoff said, “and a fire cadet’s regular assignments do not including serving as a waiter or bartender.”
