OP/ED: Hemet FD survey reveals 90% of HFFA, Local 2342, firefighters distrust Chief Brown
Submitted by Jeffrey Monical
November, 2017 survey indicated more than 90% of HFFA, local 2342, firefighters believe Chief Brown prioritizes his own career over Hemet’s emergency response needs.
Hemet — Members of the Hemet City Firefighters Association, Local 2342, released the results of a membership survey that show firefighters are critical of Chief Scott Brown’s priorities as leader of the Hemet Fire Department.
91.67% of firefighters indicated Chief Brown’s primary motivation is his own career interests “and not the emergency response needs of Hemet residents and businesses…” Likewise, in a career that requires constant dedication to quality public safety services, 86.84% of Hemet firefighters indicated the overall department morale to be either “unsatisfactory” or “poor.”
The survey was conducted in November 2017 among all members of the Hemet Fire Fighters Association. 38 survey invitations were sent to HFFA members on November 15, 2017. 100% of the surveys were completed by HFFA members by November 27, 2017.
HFFA President David Prietto said that working conditions and morale have continued to deteriorate since the survey was conducted last year. “HFFA members are frustrated by the Chief’s lack of integrity and poor leadership,” Prietto said. “We’ve reached the juncture at which his pattern of lies and misplaced priorities are negatively impacting our ability to provide the quality of emergency response services Hemet residents expect and deserve.”
Prietto said that Chief Brown has routinely and unnecessarily misrepresented the department’s capacities to City officials, leading to confusion and frustration among Hemet firefighters. “We had firefighters ready to go fight the recent wildfires, but Chief Brown made up excuses and prevented our personnel from deploying in sufficient numbers,” Prietto said. “That left residents and property in Idyllwild more at risk. Our members want him held accountable for that and more.”
For more information, contact Jeffrey Monical at (818) 445-0114, or [email protected]
Click any image to view full November, 2017 survey results.
Contact the editor: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and The Mountain Echo in Shasta County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 14 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.
Hey mountain man. Where do they go and do from here? If he’s not the right person then he needs to go. We need to protect and defend are First Responders.
From an admittedly outsider’s perspective, I personally think HFD and their Chief are doing a great job. This article was written and submitted by someone not affiliated with RCNS.
-TM
Chief Scott Brown has done wonders for the City of Hemet and the Hemet Fire Department.
I find this survey shameful. I along with most love the firefighters but there are a FEW of the “old timers” that have shown disrespect and complained since the day the chief started. I think it started even before he got here. If they can’t succeed in getting rid of the chief one way, they change tactics and go about it another way and so on and so on.
They seem to resent any outsider coming in and making changes to “their ” department. But you know what? It is really not their department. Most do not live in Hemet, but I do, along with all the other residents. It is our fire department. I have worked many jobs, although not union. If I did not like a boss, and there were several, I had the option to either suck it up or quit. I also believe there has been some intimidation going on amongst the firefighters.
The Captain (and yes I know his name) that complained saying the chief was more interested in his own career, ought to do some soul searching about his own career advancing methods. He has been photographed with about every politician he seems to find. Who pays for all of those trips he goes on, is it the City or the Union?
Also, check the California 2017 transparency to see who has been paid the most money working for Hemet.
Also, the unions of our neighboring cities to weigh in with their negative comments when they only hear one side is disgusting and hateful and really none of their business. It just brings animosity between our cities. With all the fires and deaths of firefighters pertaining to these fires, THIS is what they focus on?
So I guess this is what free speech gets us?