Former Fulton Fire Chief Loses Job in Washington City

Woodinville Fire & Rescue  board of commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday night to remove I. David Daniels from his post as chief of the fire district. 

The board voted 5-0 to oust the  after initially remaining silent following the firefighter union's call for a new chief. Daniels has been under fire from the International Association of Fire Fighters since Local 2950 announced a unanimous  in Daniels on July 19.

After two hours in an executive session, the board came out and announced the chief’s departure effective immediately. Board President Tim Osgood said he, Commissioner Kevin Coughlin and the district’s attorney, Richard Mitchell () would begin negotiations on a separation agreement with Daniels (Patch will report on the agreement and any possible severance to Daniels as it become available).

Daniels most recent troubles with firefighters culminated in the Woodinville Fire & Rescue firefighters union casting a unanimous vote of . Complaints in that resolution echo similar complaints of the chief’s management style that seem to have dogged his career since his first job as a fire chief in Fulton County, Ga., and later Renton.

Daniels ran afoul of Woodinville firefighters almost immediately upon his arrival in January 2010. Daniels, who left as for the Woodinville post, butted heads with the union there over department changes he implemented there. By August 2010, the International Association of Firefighters, at the behest of the Renton firefighters, passed a resolution censuring Daniels at its national convention.

“The Renton firefighters had already begun the process when Daniels took the job in Woodinville,” said Ricky Walsh, vice president of IAFF’s 7th District, which includes most of the Western states.

Renton firefighters’ complaints were nearly identical to complaints from firefighters in Fulton County, complaints included mismanaging department funds, creating discord and reducing the number of fire engines, which the union said resulted in longer response times.

In a previous story, Daniels said that at each job he made decisions based on what was needed at those fire departments ().

Both board members and union leaders declined comment Tuesday on Daniels' dismissal. 

“We'll have something in a couple of days,” saidIAFF Local 2950 President Greg Ahearn.