On Monday, council member Phyllis Bolden, D-District B, who is the chairman of the subcommittee, as well as of the Health, Welfare and Public Safety Committee, said she has invited a wide range of individuals to participate in the hearing, including several firefighters, former Mayor Alex Knopp, former Fire Chiefs Sanford Anderson and James Verda, and former Personnel Director Sara LeTourneau.

In addition, Bolden planned to invite Ron Mackey, a firefighter from Bridgeport who had approached her because he felt that Fire Chief Denis McCarthy was not sensitive to females and minorities, she said. Shortly before McCarthy left the Westport Fire Department in 2005 to take on the Norwalk chief's position, Mackey and others from the Bridgeport Firebird Society a brotherhood of black firefighters met with then-Westport First Selectwoman Diane Farrell to discuss their concern over the lack of any female or black firefighters on the Westport force, according to Bolden, who said she intends to invite Farrell to the hearing as well.

While this will be the first formal hearing in the subcommittee's investigation, Bolden said she already has spoken on an individual basis with several members of the city's Fire Department. Through these conversations, "I've learned that there's a great sense of brotherhood amongst them, black and white. I've also learned that there are individuals who are racially insensitive, and then there are individuals who are simply racist."

Bolden said some firefighters had recounted disturbing stories of racist behavior. For example, she said, she heard of incidents in which nasty, racist comments were written on the lockers of black firefighters or white firefighters who are married to minorities. "These are incidents we never hear about," said Bolden. "If you don't care about your fellow man that you work with, it makes the public get a little nervous."

The subcommittee's investigation is in response to the revelation to the media of a videotape containing footage of firefighters using racial slurs in casual conversations at the Broad River firehouse. The videotape was provided in mid-November by Scot Wilson, a black firefighter who at the time was suspended from duty without pay and facing possible termination for reporting to work while under the influence of alcohol for a fifth time. Wilson had brought the videotape to McCarthy's attention months earlier, but McCarthy had chosen not to view it when Wilson said he did not plan to press charges against those using the racist language.

On Nov. 21, McCarthy issued a public apology, accepting full responsibility for failing to respond in a "more aggressive" manner. "I allowed the disciplinary nature of my meeting with an employee to distract me from the claims he was making," McCarthy said. "That was a grave error in my judgment."

Also in response to the revelation, 3D Seminars, LLC, of New Haven was hired to provide a diversity and cultural assessment of the department. On Feb. 6, 3D Seminars presented its assessment to the Board of Fire Commissioners, reporting low levels of morale but a lack of any "large diversity related problems" and a sense of "brotherhood, regardless of race or ethnicity" in the department.

To improve the situation, 3D Seminars made several recommendations, the first of which is to "define and establish leadership commitment to diversity." It also recommends defining and establishing a clear code of conduct related to work place diversity; conducting ongoing human relations training to prevent future incidents and increase day-to-day effectiveness of interpersonal and intergroup interactions; having McCarthy issue a "statement of faith in the members of the department and appreciation for the way that they have conducted themselves through this difficult time"; establishing "a structured and consistent vehicle for open and honest feedback from all officers"; conducting a managerial practices review to address perceptions of inequity and favoritism; and implementing a program of public awareness to build stronger relationships between the department and the community.

On Monday, McCarthy said the department is conducting internal meetings to review the recommendations. Because there are so many of them, he said, they cannot all be funded this year. Therefore, the department will determine which of the recommendations should be implemented immediately and which can wait until the next fiscal year or the year following that, he said.

On Feb. 6, the Board of Fire Commissioners voted unanimously to accept a settlement worked out between Wilson's attorney and the city's law department over Wilson's employment. Under the agreement, Wilson will voluntarily retire on June 9 and until then will be considered to be on administrative leave, accruing credit for sick and vacation time, for which he will be paid. All disciplinary proceedings are suspended, and a discipline of eight shifts' suspension is deemed to have been imposed against Wilson for the conduct that led to his leave without pay. In compensation for any and all lost wages or overtime, both past and potentially in the future, Wilson will be paid $40,800.

While on leave, Wilson is allowed to retain his medical benefits, and effective June 9 he is entitled to receive "all those retirement, severance or other benefits allowed to those members who retire as members in good standing of the Norwalk Fire Department," the agreement states.

In addition, the city will pay Wilson's attorney $10,000 "as full and final settlement of any and all costs or fees incurred in connection with this matter."

For his part, Wilson must "withdraw any and all [state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities], grievance, prohibitive practice, or other claims now pending and shall execute in proper form general releases and waivers of any and all claims he may have or allege against the City."

The official response to any requests for information by potential employers regarding Wilson's employment will be limited to "noting the dates of his employment, the position he held, the salary that he made, and that he voluntarily retired," states the agreement.