DATE: Saturday, October 4, 1997             TAG: 9710040367

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MATTHEW DOLAN and LEWIS KRAUSKOPF, Staff writer 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:  125 lines

BESIEGED CHESAPEAKE FIRE CHIEF LEAVES POST BOLAC'S CONTRIBUTIONS PRAISED, STYLE FAULTED

Fire Chief Michael L. Bolac, whose stormy relationship with Fire Department employees included a recent sex-discrimination complaint against him, resigned Friday.

His 11-year tenure was marred by accusations of insensitivity, racism, sexual harassment and personal responsibility for policies that contributed to the death of two firefighters last summer.

But even his critics agree Bolac brought the Fire Department to a new level of professionalism by boosting physical fitness requirements for his 325 firefighters, emphasizing fire prevention and sweeping away the remnants of an old-fashioned county fire department.

Calls to Bolac's home Friday night were not returned.

The chief's announcement drew measured responses from city officials, but cries of jubilation from some firefighters, who were under orders from Bolac not to speak to reporters.

The chief told Acting City Manager Clarence V. Cuffee late Friday that he wanted to retire, effective Nov. 1, said Mark S. Cox, the city's director of public communications. Cuffee, after consultation with City Manager John L. Pazour, who is recuperating at home from back surgery, accepted Bolac's letter of resignation.

Bolac, 49, took sick leave Friday on the advice of his physician, Cox said.

Cuffee appointed Edmund E. Elliott Jr., the department's deputy chief for operations, as acting fire chief.

Elliott, 42, a 23-year veteran of the department, said Bolac's leadership of the department brought Chesapeake into a modern era of firefighting.

``The department has moved ahead tremendously. We changed rapidly to become more professional, and we're still moving forward,'' said Elliott.

On Monday, Cuffee will attend the monthly meeting of battalion chiefs and administrators to talk about the chief's departure and any changes it might require.

Pazour said he was surprised by Bolac's announcement and knew of no pressure on Bolac to resign from council members or the city manager's office.

``I think that he has done an extremely credible job for the city of Chesapeake. . . . I think that he has done quite a good job in building that department,'' Pazour said.

Other department officials said they were taken aback by Bolac's sudden departure.

``None of us had any idea this was coming,'' said Fire Marshal Thomas H. Cooke. ``Retirement wasn't looked at. So, it caught me by surprise . . . We don't know a whole lot about it. It's too new. . . . We haven't been privy to any of the inside information of the investigation. It's been relatively closed.

The first indication the department had that Bolac might be leaving was on Thursday, Cooke said. Bolac wasn't there on Friday and is expected to use sick leave until Nov. 1.

``It's a big impact on the fire department,'' he said. ``When you lose your chief, it has an impact all the way down to the youngest recruit. . . . We have 350 people in the fire department who've been extremely concerned about this and the rumors flying around. This will help clear up some of the rumors and provide a little stability.''

Cox said Bolac should be eligible for full retirement benefits.

Mayor William E. Ward was on a trip to Japan on Friday and unavailable for comment. But at least one city council member said Bolac had made the right decision.

``I think that . . . we're all thankful to the chief for the services he has given to the city over the years,'' said Councilman John M. de Triquet. ``But I think the chief's decision to retire was in the best interest of the chief personally and also in the interest of the department.''

De Triquet declined to explain his comments further.

Employees of the department were told Friday not to speak with the media, but several did under condition of anonymity.

An Emergency Medical Services worker who asked not to be identified said he was ``elated'' that Bolac is leaving. He said Bolac had little support among the rank and file of firefighters, who consider his management style autocratic.

One firefighter on duty at a Chesapeake fire station was heard humming ``Ding, Dong, the Witch Is Dead'' from the ``Wizard of Oz'' after learning of Bolac's decision Friday night.

``If he'd been willing to work with his employees, it would have been different,'' the paramedic said.

Bolac dealt with claims of racism after a firefighter put a pillowcase over his head and pretended to be a Ku Klux Klan member, allegedly in jest. He also battled problems of sexual harassment when men in one company baked a meatloaf in the shape of a penis and at least one male firefighter slept in the nude while a female firefighter bunked nearby.

In earlier interviews, Bolac attributed some of the unrest through the years to growing pains - changes in the business of firefighting, new technology, more rigorous training requirements, the increased presence of women and minorities, and a style of management that gives individuals more responsibility.

Bolac also endured criticism from city council members, community leaders and firefighter union officials, who said his management style had hurt employee morale. Several called for his ouster.

The fire chief took some of his hardest hits after Chesapeake fire fighters John Hudgins Jr. and Frank Young were killed when the roof collapsed while they were fighting a fire at Advance Auto Parts last year.

In May 1996, the fire department's review of the causes of the Advance Auto Parts fire blamed the building's construction as flimsy and the radios as too old.

But by the next month, local members of the Virginia Professional Firefighters Association called for Bolac's resignation, blaming him for the deaths of the firefighters and for damaging department morale.

The pressure against the fire chief increased when, citing a ``constellation'' of errors, the Virginia division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found the department guilty of three violations of state labor laws.

Bolac's retirement announcement came just one week after The Virginian-Pilot reported that a secretary in the city's fire administration office filed a complaint in late July with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging sexual harassment and a hostile work environment.

City officials confirmed last week that Bolac was under both a city and federal probe resulting from the harassment complaint. No details of the complaint were made available.

Two city employees told The Virginian-Pilot that one of the accusations involved an incident of sexually oriented remarks in August 1996 to a secretary. City officials gave no comment Friday night about the status of that investigation. MEMO: Staff writers Liz Szabo and June Arney contributed to this report. ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

Former Fire Chief Michael L. Bolac's relationship with his

employees had been rocky. KEYWORDS: RESIGNATION

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