Denver’s fire chief faces investigation over claiming of comp time, receiving $42,000 in extra pay
Denver Fireplace Division chief Desmond Fulton mentioned Wednesday that he was following what he believed to be the division’s requirements when he claimed lots of of hours of compensatory day off — after which successfully cashed a lot of it in for $42,000 in further pay during the last three years.
The chief says he helps an investigation into how he and different members of the division’s management tracked and used their hours and paid day off. He issued an announcement to The Denver Put up after his timekeeping practices have been dropped at gentle by a CBS Information Colorado investigative report that aired Tuesday evening.
The report famous that the apply of claiming comp time seemed to be in violation of Denver municipal code.
“I would like my group within the hearth division and our broader group to know that I’ve all the time adopted what I believed have been finest practices to advertise transparency and uphold the general public’s belief,” Fulton mentioned within the new assertion Wednesday afternoon.
In accordance with TV station’s findings, Fulton accrued greater than 400 hours of additional hours, known as “comp time,” during the last three years. The hours have been logged for all kinds of actions that occurred exterior Fulton’s customary 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekday schedule, together with throughout evenings and weekends.
A assessment of Fulton’s data by the station discovered comp hours claimed for issues like attending a Denver memorial for victims of the Membership Q mass capturing in Colorado Springs in November 2022. The chief additionally routinely logged three to 4 hours of comp time for attending dinners at firehouses with rank-and-file members of his division.
Whereas comp or flex time is usually used as further paid day off, the CBS report discovered that Fulton’s use of these hours allowed him to money in unused trip time on the finish of every yr.
He collected a mixed $42,000 in further pay in that style from 2021 via 2023.
Fulton’s annual wage elevated to $230,254 from $221,398 on Jan. 1. below an annual enhance within the metropolis’s municipal code. The town’s hearth chief just isn’t entitled to compensation for extra time hours, nor are the division’s deputy chief and division chiefs, the code says.
Fulton was first appointed by former Mayor Michael Hancock in 2020 after 22 years working as a member of the division in varied roles together with deputy chief. New Mayor Mike Johnston, who took workplace in July, introduced he was renominating Fulton late final yr.
The Metropolis Council accredited his reappointment earlier this month.
In his assertion, Fulton mentioned Denver hearth chiefs have been monitoring what he known as “flex time” for a few years.
“Throughout my transition into the Chief’s appointment in 2020, I continued to observe the apply and monitor all actions and hours in our reporting system — a apply that has been in place for no less than the final decade by different division leads,” he mentioned.
Armando Saldate, the chief director of Denver’s Division of Public Security, is ordering an “impartial investigation” into whether or not the fireplace division’s use of versatile day off complies with metropolis ordinances and insurance policies, based on an announcement offered by his division.
“I used to be unaware of this apply, which dates again to former administrations,” Saldate mentioned. “I’ve issued a directive to present command employees to stop the usage of Kelly/Flex time till the mandatory info are identified.”
“Kelly” time or Kelly days refers to compensatory days off constructed into a fireplace division employees member’s schedule.
The Division of Security is within the means of figuring out a 3rd get together to hold out the investigation, spokeswoman Kelly Jacobs mentioned in an electronic mail.
Fulton, in his assertion, mentioned he has additionally directed division leaders to stop utilizing compensatory day off.
“I totally help an investigation of how these hours have been used,” he mentioned.
It is a creating story and will probably be up to date.
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