DATE: Sunday, October 5, 1997               TAG: 9710050081

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MATTHEW DOLAN AND LEWIS KRAUSKOPF, STAFF WRITERS 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:  120 lines

HARASSMENT CLAIM WAS LAST STRAW, FIRE CHIEF SAYS

Fire Chief Michael L. Bolac, who announced his retirement Friday while facing accusations of sexual harassment, said that all he ever wanted to do was ``put the citizens we serve first.''

But Bolac, who department insiders said ruled with an iron hand, said the harassment allegation was ``the final straw.'' A decade of chipping away at the chief's armor - with allegations of poor employee relations and mismanagement among them - wore him down.

``Since moving to Chesapeake in 1986, I have been subjected to periodic, if not continual harassment primarily from within the fire department organization,'' Bolac wrote in a draft resignation letter dated Thursday.

``The introduction of new, proven policies and practices aimed at providing our citizens the highest quality of Fire and EMS service have been met with anger, resentment, and actively undermined by some employees, including past and present members of my top staff.''

He said people who knew his personality, character and professional record against discrimination and harassment know that he has not and could not have harassed anyone.

``Hold people accountable - yes; harass - no,'' he wrote.

The letter, on department stationery, was provided to The Virginian-Pilot Saturday by an anonymous man who said he was a friend of Bolac's and who said there are ``two sides to every story.'' City Manager John L. Pazour confirmed Saturday that excerpts from that letter were similar to the version he received.

Bolac's letter also credited two of his division chiefs for modernization of the department's Emergency Medical Service and a reduction in the number and severity of serious fires and fire deaths. He also thanked his supporters in the department and throughout the city.

Bolac did not return calls made to his home Saturday. Some department employees said they are still not allowed to speak to the media about complaints against Bolac, by order of the city.

As far as the people in the field go, nothing really changes for us,'' said Capt. Alvin Ellis of Fire Station No. 1 in South Norfolk. ``We're real confident that the guys in the field are not going to miss a beat out here.''

The mood of the department was quite different when Bolac arrived in Chesapeake 11 years ago.

In 1986, the department had 245 firefighters. Since that time, the city has grown rapidly, forcing the fire department's ranks to swell to 325.

Bolac, a balding man with blue eyes behind steel-rimmed glasses, was a fire battalion chief in Alexandria when chosen for the Chesapeake job over 134 other candidates.

In an interview just after he was hired, Bolac recalled riding an engine in 1973 on the way to his first fire.

``It was an apartment building. The people had gotten out, but we could see the flames when we were only halfway there. I guess I was a little scared, but the adrenalin was really pumping.

``Once you're on the scene, you don't have time to be tired. There's not time to think. You react. You do what you've been trained to do.

``Before, I hadn't been really sure I could do it. But when it was over, I thought, `Hey, I can do this. I can be good at it.' ''

Bolac, who replaced 38-year veteran Robert G. ``Buddy'' Bagley, was seen as the beginning of a new breed of firefighters, who viewed the service as a profession rather than a family tradition.

Bolac, who holds an associate degree in fire science, said his department would be run like a business.

``I want a department and a local government that is willing to try things that are cost-effective and reasonable programs to improve the fire service,'' Bolac said after his hiring.

But soon after Bolac took the helm, many of the men and women who patrolled Chesapeake to prevent and extinguish blazes began to chafe at his autocratic leadership style.

They complained that Bolac had not pushed for adequate resources, staffing and a good communications system. His ``my way or the highway'' response to criticism, employees said, only hurt morale.

Bolac has said he tried to counter that image with an anonymous ``grapevine'' for employees to express concerns directly to the chief; he, in turn, would answer those complaints in memos to the entire department. He also visited each of the city's 14 fire stations twice a year for talks with his troops.

``I have never asked my staff to do any more than they are capable of and they are paid to do,'' Bolac wrote in the draft resignation letter.

``However, in an environment where the priority of some is personal gain and advancement by whatever means necessary rather than public service, when you hold people accountable for their performance, problems are sure to arise.''

Bolac also dealt with problems of discrimination among his employees after incidents involving a mock Ku Klux Klan episode and insensitivity toward female employees. In cases involving employee sexual harassment, Bolac has been quick to discipline those responsible in his department.

``I am also very proud of the progress we have made to promote inclusion and diversity in a traditionally intolerant, exclusive working environment and career field,'' Bolac wrote. ``I truly hope this can be maintained, but I am not confident that this will be the case.''

He took some of his hardest hits after two Chesapeake firefighters died in the line of duty in a fire at an Advance Auto Parts store last year.

Soon after, 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.

Bolac also was harshly criticized for saying, in the wake of the firefighters' deaths, that some firefighters inevitably will die in the line of duty.

Weathering both internal and external criticism of his and his department's performance, Bolac stayed.

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

City officials have not provided any details about the status of the investigation.

His retirement is effective Nov. 1, but several city officials said it is likely that Bolac will remain on sick leave until then.

A year ago, Bolac balked at the idea of resigning under fire.

``I would never run out on this department when I think it needs me most,'' Bolac said in June 1996 to calls for his resignation. ``I've never run away from any fight. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.'' MEMO: Staff writer June Arney contributed to this report. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Chesapeake's Michael L. Bolac says he held people accountable but

harassed no one.

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