Fort Worth paid former Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis $99,999 for him to drop his claims against the city after he was placed on leave, according to a settlement agreement reviewed by the Report.
The settlement came after the city received a letter from Davis’s attorney about the chief being put on administrative leave in mid-September. In the Sept. 28 letter to City Manager Jay Chapa, Davis’s attorney claimed the city’s then-ongoing investigation of Davis was predetermined to result in his termination and demanded a public hearing for Davis.
“We are skeptical that the city will fairly investigate Chief Davis based on prior experience and believe you intend to terminate Chief Davis as soon as practicable,” the letter read. “We expect that you already have a draft of his termination memo prepared even though his ‘investigation’ is ongoing.”
After reaching the settlement agreement in mid-October, the city announced Davis’s resignation effective Oct. 31.
The attorney’s letter claimed city management’s “abject disregard” of Davis’ efforts to raise the fire department’s safety standards put firefighters at risk. Davis’s attorney, Stephen Kennedy, on Oct. 27 told the Report that the city’s firefighters’ union was a primary reason for Davis’s resignation.
Before Davis was placed on leave, he had pushed for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to launch an external investigation into a recent firefighter’s injury, Kennedy said.
The Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association, or Local 440, opposed the external investigation, Kennedy said. The attorney argued that union officials worried the investigation’s findings would reflect poorly on the union’s leadership and positions they had taken.
Fort Worth Chief Communications Officer Sana Syed declined to comment on the claim letter, instead pointing to a statement from Mayor Mattie Parker issued when the city announced Davis’s resignation.
In it, Parker said the city appreciates Davis’s years of dedicated service and wishes him well in his future endeavors.
In the settlement, Davis agreed to drop his claims against the city and signed a non-disparagement agreement, barring him from making “defamatory or disparaging comments in any public forum” about the city and its employees.
Kennedy’s comments to the Report came days after union officials announced members took a vote of no-confidence in Davis’ leadership, citing failures in safety enforcement and emergency response standards, according to the union’s statement.
“Chief Davis’ failure to correct violations of safety standards, recognize acceptable on-scene times for EMS and fire response, and ensure accurate dispatch of resources have led the membership to this result,” the statement read.
Kennedy argued the union’s vote amounted to retaliation against Davis.
Representatives from Local 440 are not commenting on Davis’ leave or Kennedy’s assertions about a third-party investigation at this time.
About two weeks before Davis was placed on leave, Fort Worth firefighter Caleb Halvorson was nearly killed by a collapsing garage roof during a house fire. He was hospitalized for 34 days after sustaining third-degree burns and a dislocated knee.
Kennedy declined to say if Halvorson’s injury was directly related to Davis’ call for an external review of safety standards.
The letter to the city also demanded Fort Worth preserve all evidence relating to Davis’s employment and resignation, including internal and external communications and surveillance footage.
“Recent experience with other directors who have been terminated teaches that we must demand that you preserve the metadata associated with any draft termination memo that you may have,” the letter read.
Fort Worth City Council formally appointed Assistant Chief Raymond Hill as interim leader on Tuesday.
The city is expected to soon launch a search for a new fire chief. Whoever fills the position must manage the fire department’s newly launched emergency medical services, or EMS, branch.
In 2018, Fort Worth conducted a five-month national search before ultimately choosing Davis, a former assistant fire chief in Columbus, Ohio.
Davis earned an annual salary of about $250,000, according to city records. He oversaw a department with a $226.8 million budget, about 1,600 employees and 45 fire stations.
Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org or @shawlings601.
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