Former employee: 'Life after Waldron is a lot less stressful'
by John Q. Murray
Frenchtown can expect to lower its stress level soon, according to one former fire district employee.
"Not working for Scott Waldron is the best thing that ever happened for me," former Prevention Specialist Dan Scott told the Chronicle.
Dan Scott discussed his experiences as a paid employee reporting directly to Waldron in a wide-ranging telephone interview this month. Waldron appears to be on his way out as fire chief after claiming that the fire board created a hostile work environment and violated his contract. He is seeking the remainder of the money on his three-year contract, and has since declared himself to be on vacation or administrative leave. At stake in the dispute is about $200,000--about two years of a salary and benefits package worth nearly $90,000 a year.
The fire board, like all other elected bodies in the county, could seek representation from the Missoula County Attorney's Office. But the county--which this week hired Waldron to review subdivisions--was seen as likely to compromise and settle out of court.
The fire board voted Monday night to hire a law firm to represent local taxpayers in the matter, which suggests that the board will aggressively contest the claim. A formal--and adversarial--proceeding could also force Waldron to explain why he chose to go on vacation at the height of the wildland fire season in late July and early August.
As previously reported by the Chronicle, Waldron went to Utah to attend his daughter's bridal shower.
That brings us back to the former employee, Dan Scott, who says Waldron fired him after he went on a planned--and Waldron-approved--vacation to Hawaii during the wildland fire season.
Waldron disputes the claim, saying that he did not approve the vacation, and that the two situations were very different.
Their competing claims could be decided in court. Dan plans to speak to the fire board's lawyers, he told the Chronicle earlier this month.
The vacation issue was the last in a series of similar interactions with the volatile chief, he recalled. Dan Scott depicted Waldron as a mercurial boss with an explosive temper who frequently changed his mind about assignments.
In the summer of 2000, Dan Scott was still in his probationary period after being hired as the district's prevention specialist.
When his girlfriend's parents called in mid-July inviting Dan to accompany their family to Hawaii, he told them he would have to check with Waldron for approval in advance. He did not want his girlfriend's parents to buy a plane ticket if he would not be allowed to leave work.
Waldron gave his okay in mid-July, two or three weeks in advance of the vacation, according to Dan Scott, who passed the word along to her family, and they bought him an airline ticket, departing from Spokane on a Friday in early August.
On Thursday morning--the day before his flight--Waldron called and demanded that Dan cancel his vacation and stay in the district.
Waldron had already approved it, Dan reminded the chief.
I don't give a [expletive], Waldron reportedly said.
When Dan Scott explained that the family had purchased the plane ticket two to three weeks earlier, and that he was going to go ahead with the vacation as planned, Waldron hung up on him, he recalled.
Dan went to Hawaii, then returned to work to find himself being shunned by Waldron, refusing to talk to him, even on the radio. When Waldron finally did address him again--three weeks later--it was to yell at him.
"I was stocking the ambulance at Station One and he wanted to know why the hell I wasn't in my office out at Petty Creek," he recalled.
The next time Waldron spoke to him was to fire him, Dan recalled. One of the "official" reasons was that he was not a paramedic, even though no paramedic classes had been offered since he was hired, and he had already signed up on his own for a class in Missoula.
But other employees at the fire district told him that Waldron explained the personnel action differently within the walls of Station One, telling them that Dan was released because he went on vacation during fire season.
It was quite a shock for a popular young man who had never been fired from any other job in his life. He was not sure what to do, and did not know if he could or should contest the firing.
"That [firing] occurred at a time when the chief had control of the fire board," he said. "Maybe it was under the radar at the time, because I was still officially on probation."
It wasn't the first time Waldron had changed his mind and offered conflicting direction, Dan said. It was common for Waldron to give him specific tasks during the weekly staff meeting on Tuesday, then change them all on Wednesday, and then at the end of the week change them back to the original assignments.
Waldron also yelled at him for not being more aggressive in giving IVs to patients on ambulance runs. "He was pushing ALS care on all patients. He wanted us to give them an IV so he could charge another $250," Dan said. Soaking grandma wasn't the original intention of the ambulance service, Dan said--the goal was for the community members to be there for her.
After releasing Dan Scott from his employment at the district, Waldron at first resisted paying Dan unemployment benefits. But after officials at the unemployment office heard Dan's side of the story--he had taken a vacation that Waldron had approved, and he was asked to take a class that wasn't even offered--they forced Waldron to pay him the benefits, Dan said.
