Emerging from ashes of a scandal
When two emergency dispatchers were videotaped using drugs at work last November, the scandal marred the Fire Department and its emergency call center.
The tape, the result of an undercover investigation by Lawrence police, appeared repeatedly on the news and showed the pair, one a firefighter, snorting cocaine and drinking beer during their shift.
Three months later, the wounds haven't completely healed.
Both of the workers were dismissed, but the firefighter is scheduled to appear before the state Civil Service Commission next month to appeal for his job.
Meanwhile, firefighters still voice mixed feelings about the involvement of the Police Department in a misconduct case that could have avoided media attention if it had been handled internally. Others, however, say Fire Chief Joseph Marquis's decision to handle the situation openly set a precedent of fairness in the department.
Whatever the fallout, some firefighters see the emergency call center as an operation that is remote from the rest of the department. The dispatch center, on Bodwell Street, fields emergency calls that have been routed by the police and contacts the appropriate fire station.
The hidden cameras are gone, but deputy fire chiefs now are expected to visit the building and its dispatchers every night. In the past, deputy chiefs would call at irregular intervals.
Despite the recent bad publicity, the center will gain a new status as early as next month. The Essex County Fire Chiefs Association selected Lawrence as the county's second network center to coordinate mutual assistance between 34 fire departments during large-scale emergencies. (The other center is in Beverly.)
With the title comes new money. The Lawrence call center will receive a share of a $468,000 federal grant for the regional effort. Computer systems will be updated, and staffers will receive new training.
''This will be a feather in our cap," said Marquis. 