Recently, the City of Frisco announced the retirement of Fire Chief Lee Glover, bringing an end to a 35-year career with the Frisco Fire Department.
According to the City, Glover joined the department in 1991, when Frisco had just seven paid firefighters. He worked his way through the ranks before becoming Interim Fire Chief in September 2022 and being appointed Fire Chief on June 19, 2023. The City of Frisco announced his retirement on April 7, 2026, with his final day scheduled for August 3, 2026.
On the surface, it is the familiar story of a longtime public servant riding off into retirement. But there is considerably more history here. And after more than three decades inside one of Frisco’s most important public-safety departments, there are questions that deserve answers.
Lee Glover Timeline
1991: Joined the Frisco Fire Department.
2011: Frisco conducted an Employee Climate Survey examining conditions within the Fire Department and its leadership.
January 2012: The climate report documented serious concerns regarding morale, trust, intimidation, retaliation and fear within the department. The report also identified concerns involving senior leadership, including then-Assistant Chief Lee Glover.
September 2022: Glover became Interim Fire Chief.
June 19, 2023: City Manager Wes Pierson appointed Glover Fire Chief after a selection process involving five finalists.
April 7, 2026: The City announced Glover’s retirement.
August 3, 2026: Glover’s final day with the City of Frisco
Turn Back Time: The 2011 Climate Report
We have written extensively about the history of the Frisco Fire Department and the concerns raised about its leadership. The 2011 Employee Climate Survey remains particularly important because it was not simply a disgruntled employee complaining about a supervisor. It was a formal examination of the department’s workplace environment.
The report described serious problems involving trust, respect, morale and the relationship between firefighters and department leadership. It characterized the culture as one involving intimidation, retaliation and fear. It also reported that a significant percentage of respondents said they would leave the department if they could.
Our previous reporting noted the report identified Lee Glover as part of the senior leadership structure under then-Chief Mack Borchardt. The question that naturally follows is simple: What changed between 2011 and 2023 that convinced city management that Lee Glover was the right person to lead the department?
That question became particularly relevant when Glover was named Interim Fire Chief in 2022.
The 92.5% Question
When Glover became a finalist for the permanent Fire Chief position in 2023, the Frisco Fire Fighters Association conducted a survey of its membership.
According to the survey previously reported by Frisco Chronicles, 220 of 233 firefighters responded, and 92.5% said they did not want Glover to become the next Fire Chief. The survey also reported that 91.4% did not believe Glover had improved morale or restored trust during his time as Interim Chief.
Despite those numbers, City Manager Wes Pierson selected Glover. At the time, Pierson said Glover’s experience, knowledge and leadership made him the best fit for the department. That decision deserves scrutiny, not because an employee association should automatically determine who runs a municipal department, but because a 92.5% vote against a leadership candidate is an extraordinary number.
So the questions remain:
What did City Manager Wes Pierson know about the survey before selecting Glover?
Why did City Manager Wes Pierson believe the concerns expressed by the firefighters were not sufficient to disqualify Glover?
Did the City conduct any independent investigation into the concerns raised by the firefighters before making the appointment?
Did City Council members know about the survey results before Glover was appointed?
And perhaps most importantly: What did the City of Frisco do to determine whether the problems identified in the 2011 climate report had actually been resolved before putting Glover into the leadership role as Fire Chief?
Fast Forward: May 18, 2026
The City announced Glover’s retirement on April 7, 2026. Approximately six weeks later, on May 18, Frisco Police responded to Glover’s residence following a 911 call. We filed a Public Information Request seeking the police records associated with that call and incident.
The records we received were heavily redacted. The Case Report Summary identifies Alvin Glover Jr. as a subject and Jamie Glover as the reporting person.
The report states that Frisco police responded to Glover’s residence at approximately 7:41 p.m. on May 18, 2026. According to the report, Jamie Glover identified herself as Alvin Glover Jr.’s wife and told officers that he had recently become increasingly aggressive following a change that is redacted from the report.
