Prescott Valley, Arizona (AZ Family) — Yavapai County firefighters express outrage Central Arizona Fire and Rescue Department Chief Scott Freitagis accused of bullying and harassment, understaffing and failing to address and mitigate the risks of cancer to firefighters.
of International Association of FirefightersThe union, which represents more than 350,000 firefighters and emergency responders across North America, unanimously passed a resolution at its annual convention censuring Freitag.
More than 2,500 delegates condemned the emir's actions.
Freitag said he was hurt by the verdict and claimed he was not given a chance to defend himself.
“I never expected this to happen,” Freitag said. “At no point did I have the opportunity to refute the accusations and allegations made against me.”
Freitag is accused of failing to update cancer prevention techniques, sending fire engines to scenes with fewer than the recommended four personnel, and creating a hostile work environment where rank-and-file employees feared retaliation.
“We take every cancer prevention measure that we can implement within the limits of our funding structure for our legacy stations,” Freitag said, “and I have not heard any allegations of hostile bullying or harassment towards our members.”
Freitag cited one hostile work environment lawsuit that is still pending.
“This case was filed against the battalion chief and I was named as part of it. This investigation is wrapping up and if you look at what's written in this document, the charges I was charged with were minimal, but we are confident that I will be exonerated of all of those charges,” he said.
Freitag added that staffing challenges are not unique to the department but a nationwide issue.
“If the department's inability to provide a four-person fire brigade 24/7 is grounds for criticism, then nearly every fire chief across the country should be criticized for the same thing,” Freitag said.
Freitag said there have been no other complaints in his 10 years as fire chief.
but, Chairman Don Yongeward of Arizona Professional FirefightersThe local chapter of the IAFF said Freitag faced three hostile work environment allegations and received cease and desist letters from the IAFF and the Arizona Association of Professional Firefighters.
Jongewaert accused Freytag of systematically destroying morale in the police department and ruling with an iron fist.
“He doubled the budget, but he didn't build more fire stations or increase the number of people on the ground to respond to emergencies,” Jongeward said. “Instead, he used the money to raise his own salary by 60 percent, to $200,000 a year.”
Freitag denies the allegations, saying the staffing shortages are due to a lack of applicants and that the money is being used for cancer prevention and additional resources.
The Central Arizona Fire and Medical Services said it would review the information and address any concerns arising from the accusations.
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