Mayor: Grant documentation concerns triggered Latrobe fire company suspensions

Seven members of Latrobe Volunteer Fire Department’s Goodwill Hose Company 1, who were suspended in December, reportedly have been reinstated.

But members of the company still had questions this week for city officials, who told them that the fire department — not Latrobe Council — needs to solve its internal personnel problems.

Mayor Rosie Wolford revealed that a decision by fire department leaders to lock down Company 1 in early December resulted from “discrepancies in some reporting procedures surrounding federal grants.” Several days later, the fire company resumed operation, while seven of its members instead were suspended.

Wolford said figures were altered for the number of fire calls individual Company 1 members responded to in January through March 2019. Those figures help determine which firefighters have responded to at least 15% of their company’s annual emergency calls to become eligible for a $550 stipend under a federal SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant program.

Wolford noted that city council has no authority to discipline volunteer firefighters, adding, “that matter now rests with the fire department and their internal procedures.”

Several members of Company 1 indicated Monday that the suspended firefighters have been reinstated. Mike Skapura, an assistant fire chief, said he could not comment, citing department bylaws.

Fire Chief John Brasile didn’t attend the meeting and couldn’t be reached for comment.

Latrobe officials still “have a responsibility to make sure that grant money that is given to this city is handled in an appropriate manner, according to the rules of the grant,” Wolford said. ” We saw the documented proof that some of those (call response) numbers were changed.

“The report was sent to the grant managers and, a week or two later, when the report was looked at again, those numbers had changed. Based on the information I had at the time, I think the fire department did the right thing by suspending, to find out what was going on.”

Nico Giovannagelo, one of the suspended Company 1 members, told council on Monday that fire-response figures for the first three months of 2019 had to be entered several months after the fact because he’d initially lacked access to fire company software.

“It’s my job as the captain of that company to log those reports at any time, no stipulation on when,” Giovannagelo said.

Leadership challenged

Firefighters told council they voted Thursday to remove Brasile as chief, but Giovannagelo said he’d been told the city overruled that decision.

“The city appoints the fire chief, based on the election that (the department) had in December, and the fire chief is only removed by council,” Wolford said. She pointed out the department last month voted to have Brasile continue as chief for another two-year term.

Company 1 members said Brasile was unopposed in December because a rival candidate was among the firefighters who were suspended that month.

“You guys need to work out your internal issues,” Wolford told the firefighters. “It’s a bad example to be setting in the community that you guys are fighting among yourselves. You’re trying to get us to step in and fight this fight for you.

“I have tremendous respect for the fire department and what you guys do. You guys put your lives on the line every day, you protect us, and I know we all really appreciate and respect what you do. This is personnel, personalities, whatever. You guys have your own set of bylaws, you have your own rules and you need to solve your problems.”