Inquiry Clears Wisconsin Fire Dept. of Wrongdoing

The city of Eau Claire has completed an investigation, clearing members of its Fire Department of anonymous allegations of insurance fraud and other complaints.

The investigation -- conducted by Jon Schultz, the department's emergency medical services division chief, and reviewed Monday by City Manager Mike Huggins -- found no evidence indicating any wrongdoing.

The anonymous complaint was signed "Eau Claire Firefighters" and delivered to local officials and media in mid-October, as the city was in the process of hiring a new fire chief to replace the retiring Ed Kassing.

The letter accused Deputy Chief Lyle Koerner of borrowing equipment from Chippewa Valley Technical College for a February 2010 Internal Service Office inspection so the city could maintain its fire rating, which affects homeowners' insurance policy rates.

"It appears that D.C. Koerner had no intent to defraud but wanted records to reflect the equipment available for use," Schultz's investigation report states.

The report concluded the only equipment borrowed from CVTC was two cases for the Fire Department's self-contained breathing apparatus gear. The city and CVTC have agreements to share equipment, including garage space at Station No. 9., which is directly adjacent to the college's West Campus on the city's northwest side.

Other pieces of equipment the department has in storage were added to a fire truck a day before the ISO evaluation. However, Schultz's report states the equipment is available at stations and easily accessible for emergencies.

"On a typical day, all equipment may not be on an apparatus due to a shortage of storage space," Schultz wrote.

Schultz's report states that Koerner did not "pad" the department's inventory and even noted deficiencies in its equipment.

Kassing contacted the ISO with the complaint. He reported that an inspector said adding the equipment was "not right," but it had minimal impact on the evaluation and would not have changed the city's rating.

The Fire Department holds an ISO rating of 3 out of 10, with 1 being the highest level of fire protection.

Jack Postlewaite, president of the city's Police and Fire Commission, issued a memo Nov. 1 dismissing the anonymous allegations. Not only were the claims made anonymously, his letter noted, but they also were about events that occurred beyond the commission's four-month time limit for reviewing complaints.

The commission decided Nov. 1 that Koerner will succeed Kassing on Friday as the city's next fire chief.

An Oct. 18 letter from leaders of Eau Claire Firefighters, Local 487, disavowed the letter's complaints, stating that it misrepresents views of union members.

Two other allegations from the anonymous complaint accused the department of failing to post a new job opening and illegally duplicating copyrighted workbooks.

When the city created a new division chief of training and EMS position in 2008 because of the expansion of its ambulance service, Schultz's report determined the job opening did not need to be posted because it was a nonunion position.

For a training course early in 2011, CVTC provided workbooks. College President Bruce Barker notified the city that the additional copies are a matter that was resolved between the publisher and the college.

Schultz interviewed 18 members of the Fire Department, including a retiree, and spoke with CVTC employees during the investigation, which took place in late October.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service