Fire chief who was drunk on-duty multiple times & fought firefighter gets to keep job
Hayward Fire Department Chief Garrett Contreras will keep his job despite drinking while on duty and operating a city vehicle under the influence.
The incidents happened in 2014, but are just coming to light now.
The Hayward City Manager’s Office said they didn’t know about these incidents when they happened, but found out from an anonymous source a year later.
Hayward residents still may not know had it not been for a public records request.
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Rebecca Parr, San Jose Mercury News:
When reached by phone Friday, the 41-year-old chief — who oversees a department with 118 firefighters and a $35 million budget — did not dispute the investigation’s findings.
“I screwed up. I’ve got to own this,” he said. “I’m very embarrassed, but I’m way better as a result of having gone through this.”
Contreras insisted he does not have a drinking problem.
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Fire Chief Garrett Contreras, 41, was suspended without pay from June 13 to July 12 and had his pay docked by 9 percent as a result of an investigation that found he drove city vehicles while under the influence on at least four occasions, according to a letter written to the chief by City Manager Fran David.
David wrote that the findings “clearly warrant your removal as chief,” but she allowed him to remain in his position because of his “honesty during the investigation.”
The disciplinary letter, dated June 11, said the city investigation found that Contreras had driven a city vehicle while under the influence of alcohol on at least four occasions in March, April, July and September 2014.
On March 6, 2014, he drank while he was the on-call commander and failed to respond to a significant fire during his shift, not answering numerous calls for assistance. That same day, he got into a fight with a subordinate, according to the letter.
That September, he attended the Stonebrae Golf Tournament. After several drinks, he had a loud and inappropriate conversation with another attendee, noticed by several guests.
