Union officials claim Fire District 5 neglected to address alleged misconduct

Published 4:15 pm Wednesday, February 7, 2024

International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2596 officials say Jackson County Fire District 5’s alleged failure to address workplace misconduct, including allegations of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment, is resulting in an exodus of district employees.

A Tuesday afternoon meeting of the district board of directors drew a standing-room-only crowd, made up mostly of district firefighters and other employees. The district operates out of three fully staffed fire stations located in the communities of Phoenix, Talent and unincorporated Ashland, serving an area with a population of over 23,000.

The regular portion of Tuesday’s meeting lasted for half an hour, while a subsequent executive session, closed to the public, convened for nearly twice as long.

Prior to the closed portion of the meeting, IAFF 2596 union president Brady Graham addressed the board and voiced concerns about what he said were serious, ongoing complaints.

Graham later told the Rogue Valley Times that he had planned to discuss the union’s investigation into union member complaints during the closed session. He says he was informed an hour prior to the meeting that he would not be permitted to do so.

At the advice of union legal counsel, Graham presented a letter to board members and board legal counsel but told the Times that the union is prepared to take further steps if it does not receive a response.

During the meeting, Graham read a few sentences from the letter into the record: “IAFF Local 2596 seeks intervention from Jackson County Fire District 5 board to address serious ongoing workplace concerns at Jackson County Fire District 5. … The district has failed to address documented inappropriate conduct in the workplace. The failure has created an atmosphere where bullying, harassment and even sexual harassment are accepted as normal behaviors. As you can see, these are pretty serious things,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we have folks that are leaving because of these reasons. We have folks that are seeking employment at other agencies because of these reasons … I am learning that more people are looking to leave here because of mismanagement of position.”

Just before Graham’s statement, District 5 Capt. Bob Holt voiced his support for Graham’s representation of union members on “the issues he is bringing forth.”

Board Chair Vicki Purslow, who presided over the Tuesday meeting, declined to comment when contacted by the Times on Wednesday.

Fire Chief Charles Hanley told the Times in a text:

“Jackson County Fire District No. 5 takes its responsibility to treat all employees fairly, very seriously. This becomes critical in cases of alleged wrongdoing, when employees must be afforded the right to a fair and impartial process.”

The statement continued, “Matters involving employees, especially those involving discipline or accusations of wrongdoing, are rarely simple. In order to weigh the facts and ensure a fair outcome for all employees, a thorough review needs to take place. However, it would not be appropriate and potentially unlawful to release information that violates an employee’s due process. This is especially important in active, ongoing investigations.”

District 5 budget committee member Joi Riley, who attended Tuesday’s meeting, said meeting turnout suggested serious underlying issues.

“The number of staff at that meeting, the on-the-record support from the captain, and the obvious frustration and concern exhibited by Brady Graham can only mean that something is seriously wrong and whoever can fix it, isn’t,” Riley said in an email Wednesday.

Contacted Wednesday, Graham said he hoped the board took the union’s letter seriously and would respond by doing “what’s fair and what’s right.”

Union officials issued a more in-depth written statement Wednesday afternoon. The statement referenced an earlier investigation of similar issues.

“For years, members of IAFF Local 2596 have been filing complaints of inappropriate conduct in the workplace at Jackson County Fire District 5. The district has failed to take appropriate action, creating a toxic culture of bullying and harassment that has become unbearable for many. Several firefighters have left the district due to chronic low morale, the appearance of favoritism in hiring and disciplinary decisions, and management’s lax enforcement of the district’s harassment policies,” the statement read.

“IAFF Local 2596 has lost confidence in the district’s ability to address these concerns after a prior investigation in 2022 — which uncovered serious, pervasive misconduct — was largely ignored. Firefighters at Jackson County Fire District 5 remain focused on our goal of serving and protecting the public from harm. It’s time that the District’s Board of Directors realizes that, in order to fulfill that goal, significant changes will have to be made.”