Petaluma Fire Department moves forward from sexual harassment suit with new hire, protocol

With a checkered history when it comes to respecting women, the Petaluma Fire Department has hired a new female firefighter, only the third in the history of its ranks. It comes with a promise to change protocols and facilities in an effort to increase safety and privacy at the fire stations.

“We want to make a good, inclusive work environment,” Petaluma Fire Chief Jeff Schach said in a Tuesday interview. “We spend a third of our lives here at the fire department and it needs to be safe and comfortable.”

The department’s second female firefighter, Andrea Waters, quit in 2014 after she said she experienced sexual harassment and discrimination during her six years working in Petaluma. In her statements, Waters said she was not provided with proper accommodations during overnight shifts, with shared shower facilities and sleeping quarters that lacked privacy. Then when she tried to address her concerns with her superiors, her male colleagues allegedly retaliated against her, leading her to file a formal complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She ultimately filed a lawsuit against the city, which was settled for $1.25 million in 2016, plus another $500,000 in legal fees.

In 2018, the department was again suspected of sexual misconduct after it was alleged firefighters brought an intoxicated woman to the D Street fire station early one morning to strip and perform sex acts. A letter sent to the city claims photos were taken and disseminated among staff depicting the woman in “various states of undress” in the station, sometimes clad solely in Petaluma Fire Department gear.

These incidents have sparked a number of changes to internal protocol and facility structure, said Schach, to ensure that all who work there are safe and secure in the space.

Schach, who wasn’t fire chief during either incident but did work in the department, said he felt frustrated he hadn’t learned of Waters’ experience until after she resigned. He wanted the opportunity to improve her situation as an employee of the department.

“And that’s sad. I hate to see someone feel that way and then leave. Because that’s not who we are, that’s not what we’re about,” Schach said. “We want to make people feel involved and happy and included, not feel like they’re treated different. And if they are being treated differently because of something, we’re going to fix that on this end.”

Since Waters’ exit, said Schach, the fire department realized it needs to “do better” and is now working to improve accommodations and create a safer environment for employees, before the long-awaited, full station remodel is completed. That includes increased bias training, better bathrooms and showers in Fire Station No. 2 on North McDowell Boulevard, and hard-sided room dividers with separate doors in the sleeping areas, in place of the standard curtain dividers.

“You’re sitting in a 1938 fire station. The other two stations were built in the ‘70s and the ‘80s. They weren’t built for a diverse workforce; they weren’t built for privacy,” Schach said. “They were all built with a military dorm-style room — one open dorm with multiple beds in it. And large bathrooms, but one large bathroom… So when Andrea Waters came on, we did our best at the time, which wasn’t good enough.”

The Petaluma City Council will prioritize securing a site for a new and improved fire station within the next fiscal year, using dollars from Measure U, the newly passed sale tax. That station design features permanent improvements to the living quarters, including more bathrooms and more private sleeping spaces.

“Now with Measure U, we’re re-evaluating remodeling plans and we’re just starting a facility assessment to see if we’re going to re-use this fire station or build it somewhere else,” Schach said.

When asked about reporting incidents of harassment or discrimination, Schach said the city will use its same policies and protocols. The change, he said, will come in “preventing unintentional bias,” “as well as a re-emphasis on expectations and channels for seeking help if people feel they are experiencing any of those things.”

Meanwhile, leaders with the fire department are actively working to bring on board a more diverse group of first responders, including reaching out to the paramedic and firefighter academies at Santa Rosa Junior College.

With more than two dozen male firefighters on hand, the fire department in January hired Linda Keaney, who had previously spent 13 years as a local medic. Keaney then went through two months of fire academy training to begin her work as a full-time firefighter, only the third female ever to do so in Petaluma.

She said she “couldn’t have asked for a better fitting.”

“For me, I’ve been treated the same as everyone else. They’ve made it very welcoming and it’s very homey,” said Keaney, a native Petaluman. “Everyone just kind of took me in under their wing and are teaching me everything just like they do with everyone else who’s there, which is very nice and very comforting.”

Schach mentioned that in the history of recruiting, especially in recent years, creating more variety among staff members has presented challenges, not only due to the past lawsuit but also because he’s found less diversity among the new recruits.

“It’s hard to find diversity when the applicant pool isn’t diverse,” he said, adding that he “absolutely” wants a workforce that represents the community.

Schach said the Petaluma Fire Department is also building more diversity for its EMT team, by developing a program that offers reimbursement for up to $5,000 for paramedic school. The department currently employs a number of female EMTs, including one who just finished an internship with the department for the fire academy and is looking to be employed as a firefighter in Petaluma once her schooling is completed.

“I think we’re already seeing sneak previews of the future of this department, with the women that we’ve interviewed, hired and are currently in the process,” said EMS coordinator Cathy Dooyes, who has served in EMS for 28 years, has been greatly involved in interviewing and training current and future employees. “I’m just excited.”

Amelia Parreira is a staff writer for the Argus-Courier. She can be reached at amelia.parreira@arguscourier.com or 707-521-5208.