Petaluma fire chief placed on administrative leave

A Petaluma firefighters union is defending the city’s top fire official after he was placed on administrative leave, expressing shock and disappointment in a statement last week.

Petaluma Fire Chief Leonard Thompson was placed on administrative leave Nov. 3, leaving the two south county fire departments under Thompson’s command without their top leader.

In its statement, the Petaluma Firefighters Local 1415 praised Thompson’s leadership.

“He provided strong leadership, a calming president and a unified voice for not only the Petaluma cutizens, but all southern Sonoma County residents,” according to the statement. “His tenure at the Petaluma Fire Department has been filled with honor, respect and dedication.”

Details about the decision to place Thompson on paid administrative leave, including the circumstances surrounding the move, have not yet been shared publicly. And questions remain about how the decision will impact Thompson’s dual role as chief of the Rancho Adobe Fire Department.

Petaluma City Manager Peggy Flynn on Thursday confirmed that Thompson was placed on administrative leave, adding that there is no set end date at this time. But she said she could not comment on the reasons because it is a personnel matter.

Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Schach has assumed the role of acting fire chief, Flynn said via email.

Thompson has served as fire chief since 2015, managing the $17.8 million department — the city’s second largest — after a 35-year career as chief deputy of emergency operations at the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Since coming to Petaluma, Thompson has seen his firefighting footprint in southern Sonoma County grow, taking over leadership duties for the Rancho Adobe Fire District on a part-time, contractual basis in 2017, and now overseeing more than 100 firefighting personnel serving 100,000 people across more than 200 square miles.

Thompson, a San Rafael resident, could not be reached for comment, and a message left with the nonprofit San Rafael Fire Foundation that Thompson helped establish was not returned. Thompson serves as a board member and treasurer for the foundation, which brought in more than $70,000 in donations in 2018, the last year for which IRS forms were readily available online.

Mark Hemmendinger, president of the Rancho Adobe Fire District Board of Directors, said Petaluma Assistant City Manager Brian Cochran informed the Rancho Adobe board Nov. 3 about the city’s decision, but Cochran did not share the reason behind that decision.

Hemmendinger said he spoke with Thompson on Nov. 3, but he declined to elaborate on the conversation or characterize Thompson’s demeanor.

The firefighters union did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but in its statement said that the reason for leave was not based on “nefarious acts.”

“To be clear, his administrative leave has nothing to do with any nefarious acts, more so fighting for the needs of our fire department,” according to the statement.

Flynn did not respond to an email and text message seeking a response to the statement from the union.

Thompson, who earns $221,457 annually, was “instrumental in establishing a partnership with Rancho Adobe,” a move that allowed both departments to save money and bolster emergency response, according the city of Petaluma website.

The decision to place Thompson on paid administrative leave comes as the district and the city are working to renew the firefighting contract between the two entities, but Hemmendinger sought to assure residents that firefighting operations would not be affected.

“Were it to continue, it might … Our operations on a day-to-day basis are handled by our battalion chiefs,” Hemmendinger said. “They do an able job of that, with or without his presence.”

The timeline for Thompson’s leave wasn’t immediately clear Thursday morning, but Hemmendinger said the district’s partnership was still in effect.

“That remains unchanged through this period of time,” Hemmendinger said. “The public will not see a change in the response.”

Flynn echoed Hemmendinger’s thoughts, saying via email that “the partnership on the ground continues between the two departments.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story misidentified the medium that Petaluma Assistant City Manager Brian Cochran used to inform the Rancho Adobe Fire District of the city’s decision to place Petaluma Fire Chief Leonard Thompson on administrative leave.

Tyler Silvy is editor of the Petaluma Argus-Courier. Reach him at tyler.silvy@arguscourier.com, 707-776-8458, or @tylersilvy on Twitter.