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Houston Firefighter in Harassment Issue Sues City
BRADLEY OLSON and TERRI LANGFORD
Houston Chronicle
Reprinted with Permission
A female Houston firefighter who found threatening sexist and racist slurs in her quarters at a fire station last year sued the city Tuesday, alleging she has endured years of sexual harassment and faced retaliation when she complained.
Related
Harassment Allegations inside Houston Firehouse
The lawsuit, filed in Harris County state district court, lists numerous allegations of harassment against Jane Draycott leading up to the graffiti incident last July, including at least one instance of unwanted sexual advances that went unpunished.
“When this thing first happened, she had no thoughts about filing a lawsuit,” said her attorney, Joe Ahmad. “She wanted to give the city and the fire department every opportunity to remedy the situation without the filing of the lawsuit.”
Ahmad said Draycott was severely mistreated in a botched “team-building” exercise that took place when she tried to return to work at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport station in January. After that, he said, her only avenue was the lawsuit.
The city's response to the incident, including an inconclusive investigation, the “team-building” exercise and a subsequent outside probe into HFD culture, have roiled the fire department. Former Chief Phil Boriskie abruptly resigned his post, returning to a district chief's position, shortly after Mayor Annise Parker criticized the handling of Draycott's return.
HFD spokesman Patrick Trahan said the suit will move the city “forward.”
“Firefighter Draycott has now enumerated her complaints,” Trahan said. “They can be addressed on their merits in the civil process.”
He declined comment on the individual allegations in the suit.
Pattern alleged
The lawsuit details more than 60 allegations of harassment or discrimination, including:
- An incident in 2000 in which a male firefighter “grabbed her from behind and rubbed up against her,” climbed into Draycott's bed and made “sexually suggestive comments.” She later was ordered by a supervisor to file a formal complaint, beginning a process in which she was ostracized for years for reporting a comrade;
- Two incidents in 2007, in which she found pictures of her children, including that of a daughter who had died in a car accident, had been removed from her locker, torn up and placed in the trash;
- Several instances in 2008 when she was unfairly passed over for overtime shifts that she was qualified to work, shifts that were given to men;
- A pattern of alleged harassment, previously reported in the Houston Chronicle, at Station 54 in the six months before the graffiti incident, including one time when the cold water was turned off in the women's showers and another in which a firecracker was rigged to explode when a stall was opened in the women's restroom.
Mayor responds
The suit also faults the city's investigation of the graffiti incident, alleging that not everyone who had access to the vandalized areas was interviewed and that the probe focused solely on her.
An Office of Inspector General Investigation into the July 7 graffiti incident concluded last month, substantiating the allegations but finding no suspects.
Mayor Parker said in a statement that Draycott, who has been on leave except for two brief interludes in the past nine months, is scheduled to return to Fire Station 54, where the vandalism occurred, on Monday.
“I plan to do everything in my power to ensure that we provide a safe, respectful and welcoming work environment for all firefighters,” the mayor said. “There is at least one firefighter who knows what happened, but there have been firefighters who have been unfairly tainted as a result of this event. We need to focus our attention on firefighters who work every day to keep Houstonians, and their homes, safe.”
Ahmad said Draycott's return was not a certainty, as he continues to have a number of concerns he wants to discuss with the city first. Those include whether he will be allowed to be present and whether firefighters who participated in the “team-building” exercise in January and urged Draycott to leave the station will be working with her.
bradley.olson@chron.com
terri.langford@chron.com
Houston Chronicle
Reprinted with Permission
A female Houston firefighter who found threatening sexist and racist slurs in her quarters at a fire station last year sued the city Tuesday, alleging she has endured years of sexual harassment and faced retaliation when she complained.
Related
Harassment Allegations inside Houston Firehouse
“When this thing first happened, she had no thoughts about filing a lawsuit,” said her attorney, Joe Ahmad. “She wanted to give the city and the fire department every opportunity to remedy the situation without the filing of the lawsuit.”
Ahmad said Draycott was severely mistreated in a botched “team-building” exercise that took place when she tried to return to work at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport station in January. After that, he said, her only avenue was the lawsuit.
