The city of Vancouver hired an outside investigator earlier this year to look into issues of gender-based discrimination within the Vancouver Fire Department. That inquiry is ongoing now.
Emails obtained by The Columbian raise questions about how female firefighters are treated in Vancouver.
In April, a firefighter was using the women’s restroom at Station 10 when her male boss walked in on her. When Division Chief Drew Tracy was confronted, he admitted entering the women’s restroom, according to emails. He said men have been using the women’s space as a locker room for years and allegedly responded, “the door was not locked.”
The restroom incident spurred a deeper look into the department’s treatment of women. In notes written by Deputy Chief Dan Olson, titled “diversity,” the woman who was in the restroom was initially told, “so, you’re going to go there” when she pointed out she didn’t have a private restroom to use.
After speaking with female firefighters, Olson reported a litany of other offenses, from inappropriate magazines in common areas to male firefighters walking around half-nude.
“Men are walking out of their rooms or shower facilities with only a towel around them and meeting a woman firefighter in the hall. This makes the women feel uncomfortable and like they shouldn’t be there,” Olson’s notes read.
Olson also wrote at least one woman was given an ill-fitting uniform and other instances of where women had to wake up early or wait until their shift ended to use the showers.
Vancouver Fire Chief Joseph Molina said the department is undergoing behavioral and cultural sensitivity training this week. He said the technical issues, such as uniforms, have been addressed. No one has been reprimanded, he said.
The city hired Seattle-based investigator Rebecca Dean, according to Molina. Dean recently conducted an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing in Clark County government. In that matter, Dean was hired by the county’s Human Resources Department at a cost of $240 an hour. It’s unclear how much she is charging the city at this point.
Molina said Dean is in the “fact-finding phase” and is expected to announce soon whether there will be a full investigation.
Dean declined to comment.
There are only five women who are emergency responders with the Vancouver Fire Department, out of 182 firefighters total.
Because of the small number of female firefighters, sometimes “restrooms sit vacant and aren’t being used,” the fire chief said.
The department is in the midst of working on creating more private spaces for women. In June, Molina sent a directive to all department personnel titled, “respectful workplace environmental regulations.”
For restrooms, the directive states, “all personnel shall only enter or use the restroom for their gender, except for scheduled station cleaning purposes.” It also states all personnel should have “equal access to restroom and shower facilities.”
When it comes to uniforms, Molina wrote, “minimum clothing levels in common areas shall be department provided workout shorts and shirt.”
He also reminded his personnel, “The possession and/or viewing of demeaning, insulting or sexually oriented or suggestive objects or pictures, including nude photographs, magazines or other graphic material will only be allowed in privately assigned lockers or in locations where a private viewing is possible.”
Later, Molina emailed a statement to The Columbian, which said in part, “Our department’s personnel has been evolving to include a more diverse workforce, including firefighters that are women. In the past few months, I was made aware of some issues involving behaviors surrounding our women fighters that do not reflect the expected standards of members of the Vancouver Fire Department.”
Eric Holmes, Vancouver’s city manager, said Dean was hired in the spring. There is no specific time frame to her investigation, he said.
“Providing a work environment that is healthy for everybody and positive for all firefighters is a goal we share across the entire city,” Holmes said.
