FIRE CHIEF SAYS DISCIPLINE LAX 3-FIREFIGHTER PANEL REDUCES PENALTY URGED BY BAMATTRE.

Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer

A Los Angeles Fire Department disciplinary panel has given a written reprimand to a male captain accused of jeopardizing the safety of a female firefighter in a move that angered Chief William Bamattre, who had recommended a two-day suspension.

In a joint written statement, the three battalion chiefs on the hearing board said Capt. Frank Lima exercised poor judgment in supervising Firefighter Melissa Kelley, who became pinned under a 200-pound, 35-foot ladder during a drill nicknamed ``The Humiliator.'' But they said Lima accepted responsibility and was contrite, and they said a written reprimand was sufficient.

But Bamattre, in a telephone interview Tuesday, said the department is faced with a ``disturbing trend'' of hazing and harassment against women and minorities, and he harshly criticized the discipline as lax.

Kelley, who suffered a back injury, was hospitalized and off duty with pay for six months. She currently works in the LAFD's media information office.

``It was very upsetting. It was very disappointing,'' Bamattre said about what he called the lenient penalty for Lima. ``The primary responsibility of an officer, a supervisor, is the safety and welfare of the members they supervise. If you have a drill and somebody gets injured, that's an inappropriate drill.

``We give two days off for losing a radio.''

He said the incident cost taxpayers more than $100,000 to replace Kelley, cover her medical expenses and salary for six months, and pay the battalion chiefs who sit on the board.

Kelley said she was saddened by the board's decision. A four-year LAFD veteran who formerly worked as a California Department of Forestry firefighter, she said she had been reluctant to report the incident out of duty and honor to a department she loves.

She fears she might never be able to return to the field as a firefighter.

``I made a mistake,'' she said. ``I became pinned by that ladder. Everyone noticed I was pinned. A firefighter came to help me. Lima told him to stop.

``My injury was not due to the fact that he pushed me past the limit. Being a firefighter is a difficult job, and I always met the standards. ... My concern is that my entire track was shifted in one day.''

Lima declined to comment about the case, saying only, ``I just want to do a good job for the citizens.''

Bamattre, who can only reduce but not increase departmental penalties against firefighters, said the board-of-rights process is flawed because, unlike the Los Angeles Police Department, the city Fire Department has no civilian involvement in the disciplinary process.

``We're policing ourselves,'' he said. ``Yet I'm held accountable, but I don't have the tools available to me to enforce that accountability.''

The Daily News reported last month that 11 LAFD personnel had been disciplined in four separate harassment incidents: Two women firefighters were unfairly put through drills by their male counterparts; an African-American firefighter found a dead rat in his locker; and another had dog food slipped into his plate of spaghetti at dinner.

The revelations prompted City Controller Laura Chick to fire off an angry letter to Bamattre demanding an accounting of all pending accusations.

The department is expected to present its report at a June 7 meeting of the Board of Fire Commissioners.

Jason Kandel, [phone]

jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com