Reason for Investigation The Civil Grand Jury received a citizen=s complaint alleging the Keyes Fire Protection

Conclusions 19

• CL1 Page 5
  Pursuing similar career interests and being employed by the same department is 5 only a problem when family members are receiving preferential treatment.
• CL2 Page 6
  From 1997 through March 2001, the Chief=s son was allowed to live outside the KFPD in violation of the Aten (10) minute response time@ provision of the by-laws. Records indicate the Chief=s son was an active member of the department from November 2000 through March 2001. During this same time, other interested persons were not allowed to submit employment applications due to their status of living Aout of district.@
• CL3 Page 6
  The Chief promoted his son to Assistant Chief without consulting or seeking input from his command staff.
• CL4 Page 6
  The Chief gives preferential treatment to women firefighters and his daughter-in-law was no exception.
• CL5 Page 6
  The public expects fire department personnel dispatched to the scene of an emergency to perform all required firefighting and lifesaving functions. Responding to an emergency with the inability to perform these required tasks is unacceptable.
• CL6 Page 8
  The Chief and all persons interviewed cooperated fully with this investigation.
• CL7 Page 8
  The Chief is dedicated to KFD and has spent the majority of his life serving the Keyes community. Many of the procedures now in place reflect his past leadership.
• CL8 Page 8
  The majority of KFD employees do not have confidence in the current leadership abilities of the Chief.
• CL9 Page 8
  The Chief does not follow the by-laws on a consistent basis.
• CL10 Page 8
  The KFD Chief should understand and be able to articulate the rules governing his departmental operations.
• CL11 Page 8
  The Civil Grand Jury agrees with the following statement found in the Fire District Administration Handbook, page 3.2: As the fire service mission continues to evolve into the 21st Century and the expectations of the customers it serves change, so must the organization evolve and change. To be successful, the organization=s mission must be in synch with the expectations of its customers and the organization must be able to evolve in order 8 to continue serving the changing mission. To survive in today=s political and economic environment and to be successful over time, the organization needs three things: C Unified Mission and Vision C Shared Values C Effective Leadership.
• CL12 Page 10
  The use of department vehicles and equipment for personal business leads to the perception that KFD property is being misused.
• CL13 Page 10
  KFD is unnecessarily subjected to civil liability lawsuits when department vehicles and equipment are being used for personal business.
• CL14 Page 10
  The accusation that the department computer was used for personal business was not substantiated.
• CL15 Page 12
  The Civil Grand Jury has no jurisdiction over the actions of the Association except as it relates to KFPD, which is a public agency.
• CL16 Page 12
  By using checks entitled AKeyes Fire Department@, there is an implication the account from which the checks are drawn is not controlled solely by the Association.
• CL17 Page 12
  Pre-signed checks negate the very reason for having a two-signature requirement on the account.
• CL18 Page 10
  The Civil Grand Jury concluded that this allegation could not be substantiated.
• CL19 Page 11
  The Civil Grand Jury concluded that because the file cabinet containing the personnel records is not locked, anyone with a key to the office can access and compromise confidential records.