Eye on the Fire Department

ES Folk had heard lots of talk about dissatisfaction in the Eureka Springs Fire Department. We had published what we could corroborate at the time.

But lately things have gotten way out of hand.

Argument by Safety

It began with Fire Chief Eddie Davis asking for items we weren’t quite sure about. He had based his arguments on safety but we weren’t quite sure.

We heard the Chief say, for example, the Department needed a new command car– for safety reasons. We read that the Fire Department was given money by the City for a new antenna– for safety reasons. We heard that two ambulances were to be sent out for one person– for safety reasons.

To those not in the fire-fighting profession, safety presents an almost-irrefutable argument. Eureka is after all a town that has twice been burned out. We could hear it resound through our streets: “How dare you argue with safety!”

It ought to be classed as a logical fallacy, this argument by safety. In the hands of some it is unscrupulous.

Too Smooth to be Believed

We ourselves didn’t know how to respond, but there seemed to be something too altogether smooth about Chief Davis’ presentation– smooth, but more often than not, we thought, slightly aslant of the point. We couldn’t quite put our finger on it.

So we began asking around, to see what those with fire-fighting experience might know. It was difficult here in Eureka Springs. Careers were on the line, and the firefighters knew it.

When firefighters objected to arbitrary disciplinary action taken against one firefighter, for example, they knew they had to do so anonymously.

Recent Issues Pile Up, Motivate

We were stuck, we thought. But there was one call we hadn’t made– until things began piling up, things like the Department’s Bob Pettis failing to get back to us on that antenna, and his most supercilious nose-in-the-air treatment in saying the newspaper story about the antenna was wrong when we finally located him to ask about it.

Then there were things like Chief Davis’ run-around with us on the antenna. And his inadequate explanation of why two ambulances are needed. And his turn-around on the Yukon SUV, which could have been outfitted as a command car, but which he actually drives for personal use, according to reliable sources, evidently taking it several times a week to the Springdale area where he lives; saying all the time that he needed a brand new command car sitting at the Department that we didn’t see at the fire just last week called in from the nursing home.

But the thing that really got us to make that one phone call was Ald. Joyce Zeller, who had said at a recent budget workshop that Chief Davis is the best there is.

We knew there was intense disagreement on that, as did Ald. Kathy Harrison and Ald. Rae Hahn, who said they had heard exactly the opposite.

(So, as a matter of fact, had the Mayor, who acknowledged a morale problem at one time at Council even though she went on to dismiss it by saying it would take time for the firefighters to get used to new policies and procedures.)

We had to find out what was what.

Tepin Corroborates All

We knew we had to make that call. We also knew we had to speak to someone with management responsibilities.

The man we reached knows firefighting from the top down. He is also, we understand from sources who know him, a straight shooter, honest, and forthright.

Even better, he knows Eureka’s Fire Department.

He has also known Eddie Davis for his entire career, he told us.

We asked questions. He answered. We listened. He was able to corroborate what we had heard elsewhere, and provide background.

We call him Tepin, after the stingingest, firefighting-reddest, red pepper there is.

As for the rest, we did it with FOIAs, talking to people who didn’t want to talk to us, phoning Chief Davis, gathering input from concerned residents, and listening at Council and in the back halls.

We found out an amazing amount. Unfortunately, it is not good.