TERRI LANGFORD
Houston Chronicle
Reprinted with Permission

On the day that Houston firefighter Jane Draycott returned to Station 54 for the first time after accusing her colleagues of harassment, she was met by the fire chief, his command staff, a psychologist and at least a dozen coworkers for what the chief dubbed a “team building” session.

Instead, according to Draycott, it turned into an “insulting” and “demeaning” confrontation with her male peers that played out in front of the chief. On Thursday, Mayor Annise Parker called the episode a display of “poor judgment” on the part of Fire Chief Phil Boriskie and members of the command staff who were present.

According to Draycott, the men aired rumors and grievances and questioned her sanity. The meeting on Wednesday eventually resulted with her walking off the job again.

Boriskie told the Houston Chronicle “the purpose of the meeting was to lay down the expectations and the treating of people with respect and professionalism in the transition of Jane coming back.”

But the four-hour session not only raised more questions about the department's leadership and handling of Draycott's harassment complaints, but also drew an admonishment from Parker, who called the chief after hearing about the meeting.

‘Hurtful things'
“I do not condone, nor will I tolerate what occurred at Station 54,” Parker's statement read. “… They tried to conduct a standard debrief that veered in an inappropriate direction. Obviously, this continues to be a very emotional situation that has caused tension all around. My goal is to bring it to an end as quickly as possible.”

Problems at Station 54 started after Draycott and firefighter Paula Keyes were greeted by racist and sexist graffiti scrawled on the walls of their dorm on July 7, three months after the two had complained about continuing harassment from co-workers.

Since then, the matter has been under investigation by the city's Office of Inspector General. It remains an open investigation.

Boriskie admitted on Thursday some “hurtful things” were said at the meeting.

Draycott said a captain conducted roll call as soon as she arrived at 7 a.m. and then unexpectedly read a prepared statement detailing why he felt unsafe having her return to the station; he urged her to take a transfer.

“Why do you want to come back here when nobody wants you,” Draycott recalled the captain telling her in front of Boriskie and firefighters. “I had my hands over my face, bawling.”

Draycott said she looked to the command staff for support and while they seemed startled, they silently allowed the captain to continue. Eventually, Boriskie said, he called a stop to it.

Draycott said the insults continued as each of her shift-mates were allowed to talk about how they felt about her returning. Some firefighters blamed her presence in the fire station for marital rifts at home, she said.

“There were firefighters who were mentally hurt. It was supposed to transition our employees,” Boriskie said.

Draycott is now on paid leave. She vows to return to Station 54 after the OIG investigation is complete.

The mayor said she, too, is waiting on the report from the inspector general's office.

“I will take appropriate personnel action once the OIG investigation is concluded. Every city employee deserves a supportive and non-hostile workplace,” Parker said.

Critics continue to claim the department is plagued by a troubling, even sexist, culture where only 2 percent of the department's firefighters are women.

Calendar investigated
They point to a 2010 calendar currently being sold by the HFD Pipes and Drum team, which features a scantily clad and nearly bare-breasted female firefighter.

“It's pretty indicative of your view of women,” said Joe Ahmad, the attorney for Draycott, Keyes and other female firefighters. “The problem with photos like this is they maintain the image of women who aren't viewed in term of being competent at the workplace but merely as sexual objects.”

Parker said an Office of Inspector General's investigation has begun into whether any departmental rules were broken regarding the calendar.

“This calendar is not sanctioned by HFD,” Parker said in her statement. “Of course, anyone has guaranteed rights to freedom of expression and speech. However, there is an expected code of conduct to which we want city employees to adhere.”

For a good cause
Heather Arnold, a Houston firefighter, was the calendar's model. While she admits to friends on her Facebook page that it is a little “risque,” she messaged the Chronicle that it is merely a fundraiser for a good cause.

“The calendar was created to raise money for our very dedicated Pipe and Drum Corp,” she wrote. “They participate in many events across the US on their own time and many times their own dime. I was honored to be able to help them. I hope that your intentions will be to portray HFD and our Pipe and Drum Team as well as the fund raiser in a positive light.”

terri.langford@chron.com