Mayor to unveil Allen findings

Mayor Jim Wetherington has called a news conference for 11 a.m. today to discuss a nearly five-month investigation into the city's handling of a crash by an on-duty Columbus firefighter who tested positive for cocaine in a post-accident drug test.

Wetherington in December called for the investigation by the Columbus Police Department's Office of Professional Standards after the Ledger-Enquirer reported firefighter Zachary Allen, while driving a hazardous materials truck, hit two cars at the intersection of Interstate 185 and Macon Road en route to an emergency call.

The firefighter, who had been with the department about a year, tested positive for cocaine in a post-accident drug test. Allen, the son of Columbus Councilor Gary Allen, resigned the day after the wreck.

Wetherington got an executive summary of the investigation "in the last couple of days," said Judy Thomas, the mayor's assistant.

"We are not ready to give out any information at this point," Thomas said Thursday afternoon. "We will be ready to give out the information tomorrow... . The mayor is still in the process of dealing with all of the things in the report."

The news conference will be in the mayor's sixth-floor Government Center office.

Columbus Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief Jeff Meyer was unavailable for comment late Thursday. Assistant Chief Jerry Fountain said Meyer took the afternoon off and would not be back in the office until Monday morning.

As the investigation has continued, Wetherington has been briefed by Police Chief Ricky Boren. The investigation, which included as many as 60 interviews with Columbus Fire and EMS command staff, firefighters, city administrators and police officers, was led by Police Maj. Lem Miller.

The police department, Fire and EMS and the city's Risk Management Department all investigated the Nov. 28, 2006, wreck in which LaLinriafaye Wilson was injured. Wilson's attorney, Ben Philips, threatened a $2 million lawsuit against the city. The first report of Allen's wreck surfaced in December 2007 when Philips and the city were in settlement talks. Columbus Council held a closed session in November 2007 to discuss a possible settlement with Wilson. Gary Allen did not participate in that meeting.

Zachary Allen was never charged by police, and the document showing the positive drug test was never sent to the police.

Boren said when the investigation started that nothing was off limits.

"The investigation will center around the entire incident," Boren said at the time. "It will go from prior to the time of the wreck to date. We will look at all policies governing alcohol and drug policies within public safety, as well as all the practices that were followed."

Allen tested positive for cocaine an hour and 15 minutes after the wreck. An initial internal report by Fire and EMS stated that Allen's drug and alcohol test results were negative. That report was later amended and Fire and EMS Sgt. Monica Carstarphen, who conducted the internal investigation, was counseled by Chief Jeff Meyer for putting unverifiable information on a report. She admitted she assumed the drug test was negative.

The second report on file with the city's risk management office stated Allen was taken for a drug test, but it did not include the results. Philips, the attorney representing the injured woman, and Carstarphen said they did not know of the positive drug test until they were informed by a reporter.

Since the Allen investigation began, there have been a number of issues in the Fire and EMS Department.

Promotion problem

Firefighter John Thomas, now a sergeant, was passed over for a fire inspector/lieutenant promotion despite having the highest score in the interview process. When Thomas threatened to file a grievance because he had been told by one of the interviewers the job would go to the highest scoring of the five applicants, Meyer offered Thomas a newly created fire recruiter job, according to documents obtained by the Ledger-Enquirer through Georgia's Open Records Act.

The problem was that the recruiting job, though it had been previously discussed by Meyer and Wetherington, had not been authorized by Columbus Council.

Shortly after completing paperwork for the promotion in October, the Fire and EMS was notified by the city's Human Resources Department the slot didn't exist.

Thomas continued to work in the recruiting position without a pay increase or the sergeant's rank. The firefighter filed a grievance in March. Two weeks later, City Manager Isaiah Hugley temporarily approved the new recruiting position until council can incorporate it in the 2009 fiscal budget next month. Thomas was also granted more than $1,600 in back pay.

Thomas has filed a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that alleges discrimination.

Wetherington said the chief's actions in the Thomas case were "not acceptable."

Complaint filed

Capt. Mary Simonton filed a complaint late last year about the promotional process. She was one of five candidates to apply for a deputy chief's job that went to Greg Lang, who was promoted from fire marshal.

The city's Human Resources Department found her complaint had no merit but did express concerns about the manner in which the interview was conducted.

Simonton was interviewed by Meyer and Assistant Chief Jerry Fountain after a leadership class at the department's training center. The interview was conducted outside while Fountain and Meyer smoked cigarettes and the smoke blew in her face, Simonton wrote in her complaint.

Simonton has since filed an EEOC complaint.

Objectionableimages

A firefighter was fired in March for looking at objectionable images on a city computer while on duty.

Joshua Alford was originally disciplined by his supervisors and put on probation but was later fired by the chief. That termination was appealed to the city's Personnel Review Board.

Joining labor group

Last month, the Columbus Firefighters Association voted to join the International Association of Firefighters, a labor group that represents more than 287,000 people worldwide.

The association had 181 Columbus firefighters vote to join the IAFF. They needed 147 members -- just over half of the department's 293 field personnel -- to sign up to approve the move.