New fire leader brings dubious history
For lack of candidates, former longtime firefighter George Biro will automatically join the Spring Hill Fire Rescue commission in November.
By ROBERT KING
Published July 25, 2004
SPRING HILL - George Biro says the nearly 23 years he spent working for Spring Hill Fire Rescue should be an asset as he joins the department's fire board this fall.
But Biro, who automatically won a board seat July 16 when only two people applied for three vacancies, has a checkered work history with the department, which he left as a captain in 1998 because of a medical disability.
His record includes at least 19 instances where he was reprimanded, counseled, disciplined or was the subject of a complaint about his performance.
The most serious includes a sexual harassment complaint, instances where he challenged the authority of his superiors and decisions that caused delayed or inadequate service to emergency medical calls.
Lesser incidents include driving a firetruck into a closing firehouse bay door, verbally harassing a woman at a convenience store and failing to show up for work when he was scheduled to cover for someone on vacation.
A 1993 audit of the fire district included a climate survey that showed 40 of the 44 people questioned under anonymity expressed a negative opinion of Biro's work.
One said Biro was a hazard to himself and to others. Another said he abused his position. Yet another said Biro needed good men on duty around him to keep his shift from going "down the toilet."
In November, Biro will start a four-year term on the fire commission without having his record presented to voters or having gone through the scrutiny of an election campaign.
That came to fruition through a simple lack of candidates and Biro's decision to wait to file until 21/2 hours before the deadline for candidates to enter the race.
When the deadline passed, Biro and Charles D. Raborn, a former Pennsylvania firefighter who has lived in the county for one year, were the only candidates for the three vacant seats. Both men were automatically elected.
The final seat will be appointed by the Hernando County Commission in November.
Biro said he simply decided at the last minute to enter the race.
"I'm not ashamed of anything that's in my record," he said.
Of all the incidents documented in Biro's 23-year career, the one that generated the most attention came in 1985.
A female paramedic had stored some of her underwear and some feminine products in an ambulance during her shift. Biro discovered the items, took them into the firehouse and - while holding them up for display - asked whom they belonged to.
The female firefighter took them back immediately. But the next day, she learned Biro had bragged about the incident - and about her embarrassment - to a roomful of firefighters at a college fire tactics class in Pasco County that included firefighters from Spring Hill and departments in other counties.
The fire department's attorney said Biro's comments opened the district up to substantial legal liability for sexual harassment. And Biro was briefly reassigned to a lesser rank, albeit with no deduction in pay.
On Friday, Biro said that incident took on a life of its own and that he managed to successfully work with the female paramedic in the years that followed.
"It was really a nonissue," he said. "It was blown out of proportion by the press. That's all I've got to say about that."
The paramedic still works for Spring Hill Fire Rescue. She could not be reached for comment.
Biro was a volunteer firefighter before being hired by the fire district in 1976. He was one of the first crew members hired to staff the district's station at Deltona and Forest Oaks boulevards.
From the start, he had problems.
In November 1976 - a month after his hiring - the fire chief noted in an evaluation that Biro did not take his job seriously, was a constant complainer and used bad language. He predicted that Biro probably wouldn't last.
During his career, Biro was rebuked for working unauthorized overtime. He was forced to refund a $200 check for scuba diving equipment he sold to the district - something not allowed under state law.
Biro was repeatedly cited for carelessness - once when a department vehicle he had just parked rolled into a firehouse, causing $120 in damage, and again when he left a $2,500 portable radio behind at an ice cream store.
As a captain in charge of supervising the district during his shift, Biro was sharply reprimanded for not knowing that a backup rescue unit was out of commission. The oversight caused a seven-minute delay before he ordered another department to respond to an emergency.
In another case, a colleague complained that Biro's decision to send only half of a four-person crew to an emergency made it vastly more difficult to treat an obese patient with congestive heart failure.
In other instances, Biro was reprimanded for bucking the chain of command, challenging supervisors and showing disrespect to other fire department employees.
Now, Biro sits in a position of governance over the department. He said he isn't concerned that his examples will come back to haunt him or that firefighters will not show him respect.
"I don't think it's going to be a problem. I still think I had an excellent career," he said. "As far as my ability, I am very proud of my record."
Spring Hill fire Chief J.J. Morrison said he worked as a subordinate to Biro and later as his superior. Soon, Biro will be one of five fire commissioners who serve as Morrison's bosses.
"I had a good working relationship with George Biro," Morrison said. "I felt we had a positive, professional relationship."
But Dennis Andrews, a former fire commissioner who served as the department's assistant chief briefly during Biro's tenure, said Biro was lucky to survive. He said Biro had an inordinate number of reprimands, lacked training and experience, and was someone who kept his job only because of weak administrators and a strong union.
"The union should be thrilled to death because all he is is another puppet for them," Andrews said.
In May, during a public meeting, Biro spoke out against an idea floated regarding the consolidation of Spring Hill Fire Rescue with Hernando County Fire Rescue. He even called for the resignation of fire Commissioner Richard Martin, who had supported consolidation.
Biro subsequently called Martin's behavior "disgraceful" and accused him of disloyalty.
"It's just like a family," Biro said of the department's firefighters. "It's my life. When you attack one of us, you attack all of us."
On Friday, Biro said he still is adamantly opposed to consolidation. But he said his ties to the union - as a past member and someone who identifies closely with firefighters - should not prevent him from remaining independent.
"I have no political goals whatsoever. I just thought my expertise would be good for the commission," Biro said.
"I have been with the fire department for 23 years. It's been good to me. I just wanted to help serve the community and give it the best service for its tax dollars."
- Robert King can be reached at 352 848-1432 or at rking@sptimes.com