The report also states that Jamie reported that Alvin had been displaying certain signs since “recently retiring,” although the specific information is redacted. Officers subsequently made contact with Alvin Glover inside the residence. The remainder of the report contains additional redactions.
A supplemental report was also included in the records provided to us. There is an important distinction here.
We know a police response occurred. We know the City’s records identify the individuals involved. We know portions of the report describe concerns involving Glover’s behavior.
We do not know everything that happened because significant portions of the records were withheld or redacted. That leaves questions.
What Happened After the 911 Call?
According to sources familiar with the incident, Glover was experiencing a serious personal crisis and was transported to a hospital following the police response.
Sources have also alleged that the incident involved suicidal behavior and that Glover may have had a weapon in his possession before officers arrived. Those allegations have not been independently verified by Frisco Chronicles and should not be treated as established fact without supporting documentation.
We are also told that Glover did not return to his normal duties following the May 18 incident and that his next public appearance connected to the department was associated with his retirement in August.
If that account is accurate, it raises some obvious questions:
What happened between May 18 and August 3? Was Glover placed on leave?
Was he using accrued sick leave, vacation, administrative leave or another form of paid leave?
Was he still designated as Fire Chief during that period? Was he performing any official duties? Was he receiving his regular salary? Who was running the Fire Department during Glover’s absence?
Did the City conduct any internal review? These are not questions about someone’s private medical history. They are questions about the administration of a taxpayer-funded public agency and the use of taxpayer-funded compensation.
Was Glover Treated Differently?
This may be the most important question of all. Firefighters work in an extraordinarily stressful profession. Mental health, trauma, substance abuse, family crises and other personal struggles can affect first responders just as they can affect anyone else.
The City should have policies governing how employees, including department leadership, are treated when they experience a personal or medical crisis.
So we have to ask: Are those policies applied equally to everyone? No. The proof is in the previous pudding.
Are rank-and-file firefighters given the same flexibility, leave options and confidentiality that are available to department leadership? No. The proof is in the previous pudding.
Has the City ever placed another firefighter or senior officer in a similar situation on paid leave while maintaining their position?
What are the City’s policies when a department head is unable to perform the duties of the position? Well history shows they terminated the Assistant Fire Chief Cameron Kraemer who was out on medical leave for PTSD and mental health issues.
Who had authority to designate an acting chief and did they formally appoint an acting Chief after May 18, 2026?
If not, why not? Those questions can and should be answered without disclosing someone’s private medical information.
The Mack Borchardt Connection
There is another piece of this history that cannot simply be ignored. Mack Borchardt served as Frisco’s Fire Chief for decades and later became Special Assistant to the City Manager. The City’s current staff directory still lists Borchardt as Special Assistant to the City Manager and states that he served as Fire Chief from 1981 to 2012.
Borchardt’s transition out of the Fire Chief position has been discussed extensively in connection with the 2011 climate report. He was terminated by the city then rehired by then City Manager George Purefoy (long time good ole boy friendship) who made him a “Fire Consultant Liaison within the City Manager’s office. He received a hefty salary and city vehicle. The 2011 report raised significant concerns about the department’s leadership culture at the time. It also identified concerns regarding the senior leadership structure surrounding Borchardt.
Glover was part of that senior leadership structure. Yet years later, Glover ultimately became the Fire Chief. That creates a legitimate question about whether the City actually addressed the problems identified in 2011 or simply changed the name on the office door.
City Management’s Role
There is another issue that deserves examination. The City knew about the 2011 climate report, knew about the concerns surrounding the department’s previous leadership structure, and knew that 92.5% of responding firefighters surveyed did not want Glover to become Fire Chief. With all that knowledge and information what led City Manager Wes Pierson to reach the opposite conclusion?
The City has said Glover was the best fit for the job. Fine. Then show taxpayers the work. What criteria were used? Who conducted the interviews? Who evaluated the finalists? What were the scoring criteria? What concerns were raised about each finalist?
