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topicnews · September 11, 2024

Commission investigates ‘inappropriate language’ at Lewes Fire Department.

Commission investigates ‘inappropriate language’ at Lewes Fire Department.

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The apparent use of a racial slur on the radio by a Lewes volunteer firefighter is currently being investigated by the Delaware Fire Prevention Commission.

Delaware Online/The New Journal was provided with an audio recording dated August 19 in which a man at the scene of a car crash uses a racial slur over a fire department radio channel.

Commission spokesman Frank Fioravaniti said his agency was investigating “allegations of inappropriate language on the radio” at the Lewes Fire Department, but did not provide further details, citing an open investigation.

Lewes Fire Department spokesman Glenn Marshall confirmed that an incident had occurred.

“That’s the way it is. A situation occurred – misguided, unfortunate, it was wrong,” Marshall said when told about the recording. “This person knows it was a mistake and … deeply regrets it.”

Marshall also said the person being investigated was a volunteer and not a paid employee. He declined to provide further information.

“This is not the representation we want for the Lewes Fire Department. We will do our due diligence,” Marshall said.

This is not the first time in recent history that the Lewes Fire Department has had to deal with such a problem.

In 2020, former police chief William Buckaloo used a homophobic slur to describe a drag show on social media. The department issued a statement at the time saying Buckaloo had been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. When asked about the outcome of that investigation, Marshall declined to comment.

The commission has no record of the Buckaloo investigation because lawmakers did not give it authority to oversee firefighter complaints until 2023. Now, the law allows the commission to investigate potential misconduct, but unless immediate action is deemed necessary “for serious reasons of life safety or to otherwise protect the public,” the fire department involved handles the complaint internally.

Under the Delaware Code, departments have 30 days to resolve complaints unless the commission grants them more time. If the commission finds the investigation and/or resolution unsatisfactory, it may conduct its own investigation.

Fioravaniti said he expects to release more information on the Lewes case later this week.

Shannon Marvel McNaught covers Southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @MarvelMcNaught.

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