Employees Cite Bias, Harassment in Report on Fire Department : Government: A county-commissioned study tells of a number of problems, which Chief George Lund says he wants to resolve.

Women and minorities working for the Ventura County Fire Department have been subjected to widespread harassment and discrimination on the job, department employees have told a private consultant commissioned by the County Board of Supervisors.

In a preliminary report to the board, the firm of Kenneth Hawkins & Associates said employees expressed a common theme that some women and minorities in the department have been passed over for promotion, treated rudely and harassed.

“Some men reported that a few of their male peers in the department believe that women are unqualified to work in the field, and they will not work with them,” Hawkins wrote in the 29-page report.

The report found a concern among some of the 135 employees interviewed that women and minorities were unwelcome in the 465-member department. Some of the women interviewed said they have been treated like “second-class citizens.”

Fire Chief George Lund, who assumed command in 1990, agreed that sexism and racism exist.

“I’ve been with the department for more than 25 years,” Lund said. “As far as affirmative action, I never saw a whole lot accomplished in the process.”

But Lund said he is prepared to do whatever it takes to resolve any problems. He added that he has been working closely with the consultant and has already begun holding sessions throughout the department to educate employees about how to overcome racial and sexual insensitivity.

“We hope to see a more harmonious work group,” Lund said. “I’m not going to say this is ever going to be a perfect organization, but we are certainly going to be able to improve on the past effort. I’m confident that we are on the right track.”

He said he plans to hold a news conference today to detail his plans.

According to county statistics, the Fire Department’s top five officials are all white men. Eighty percent of the county’s 15 battalion chiefs are white males, while 20% are Latino.

Of the department’s 127 firefighters, five are female. Sixteen percent of the firefighters are Latino, 78% white, 5% black and 1% Asian.

The supervisors decided several months ago to spend $60,000 to hire the consultant to determine the extent of allegations by some firefighters of sexism and racism within the department.

“There is a strong feeling that favoritism exists,” the report said. “Minorities and women reported that they were given very little support when they were brought into the department.”

Supervisor John K. Flynn said Thursday that he was not surprised at the study’s findings.

“I think the problems have been identified for a long time,” Flynn said. “I didn’t need a study to tell me all these things. . . . If people are being hurt because problems are not being corrected, we need to address it straight on. We need to all get involved in restructuring.”

According to the report, many of those interviewed said the department fails to properly train and test its employees for promotion.

“Minority participants expressed deep concerns about the application of unfair, inconsistent standards,” the report said. “They felt promotional tests and standards were subjective and manipulated to benefit certain people. Information and materials that prepared applicants for promotion were not equally distributed.”

The report said some employees believe that an informal “mentoring” system encourages the advancement of some people who are members of the “right clique.”

“In part, this has to do with the department’s image as a ‘good ol’ boy’ organization--it’s who you know that will determine advancement.”

But Capt. Glenn Garcia, a spokesman for Latino firefighters, said he is optimistic that the problems can be solved.

“We have to create systems within our organization to implement affirmative action goals,” he said. “We see this as the first phase.

“It’s up to the chief now to take the action,” Garcia said.