Who recommended Glover? Were references checked? Were prior complaints or investigations reviewed? Was the Fire Fighters Association survey discussed during the selection process? And did Pierson or anyone else in city management conduct an independent assessment of the concerns raised by members of the department?
These are reasonable questions when the person being selected is going to oversee one of the City’s largest and most important public-safety organizations.
Retirement or Something More?
Now we come back to the original question. Why did Lee Glover retire?
The city announced his retirement on April 7, 2026, nearly four months before his final day. The official announcement described it as the conclusion of a 35-year career and praised the department’s accomplishments during his tenure.
That may be exactly what happened. But the timing of the May 18 police response, followed by questions about Glover’s absence from the department, makes it reasonable for taxpayers to ask whether there was more to the story.
Was the retirement entirely voluntary? Was Glover ever asked to retire?
Was he facing an internal investigation? Was he placed on leave?
Was he medically unable to return to duty? Did he decide that retirement was the best option?
Did city management encourage or negotiate his departure? And were any agreements, benefits, payouts, leave balances or other financial arrangements associated with his retirement?
The Bigger Issue
This story is not really about whether Lee Glover had a personal crisis. If the allegations about the May 18 incident are true, that is a deeply personal matter, and nobody should use another person’s crisis as entertainment. The issue is whether the City of Frisco has one set of rules for ordinary firefighters and another for those occupying the corner office.
That is the issue taxpayers should care about. The Frisco Fire Department has grown enormously since Lee Glover joined in 1991. The city now describes the department as having 265 sworn personnel and 34 civilian employees. That is a massive public-safety operation.
The person sitting in the Fire Chief’s office has enormous responsibility. The public therefore has a legitimate interest in how that position is filled, how leadership problems are handled, how employee complaints are investigated, how leave policies are applied and how taxpayer dollars are spent.
The questions surrounding Lee Glover do not begin with the May 18, 2026 police call. They go back more than a decade. The 2011 climate report raised questions about culture and leadership.
The 2022 appointment of Glover as Interim Chief raised questions about whether those problems had really been resolved. The 2023 appointment of Glover as permanent Chief raised even more questions after the Fire Fighters Association survey reportedly showed overwhelming opposition. And now the circumstances surrounding his final months with the City raise another set of questions.
Maybe there are perfectly reasonable answers to all of them. If there are, the City should provide them. Because transparency should not depend on whether the person involved is a firefighter, a department head, a city manager or anyone else on the public payroll.
Frisco taxpayers deserve to know whether the rules are actually applied equally. And after years of controversy surrounding the Fire Department’s leadership culture, that is not an unreasonable thing to ask. It is the minimum.
What Is Next Next we will address the issues with hiring the new Chief of the Frisco Fire Department. We will examine some relationships and ask why the city is using a new company to do the search. Is Wes Pierson looking for the best candidate or the best candidate who agrees with him on the operations of the department.
This is Pierson’s first time working in a major city. He previously worked in Addison, which is 4 square miles and before that Corpus Christi before their growth boom. The leads us to ask does he have the background to make such a large decision. Sources inside say there is a lot of doubt when it comes to his decision-making process with the Fire Department. Stay Tuned for part two!
Disclaimer: This article is intended to report on matters of public record and public interest. If additional information becomes available this article may be updated accordingly.
This article is written as opinion, commentary, and personal interpretation based on publicly available records, meeting observations, agenda materials, and information we received from community sources. Nothing in this article should be interpreted as a final statement of fact about any person’s legal conduct, criminal behavior, or ethical violations.
Yesterday morning, two families woke up in Frisco excited for their kids who had UIL Championship Track Meet at Kenkuydall Stadium. Neither family had any clue or saw coming that by the end of the day one family would lose a son, and the other family would have a son facing murder charges. This should not be happening in Frisco, Texas.
Today, it is compounded by the fact that America (yes America, this has gone viral) has an opinion on what happened. Rumors are being crafted, hate is being spread across social media calling this racial because of the colors of the boy’s skin tones, accusations are being hurled. People are digging through these two teenage boy’s social media accounts looking for the “worst of the worst” to post and they will find it – but how does that change this now? The end result is spreading more hate and divide in a time when we should be waiting for answers.