The city's response to the incident, including an inconclusive investigation, the “team-building” exercise and a subsequent outside probe into HFD culture, have roiled the fire department. Former Chief Phil Boriskie abruptly resigned his post, returning to a district chief's position, shortly after Mayor Annise Parker criticized the handling of Draycott's return.
HFD spokesman Patrick Trahan said the suit will move the city “forward.”
“Firefighter Draycott has now enumerated her complaints,” Trahan said. “They can be addressed on their merits in the civil process.”
He declined comment on the individual allegations in the suit.
Pattern alleged
The lawsuit details more than 60 allegations of harassment or discrimination, including:
- An incident in 2000 in which a male firefighter “grabbed her from behind and rubbed up against her,” climbed into Draycott's bed and made “sexually suggestive comments.” She later was ordered by a supervisor to file a formal complaint, beginning a process in which she was ostracized for years for reporting a comrade;
- Two incidents in 2007, in which she found pictures of her children, including that of a daughter who had died in a car accident, had been removed from her locker, torn up and placed in the trash;
- Several instances in 2008 when she was unfairly passed over for overtime shifts that she was qualified to work, shifts that were given to men;
- A pattern of alleged harassment, previously reported in the Houston Chronicle, at Station 54 in the six months before the graffiti incident, including one time when the cold water was turned off in the women's showers and another in which a firecracker was rigged to explode when a stall was opened in the women's restroom.
Mayor responds
The suit also faults the city's investigation of the graffiti incident, alleging that not everyone who had access to the vandalized areas was interviewed and that the probe focused solely on her.
An Office of Inspector General Investigation into the July 7 graffiti incident concluded last month, substantiating the allegations but finding no suspects.
Mayor Parker said in a statement that Draycott, who has been on leave except for two brief interludes in the past nine months, is scheduled to return to Fire Station 54, where the vandalism occurred, on Monday.
“I plan to do everything in my power to ensure that we provide a safe, respectful and welcoming work environment for all firefighters,” the mayor said. “There is at least one firefighter who knows what happened, but there have been firefighters who have been unfairly tainted as a result of this event. We need to focus our attention on firefighters who work every day to keep Houstonians, and their homes, safe.”
Ahmad said Draycott's return was not a certainty, as he continues to have a number of concerns he wants to discuss with the city first. Those include whether he will be allowed to be present and whether firefighters who participated in the “team-building” exercise in January and urged Draycott to leave the station will be working with her.
bradley.olson@chron.com
terri.langford@chron.com
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by austin munro on
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I think that the actions of the individual or individuals towards miss Draycott is disgraceful towards women in the service all together. I work in a department where there is a female fire fighter and she's treated the same as any of the guy's on the force, with respect. To have someone do that so another member of the firefighting family, regardless of that member's sex, is a coward and shouldn't be in that family.
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Permalink Reply by Firewriter on
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Do these males dish this crap out to their wives, girl friends, sisters, mothers? Maybe this is the norm for them.
Willful destruction of personal property of which one item was a photo of a dead child! Dear God, what kind of animals are these and what the hell are they doing in service?! I will not call these sickos "men"; they don't deserve that title.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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For the record, I am not now nor have I ever been affiliated with HFD.
Remember this though.
Things are not always as they are portrayed, by the media. Hearsay and innuendo allege everything from a fabrication to a cover-up by the city.
It is important to note that 2 separate investigations, and a review by the FBI, failed to indicate who may have been involved. Rumors continue to run rampant.
Houston, do we have a problem? It certainly sounds like there are some issues. Is it as widespread as it is being portrayed in the media? Well, I guess we will have to wait on the outcome of the lawsuit, IF it goes to trial.
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I try to stand by something a TBI agent told me: "There are always three sides to a story- the victims, the criminals, and the truth ... all of which can be quite different."
The issue is an old one and, for the most part in recent years, has been dealt with well. In this case, the investigations were not necessarily as "clean" as they should have been. A review by the FBI is simply that - a review. It is not an investigation.
Wrong doing? Obviously. Who? Only time will tell. Isolated to Houston? Most definitely not. We have a few here who need some reminders every so often - both male and female. Treating anyone with such a lack of respect as may have occured in Houston is lower than low and should never be tolerated.
Thanks Oldman ... I needed my butt kicked for not remembering what I was told.
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