By DAMIEN FISHER, InDepthNH.org
As a woman lay injured in the woods with a fallen tree on her broken leg, Chief Jaye Vilchock canceled the ambulance call to administer pain medication, according to the report Nottingham selectmen received before Vilchock and his wife, Lt. Sandra Vilchock, were fired.
Jaye Vilchok wasn’t in the woods with the firefighters who called for an ambulance from nearby Exeter. He just didn’t think they needed to call in mutual aid from another town, according to the report prepared by consultant Charla Stevens.
Even though only the EMTs could legally administer the pain medication the firefighters determined she needed, and despite the fact they were concerned she might go into shock, Jaye Vilchock did not like his firefighters calling in mutual aid.
“The Chief justified his actions by stating that at least one of the firefighters on the scene that day had a history of calling for mutual aid prematurely and in situations where the response should have been within his ability to handle. He also believed the department itself could have handled the matter without the need to call in support from other towns,” Stevens wrote.
It’s one of a number of troubling incidents cataloged in the report released this week after the Vilchocks were fired. Aside from the dangerous situations Jaye Vilchock’s management created for his firefighters and the public, the report also found the couple harassed firefighters who stood up to them, created a toxic work environment, falsified reports, and mismanaged equipment to the point of leaving firefighters unsafe.
The report redacts Sandra Vilchock’s name in the public version of the report, though the town has confirmed she was fired as the lieutenant due to Stevens’ findings. It is also clear from the context of the report and public information that it is Sandra Vilchock being investigated along with her husband.
The Vilchocks could not be reached for comment.
The conclusion found the Vilchocks created a mess through their behavior while in charge.
“The Nottingham Fire and Rescue Department is currently in a state of dysfunction with extremely low morale. There is evidence that this dysfunction has existed for a significant period, but things have deteriorated in the past six to nine months contemporaneous with the advent of a primarily full-time staff. The poor morale is attributable to both Chief Vilchock and Lt. both of whom have been identified as difficult to work with, albeit for different reasons,” the report states.
Several firefighters went to the town with their concerns about the couple in March. Selectmen soon placed both Vilchocks on paid administrative leave and hired Stevens to conduct an investigation. Stevens finished her work in June, and Selectmen terminated the couple after reviewing the material.
Jaye Vilchock’s decision making is questionable at times, according to the report. He wouldn’t allow a particular firefighter to respond to a fire at Pawtuckaway State Park, risking more damage. And he tried to cancel a call for a specialty rescue team from Durham when the department was responding to a man trapped in a well. The Durham Chief reportedly overrode Jaye Vilchock in that instance.
Sandra Vilchock was known to spout inappropriate and hostile comments to patients and staff, using frequent homophobic and racist slurs, according to the report. In one instance, she used a slur for a lesbian patient who was being transported, before commenting, “Why can’t they be normal.”
Also alarming is the way Sandra Vilchock was known to edit EMT Temsis reports, mandated reports about medical care rendered that must be sent to the state. Sandra Vilchock was known to change the narrative of the report for incidents where she did not respond. Sometimes, they did not agree with the changed narrative Sandra Vilchock edited into the reports, Stevens wrote.
The couple also allegedly harassed firefighters and EMTs who stood up to them, called up prospective employers to keep those firefighters and EMTs from getting new jobs, and engaged in anti-union activity, according to the report.
Largely, the couple were overmatched trying to manage people and the department which includes call firefighters and full-time staff.