In retrospect, getting away from the volatile work environment was probably the best thing that could have happened to him, he said.
"As long as he was getting what he wanted out of you, he was your best friend," Dan said. But if he thought you weren't working enough shifts, he became a bully, he concluded.
"I don't want to sound too negative," he said. "I loved the department. It was one of the best volunteer departments in the state."
Dan said his job involved facilitating the volunteers so they could get their jobs done, such as restocking the ambulance so that when they arrived on the scene they would have the supplies they needed for the response, keeping the tanks full of fuel, and making sure that the volunteers received the best possible training.
Dan said he thought Waldron changed after the district started collecting a half-million dollars each year from Smurfit-Stone. That revenue made Frenchtown one of the better-funded fire districts in the area.
The Chronicle asked Waldron about Dan Scott's statements regarding the vacation dispute and advanced life support care. He did not respond regarding the ALS statement. Waldron said he was constrained in what he could say about Dan Scott, as it involved a personnel matter, but he strongly disputed any comparison between the two vacations.
Waldron told the Chronicle that his situation in 2008 was much different than Dan Scott's situation in 2000.
"When Dan Scott was with the district we had fewer staff than we did at this time. He was on probation and the District did not offer full-time employment. I can't remember, it's been so long ago," he said. "But this is nearly 10 years after the fact. Dan Scott was a good young man but he was in a position where he was still on probation and other things played in that summer fire season."
Waldron said his situation also differs because he continues to go on critical calls, including the 40-acre fire near Fred’s Lane. He covered for Acting Chief Steve Roy last weekend, including responding to a call on Sunday.
"I’ve been responding to critical incidents and support staff. I’ve worked almost a day a week. I finished the budget. I’ve been in there to help with lots of things. I’m in contact regularly. I’ve gone on calls," he said.
Deputy County Attorney Mike Sehestedt told the Chronicle Tuesday that it was probably a good idea that the Board of Trustees hired its own private attorney. He agreed that Missoula County may have a conflict of interest in its dealings with Frenchtown Fire. The county and fire district must determine how to complete pending subdivision reviews already in progress and how to handle fees.
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Glenda Wallace and Richard Werst contributed reporting for this article.
Frenchtown can expect to lower its stress level soon, according to one former fire district employee.
"Not working for Scott Waldron is the best thing that ever happened for me," former Prevention Specialist Dan Scott told the Chronicle.
Dan Scott discussed his experiences as a paid employee reporting directly to Waldron in a wide-ranging telephone interview this month. Waldron appears to be on his way out as fire chief after claiming that the fire board created a hostile work environment and violated his contract. He is seeking the remainder of the money on his three-year contract, and has since declared himself to be on vacation or administrative leave. At stake in the dispute is about $200,000--about two years of a salary and benefits package worth nearly $90,000 a year.
The fire board, like all other elected bodies in the county, could seek representation from the Missoula County Attorney's Office. But the county--which this week hired Waldron to review subdivisions--was seen as likely to compromise and settle out of court.
The fire board voted Monday night to hire a law firm to represent local taxpayers in the matter, which suggests that the board will aggressively contest the claim. A formal--and adversarial--proceeding could also force Waldron to explain why he chose to go on vacation at the height of the wildland fire season in late July and early August.
As previously reported by the Chronicle, Waldron went to Utah to attend his daughter's bridal shower.
That brings us back to the former employee, Dan Scott, who says Waldron fired him after he went on a planned--and Waldron-approved--vacation to Hawaii during the wildland fire season.
Waldron disputes the claim, saying that he did not approve the vacation, and that the two situations were very different.
Their competing claims could be decided in court. Dan plans to speak to the fire board's lawyers, he told the Chronicle earlier this month.
The vacation issue was the last in a series of similar interactions with the volatile chief, he recalled. Dan Scott depicted Waldron as a mercurial boss with an explosive temper who frequently changed his mind about assignments.
In the summer of 2000, Dan Scott was still in his probationary period after being hired as the district's prevention specialist.
When his girlfriend's parents called in mid-July inviting Dan to accompany their family to Hawaii, he told them he would have to check with Waldron for approval in advance. He did not want his girlfriend's parents to buy a plane ticket if he would not be allowed to leave work.
Waldron gave his okay in mid-July, two or three weeks in advance of the vacation, according to Dan Scott, who passed the word along to her family, and they bought him an airline ticket, departing from Spokane on a Friday in early August.
