Panel Will Probe Bias Charges in Fire Dept. : Inquiry: Commission’s 3-2 vote follows audit that reported discrimination, harassment of women and minorities.

A sharply divided Fire Commission voted Tuesday to appoint an independent panel to study affirmative action policies in the Los Angeles City Fire Department in the wake of a scathing city audit.

The audit found that white males dominate the department’s top posts and that women and minorities have been subjected to sexual and racial harassment at “rookie kill stations,” where efforts are made to run them off the force. The Fire Department also suffers from a perception of nepotism, cronyism and a promotional system based on “who you know,” the Personnel Department concluded in its 300-page audit.

By voting 3 to 2 to approve creation of the panel, the commission opened the door for further scrutiny of the 3,100-member department that could prolong the controversy that has erupted since the audit’s findings were reported in The Times on Nov. 12.

Fire Chief Donald O. Manning has been criticized by some council members for not going far enough with affirmative action. He also has come under fire from some members of his department, who say he has lowered hiring standards to bring in women and minorities.

The vote Tuesday formalized an earlier action by Commission President Elizabeth Lowe, who asked attorney Gilbert T. Ray to head the panel even before she had read the audit and without consulting other fire commissioners.

“I want to apologize for the process,” Lowe told commissioners Tuesday.

She said she felt that the department would benefit from an additional study but did not mean to “impugn” or “discredit” the audit, as was suggested last week at a City Council committee hearing. Council members told Lowe that her actions could undermine the findings of the audit, which was requested by the council after numerous discrimination complaints from minority and women firefighters.

Lowe requested the independent investigation Nov. 11 after she was informed by Manning that a draft copy of the audit had many findings that contradicted department data. The chief has called the audit a “hatchet job,” saying it was based on unscientific methodology and anonymous statements from a small group of biased former firefighters.

Fire Commissioners Michelle Eunjoo Park-Steel and David W. Fleming supported Lowe, saying Ray was eminently qualified and would provide valuable input. Ray was the executive director of the Christopher Commission that studied practices and policies in the Los Angeles Police Department after the beating of Rodney G. King.

“I’m anxious to hear from all sources who have constructive advice,” Fleming said.

In an interview Tuesday, Ray said his panel will examine the audit, review other relevant data and interview some members of the department. His report, he said, is intended to be one more piece of information to be used by the department and the commission.

“This will be far from a definitive piece,” said Ray, who estimated that his study will take four to six weeks.

However, commissioners Leslie Song Winner and Larry Gonzalez said at Tuesday’s meeting that another report was inappropriate because there is obviously a problem in the department. They added that the Fire Commission has yet to analyze the audit’s findings or a $2-million proposal by Manning to create a human resources bureau to address many of the problems cited in the audit.