DETROIT – The Detroit Fire Department is currently under scrutiny following a series of incidents, including a recent fire truck crash and allegations of payroll fraud within the department.
Detroit fire insiders have raised concerns about those issues, which they believe could compromise public safety.
Tuesday (June 17) morning began with another fire truck crash and ended with a tip regarding potential payroll fraud.
The most concerning news is the fire truck crash from last week that involved injuries to both a firefighter and a civilian.
Local 4 has confirmed that the firefighter driving the truck failed the alcohol test.
While his blood alcohol level was below the legal limit, the Detroit Fire Department has a zero-tolerance policy.
Any alcohol in the system results in discharge.
We received insider information about payroll fraud within the department.
Detroit Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms confirmed that at least two cases have been identified where members of the Detroit Fire Department were caught defrauding the system by collecting money they did not earn.
One individual has been terminated, while another remains employed.
Some of the people bringing concerns to us are worried about the potential for abuse of the system and fraud.
When asked what was being done to stop the fraud, Simms said, " I brought in a payroll manager who runs audits every payroll."
It was suggested that the system was catching them but not preventing them from doing so.
Simms said the system will prevent future issues.
He also mentioned plans to take action on the payroll fraud case within the next seven to 10 days.
However, the lieutenant involved remains employed, which has caused frustration among some within the department.
Regarding the crash from Wednesday morning, Drew noted that a preliminary investigation suggests the ladder truck was responding to a fire with lights and sirens activated, and paused before a vehicle struck the back of the truck.
The determination of fault is still under investigation by both the Detroit police and the fire department.
Simms has indicated that they will provide more training for driving those trucks, and we will follow up to see if that happens.
