The chief of Vashon Island Fire & Rescue said Monday that he was working address concerns raised after Vashon’s firefighters’ union issued a vote of no confidence in the department’s assistant chief and an internal investigation was completed.
The fire board, at its September 24 meeting, reviewed a 30-page report prepared by a third-party investigator hired to look into the union’s allegations against Assistant Chief of Operations George Brown. The group then directed VIFR Chief Hank Lipe to develop an action plan in response to the findings.
In the report, the investigator, Erika Lochow with Keystone Consulting, a group based in Lynwood, addressed two dozen claims made about Brown by members of the International Association of Firefighters Local 4189. Lochow, in a summary statement, suggested that “Brown and the department would benefit from an improvement in his management and leadership,” according to the report.
Brown, who was on vacation at the time the report was released, was unavailable to comment.
Lipe, likewise, declined to give details about his next steps before he had a chance to discuss the report and his plans with Brown, who was expected to return to the island this week.
Lipe did say he has serious concerns after reviewing the report and he believes there are areas where Brown needs to improve, such as his communication skills, management abilities and leadership skills. Lipe said he was developing “an aggressive approach to meet George’s deficiencies head-on.” That approach, he said, would likely include professional development for Brown and third-party mediation at the department.
“Neither myself or the commissioners have lost confidence in George, unlike the union,” Lipe said. “I feel corrective steps are necessary both for the organization and Assistant Chief Brown.”
Board chair Dave Hoffmann declined to comment on the situation, instead directing questions to Lipe.
Lochow, who interviewed 13 union and non-union employees at the department, investigated union claims that Brown is a poor manager and ineffective leader, keeps a schedule that often prevents him from doing his job, does not collaborate with employees to implement changes, lacks integrity, has violated department policies and is sometimes aggressive and makes inappropriate and offensive comments.
In what Lipe called a “mixed bag,” Lochow found basis for some of the allegations, but said “most of the allegations amount to policy interpretations, perceptual differences and a lack of clear communication and intent.”
“It is clear that Brown has room for improvement in his project management, delegation, change management, communication, listening and employee engagement skills, and would benefit by changing his approach to clarify his intent,” Lochow wrote in the report.
Lipe also said he was left with questions after reviewing the report and planned to hire a consultant to both coach Brown and investigate the situation at the department further.
“The issues are likely bigger than the ongoing relationship between those groups, and I want to get to the bottom of it,” he said.
Steve Palmer, president of the firefighters’ union, said he appreciated that the department had carried out what appeared to be a thorough investigation. He said union members had some initial concerns about the report and Brown’s apparent responses in the investigation but were hopeful about the process moving forward and Lipe’s interest in resolving the issues.
“I’m confident, because the chief has been as collaborative as he has been, that it can be a process we can work through together,” he said.
Watch The Beachcomber for more on the VIFR investigation and its aftermath.
