THE FALL GUY -- OR A FAILURE? BAMATTRE QUITS UNDER PRESSURE.

Byline: KERRY CAVANAUGH and RICK ORLOV Staff Writers

Bowing to political pressure, Los Angeles Fire Chief William Bamattre said Friday that he will step down amid a growing outcry that after a decade in charge, he has failed to reform a department rife with hazing, discrimination and harassment.

The 31-year veteran will retire effective Jan. 1, becoming the second consecutive chief to be forced out over charges that the firehouse culture condones inappropriate activity.

Bamattre's announcement -- widely expected -- came just days after city leaders refused to overturn the mayor's veto of a $2.7 million settlement to a black firefighter who claimed racial discrimination. The spotlight of political and public outrage turned on Bamattre.

``I have always placed the interests of the department above my own personal interests,'' said Bamattre, who was backed by some 30 firefighters and department brass as he announced his early retirement at a recruit training center in Panorama City.

``I am also a political realist. Over the past few days, I have come to the appreciation that these current issues have political implications beyond the scope of the Fire Department.

``I have become the focus of the debate and that is to the detriment of the LAFD. I will not allow that to continue.''

Hefty pension

The chief, who will receive a pension of $178,692 a year on his annual salary of $255,884, gave Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa his resignation letter Friday morning.

Villaraigosa praised Bamattre for putting the good of the department ahead of his tenure.

``Change is not always easy,'' Villaraigosa said. ``For the past several months, my office has been meeting with him and we came to a mutual agreement this week that it was time for new leadership.''

The mayor said he expects to announce appointment of an interim fire chief soon, and that an international search will be conducted for a successor.

``The only thing I want is someone who will be a change agent,'' Villaraigosa said. ``It has to start at the top and work its way down to every level of the department down to the firehouse level.''

Since incidents of harassment, discrimination and bad behavior became public early last year, the Fire Commission had worked closely with Bamattre to develop new disciplinary guidelines.

An independent bureau is being developed to investigate firefighter complaints and the mayor had assigned his chief of staff, Robin Kramer, to work with Bamattre.

Until Wednesday, Bamattre had vowed to stay until his planned retirement in February 2008. But his tenure was cut short after Villaraigosa vetoed a $2.7 million payout to Firefighter Tennie Pierce, who claimed racial discrimination after colleagues slipped dog food into his spaghetti.

The case ignited criticism because of the size of the proposed settlement -- it would have been the largest employee payout in LAFD history -- and the charge of racial discrimination leveled by Pierce, the only black firefighter assigned to Station 5 in Westchester.

On Friday, City Councilmen Dennis Zine and Greig Smith moved to hire an outside attorney to review the case, which is scheduled to go to trial in March. Experts warn that a jury verdict could result in an even larger payout.

The case also turned a spotlight on the hazing and fraternity-house pranks that still exist more than a decade after the LAFD adopted a zero-tolerance policy on such behavior.

And 10 years after the department was supposed to have been reformed, an audit by City Controller Laura Chick revealed that women, minorities and rookies still face harassment and discrimination.

Over the past week, civil-rights groups, firefighter unions and city leaders joined in a chorus of blame against Bamattre.

Councilman Jack Weiss, who heads the council's Public Safety panel, was the first council member to call for Bamattre's ouster.

``We need leadership that will establish a zero-tolerance policy that will be respected by the rest of the department,'' Weiss said Friday morning.

``Can you imagine hazing happening in the department headed by (Police) Chief Bratton? Leadership is more than pushing the buttons you have at your disposal. It's about setting the tone and gaining the respect of your department.''

Councilwoman Janice Hahn said she also believed Bamattre needed to go.

``There's a lot of blame to go around. I don't think it's right to put all the blame on him. But it is time for a change,'' she said.

Praise and blame

Colleagues generally described Bamattre as a visionary who helped initiate a $530 million bond to build more fire stations, reduced response times and improved wildfire response by cooperating with other departments.

And while he enacted a zero-tolerance policy on harassment and discrimination and expanded human relations training, some said Bamattre failed to ensure compliance with the standards he set.

``A leader has to be somewhat of a disciplinarian. He has to hold everyone accountable, the rank and file and the management, too,'' asked Armando Hogan, president of the Stentorians, the African-American firefighters association.

Attorney Genie Harrison, who represents Pierce and several other firefighters suing the department, said she hopes the mayor will hire a chief who demands help from city leaders and is able to implement reforms.

``This department can be fixed,'' she said. ``We have to have somebody at the helm with conviction, who will not take his or her foot off the pedal and who will not take no for an answer.''

But Bamattre also had his defenders, those who said he was being used as a scapegoat.

They noted that Bamattre had inherited many of the problems from his predecessor, Donald Manning, who resigned as chief after a scathing city audit found widespread harassment and discrimination in hiring and promotions.

``When (Bamattre) asked for resources to fix the issues, he was denied. Bill Bamattre is a good man, unfairly criticized for the problems in the department,'' Smith said.

For firefighters now, the wait for a new chief begins.

Jerry Thomas, a Los Angeles fire captain on disability and a vocal critic of the department's leadership, said Bamattre's resignation is a good step.

``It's a start to get a strong leader in here to make some substantial changes the Fire Department has needed for the last 11 years,'' said Thomas.

Staff Writer Eugene Tong contributed to this report.

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com

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CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) LAFD Chief William Bamattre announces his retirement during a news conference.

(2) L.A. Fire Chief William Bamattre arrives to announce his retirement at a Friday news conference in Panorama City.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

Box:

A troubled history

SOURCE: Daily News research