Alleged Sex Scandal Unfolding in Philly FD

Jan. 29--More than a dozen members of the Philadelphia Fire Department, including supervisors, have been accused of having sex with a paramedic while on duty, according to a well-placed source in the Nutter administration.

The sex acts were consensual and are alleged to have been committed in Fire Department facilities and vehicles, the source said.

The allegations were investigated by the city Office of the Inspector General, which has completed a report and recommended disciplinary action, according to the source.

The paramedic who made the allegations has declined to speak to law enforcement, so the issue is being handled as a personnel matter by the Fire Department, the source said, calling it "a terrible embarrassment" to the department.

The men involved are members of Local 22 of the International Association of FireFighters, which issued a statement acknowledging the inspector general's investigation but adding that it "did not know the specifics of the allegations or the conclusions drawn in the I.G.'s report."

Union president Joe Schulle offered little more in an interview.

"We don't have any information. All we know is that they're being charged with some violation of the department's directives," he said of the accused. "We don't know what they're thinking of doing as a punishment. Until we go and get these interviews and get a copy of the report from the I.G., we're really in the dark."

Inspector General Amy Kurland declined comment Wednesday.

Mark McDonald, spokesman for Mayor Nutter, offered only a statement:

"In general, cases that involve allegations of sexual harassment are handled in a private manner to protect the rights of the alleged victim as well as the alleged perpetrator and in this case through an employee disciplinary process," he said. "While I am not able to confirm any of the rumors you have mentioned, I can say there was a recent independent investigation that was sent to the Fire Department for follow up consistent with departmental regulations and procedures."

The existence of the inspector general's investigation was first reported Wednesday by CBS3.

According to the administration source, the investigation began last spring when the paramedic filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She alleged sexual harassment by a coworker. The investigation uncovered reports of broader sexual activity involving her and other members of the Fire Department.

"That was the word we had," former Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers told the Philadelphia Daily News on Wednesday. "It's bad stuff."

The Daily News reported that the paramedic has photos, texts, and videos implicating the men involved.

chepp@phillynews.com

215-854-2594

Copyright 2015 - The Philadelphia Inquirer