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GREENSBORO Fire Chief Johnny Teeters said Wednesday he has paid some firefighters to do work at his houses, while others have helped him for free. Some of those firefighters were later promoted but not as payback, Teeters said.


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"I never promoted someone because they helped me. I've never even considered that," he said.


Teeters declined to name the firefighters he paid for work but he pulled out a stack of receipts, about a half-inch thick, that he said show no one did work for free. The work included electrical, house framing, sprinkler installment and landscaping, Teeters said, as well as other work he did not elaborate on.


The work was done at his home in Guilford County as well as one he owns at High Rock Lake, Teeters said. The lake straddles the Davidson-Rowan county line.


Teeters said he compiled the receipts and showed them to command staff in a Feb. 7 meeting in an effort to dispel rumors he was promoting firefighters because they had worked at his homes for free.


"I'm going out to the people, being very up-front and honest with them," he said, flanked by Assistant Chief Paul Brooks and Battalion Chief Chris Bowman at his office on Church Street.


Teeters said he does not think paying subordinates to do work for him was a bad idea. He said, until recently, it was the culture of the fire department for firefighters to help each other.


He hired those firefighters to do the work, he said, because he trusted them more than someone he did not know.


"I realize now, I wouldn't let anybody carry in my groceries because of the way it would be perceived," Teeters said.


Firefighters also helped Teeters move furniture without financial compensation, although Teeters objected to calling the task "work."


This was the only example Teeters would give for help he did not pay for, although he said there are several occasions where firefighters helped him for free.


Richard O'Brien, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Greensboro, brought the issues to light two weeks ago when he told the City Council firefighters were dealing with concerns about nepotism and low morale.


Assistant City Manager Bob Morgan said he and City Manager Mitch Johnson discussed those issues and others before that meeting. He said he and Johnson met earlier this month and discussed the complaints some council members were receiving. Johnson told him to investigate the complaints at that meeting.


"It is a high priority," Morgan said.


He began last week meeting with fire department assistant chiefs, battalion chiefs and deputy chiefs one-on-one to discuss the issues. Morgan said he will try to narrow down what the issues are, then hire a consulting firm to study the department focused on those issues and come up with recommendations to address them.


Morgan has interviewed several of the more than 20 command staffers but declined to say what the general mood is until after he completes the interviews.


This is the second investigation into complaints from within the department. The city's human resources and legal departments conducted an investigation last summer.


In July, Teeters and his staff began developing a massive overhaul of the department's command structure. The restructuring, which took effect Feb. 1, is the largest in nearly 15 years, according to Assistant Chief Brooks but it too caused complaints.


Morgan said he hopes the consulting firm would be able to shed light on all these issues. Morgan said he believes the council will support hiring an outside firm because it's similar to the process they used to investigate the police department. The city does not have a policy to address any city employee hiring another to do work for them, but such a policy may be recommended by the consulting firm.


Mayor Yvonne Johnson said it's something the city needs to look at. She said although she has not heard complaints from any other department about supervisors hiring subordinates to do personal work, if a ban is instituted it should cover all departments.


"I understand that there is a culture," the mayor said. "The fire department may want to look at whether they want to perpetuate that."


Teeters is due to retire in December but the council could consider moving that date up. "I'll wait to see what the staff comes up with. That might be one of (the recommendations)," she said.


Morgan said he expects to finish his interviews within a couple of weeks. It's then up to City Council how to move forward.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing @news-record.com