Fire official fighting demotion

Man accused of misconduct during Board of Education fire

A high-ranking member of the Concord Township Fire Department is being accused of misconduct while at the scene of a March 14 blaze that destroyed the Willoughby-Eastlake Board of Education building.

Concord Township resident Douglas Bode has been removed from his position as a part-time lieutenant and reduced in rank to a part-time firefighter/paramedic, with his pay reflecting the lesser rank. He also was suspended for six months.

Fire Chief Matthew Sabo detailed several reasons for the disciplinary action in a letter to Bode dated March 27, but said the most egregious offenses occurred while fighting the fire at the 102-yearold Board of Education structure.

“You failed to arrive ready to perform duties such as fire attack and had to be ordered by another officer to button your coat,” Sabo stated in the letter. “You misled a division supervisor to believe that you were there operating as a captain for Kirtland fire when in fact you were serving the role of a lieutenant for Concord Fire Department. This unnecessarily created considerable confusion as to who was in fact in charge of the Concord crew, which in this case was Lieutenant (Mike)

Fearing.

“You failed to communicate with your senior officer, Lt. Fearing, of your location and job assignment. You deliberately failed to maintain crew integrity when directed by your senior officer. There is the impression created … that you unilaterally performed freelancing operations inside of the building with no accountability.”

Sabo also claimed Bode failed to respond to a request for assistance on April 8, 2016.

Then two months later, Bode was “less than cooperative in clearing up a matter of a questionable drug screen from a routine physical,” the letter stated.

Bode appealed his demotion and suspension this week in Lake County Common Pleas Court, stating he was not given a chance to respond to the charges.

“The (township) trustees improperly decided that Bode should be suspended and that he should receive a reduction in rank,” Bode’s attorney, David Comstock Jr., stated in the notice of appeal.

Bode is asking Judge Vincent A. Culotta to reinstate his lieutenant position and award him back pay and attorney fees.

Willoughby Fire Chief Todd Ungar was reportedly out of the office May 12 and unavailable for comment.

NEWS-HERALD FILE Firefighters on scene March 14 after an early morning fire at the WilloughbyEastlake Board of Education building.