On Thursday morning--the day before his flight--Waldron called and demanded that Dan cancel his vacation and stay in the district.
Waldron had already approved it, Dan reminded the chief.
I don't give a [expletive], Waldron reportedly said.
When Dan Scott explained that the family had purchased the plane ticket two to three weeks earlier, and that he was going to go ahead with the vacation as planned, Waldron hung up on him, he recalled.
Dan went to Hawaii, then returned to work to find himself being shunned by Waldron, refusing to talk to him, even on the radio. When Waldron finally did address him again--three weeks later--it was to yell at him.
"I was stocking the ambulance at Station One and he wanted to know why the hell I wasn't in my office out at Petty Creek," he recalled.
The next time Waldron spoke to him was to fire him, Dan recalled. One of the "official" reasons was that he was not a paramedic, even though no paramedic classes had been offered since he was hired, and he had already signed up on his own for a class in Missoula.
But other employees at the fire district told him that Waldron explained the personnel action differently within the walls of Station One, telling them that Dan was released because he went on vacation during fire season.
It was quite a shock for a popular young man who had never been fired from any other job in his life. He was not sure what to do, and did not know if he could or should contest the firing.
"That [firing] occurred at a time when the chief had control of the fire board," he said. "Maybe it was under the radar at the time, because I was still officially on probation."
It wasn't the first time Waldron had changed his mind and offered conflicting direction, Dan said. It was common for Waldron to give him specific tasks during the weekly staff meeting on Tuesday, then change them all on Wednesday, and then at the end of the week change them back to the original assignments.
Waldron also yelled at him for not being more aggressive in giving IVs to patients on ambulance runs. "He was pushing ALS care on all patients. He wanted us to give them an IV so he could charge another $250," Dan said. Soaking grandma wasn't the original intention of the ambulance service, Dan said--the goal was for the community members to be there for her.
After releasing Dan Scott from his employment at the district, Waldron at first resisted paying Dan unemployment benefits. But after officials at the unemployment office heard Dan's side of the story--he had taken a vacation that Waldron had approved, and he was asked to take a class that wasn't even offered--they forced Waldron to pay him the benefits, Dan said.
In retrospect, getting away from the volatile work environment was probably the best thing that could have happened to him, he said.
"As long as he was getting what he wanted out of you, he was your best friend," Dan said. But if he thought you weren't working enough shifts, he became a bully, he concluded.
"I don't want to sound too negative," he said. "I loved the department. It was one of the best volunteer departments in the state."
Dan said his job involved facilitating the volunteers so they could get their jobs done, such as restocking the ambulance so that when they arrived on the scene they would have the supplies they needed for the response, keeping the tanks full of fuel, and making sure that the volunteers received the best possible training.
Dan said he thought Waldron changed after the district started collecting a half-million dollars each year from Smurfit-Stone. That revenue made Frenchtown one of the better-funded fire districts in the area.
The Chronicle asked Waldron about Dan Scott's statements regarding the vacation dispute and advanced life support care. He did not respond regarding the ALS statement. Waldron said he was constrained in what he could say about Dan Scott, as it involved a personnel matter, but he strongly disputed any comparison between the two vacations.
Waldron told the Chronicle that his situation in 2008 was much different than Dan Scott's situation in 2000.
"When Dan Scott was with the district we had fewer staff than we did at this time. He was on probation and the District did not offer full-time employment. I can't remember, it's been so long ago," he said. "But this is nearly 10 years after the fact. Dan Scott was a good young man but he was in a position where he was still on probation and other things played in that summer fire season."
Waldron said his situation also differs because he continues to go on critical calls, including the 40-acre fire near Fred’s Lane. He covered for Acting Chief Steve Roy last weekend, including responding to a call on Sunday.
"I’ve been responding to critical incidents and support staff. I’ve worked almost a day a week. I finished the budget. I’ve been in there to help with lots of things. I’m in contact regularly. I’ve gone on calls," he said.
Deputy County Attorney Mike Sehestedt told the Chronicle Tuesday that it was probably a good idea that the Board of Trustees hired its own private attorney. He agreed that Missoula County may have a conflict of interest in its dealings with Frenchtown Fire. The county and fire district must determine how to complete pending subdivision reviews already in progress and how to handle fees.
###
Glenda Wallace and Richard Werst contributed reporting for this article.