Believe me when I say this is a parent’s worst nightmare come true on both sides. The parents had no clue as their kids went out the door, neither of them would be coming home. The father of Austin Metcalf, the victim who died in his twin brothers’ arms, spoke out and said, “I want to clarify something right off the start because I have already heard some rumors and gossip. This was not a race thing; this is not a political thing …this is a human being thing! This young man made a bad choice, and it affected his family and our family forever. It is a very unfortunate thing.” He went on “I forgive this boy, not for him but for me, as a father to have peace. His life is destroyed, my life is destroyed; it is an unfortunate, tragic event that will affect us for the rest of our lives. I want to get the word out to other parents so they will talk to their children, so this does not happen again. Senseless acts of violence have become more acceptable, and we have become more callous to them. That needs to change.”
He is an incredible father to have faith over fear today! My wife and I would like to follow in his father’s footsteps and send our thoughts, prayers and condolences to both families. We will be lifting them all up in prayer as well as for our community to heal from this. Last night, Austin Metcalf was called home. Last night Karmelo Anthony spent the first of many nights in jail. Nobody Wins!
Part of that healing is asking legitimate questions that we expect investigators to find answers to:
1. Why did a young man bring a knife to a track meet?
2. At what moment, did he loose control and make the decision to stab him in the chest?
3. When did the first call to 911 get logged?
4. What was the dispatch time, enroute time, and arrival time of the first arriving unit, and was the clear time?
5. Were there any medical personnel for the school on-site at this track meet? If no, why not?
6. Did the revitalization construction happening downtown directly affect the response time of EMS units. What was the time frame delay between him being stabbed and receiving life saving measures by police and fire including CPR and the administration of blood?
7. Is the school offering mental health services to the kids involved and around?
8. Is the city offering mental health services to the first responders who had to watch this young adult die?
9. Were there any warning signs in the young adult’s life or history that would have led the school to believe that he could become a dangerous offender or be carrying a weapon?
10. How could this have avoided? What security measures did the school district have in place at this event?
Both families have to live with Karmelo Anthony decision for the rest of their lives. These questions will tell us who dropped the ball and at what level because a kid does not wake up and say Today, I am taking a knife to a track meet. We need to know where, how, and when the failures happened to keep all the students safe in our schools. One young man made a decision that would affect both families’ lives forever yesterday. We need to stop and talk to our kids and make sure they understand that it doesn’t matter if this was over a seat, a cellphone, or a simple exchange of teenage verbal words — none of those reasons, or any reason, is acceptable to take a person’s life. That is the conversation parents should be having today with their kids. The other day, I took my wife to HEB, and she is in a wheelchair. I had a hard time getting it up over the curb. A group of kids laughed and snickered – no one offered to help and that is what is wrong with our country today. It is time to reteach our kids about humanity and being good stewards. We need to ask ourselves, “What is happening to our town, to our community, that this would be how an otherwise normal day ends?”
This should not have happened in Frisco, Texas …. Yet it did!
The ticking of time is the invisible heartbeat of our lives and affects every moment of our consciousness. Time and self are in perpetual handshake – for example, a human trapped in a completely dark cave would still be governed by the circadian rhythms of their internal clocks. There are many careers in which “time” is a critical component. Metrologists have technology that is incredibly accurate to measure the passing of minutes, seconds. Surgeons in an operating room live on a time clock and those who take too long could kill someone. Professional surf boarders must be able to catch the perfect wave and football players have to make the play in a certain space of time or face penalties. Various factors are crucial to our construction of the perception of time such as memory, concentration, emotion and the sense we have time is somehow located in space.
When it comes to the job of a firefighter, time plays a critical component. Imagine your house catching fire, flames coming out of the windows and roof line while you hear loud pop and bang sounds from things exploding inside. As you watch the firefighters attack the house fire, you become almost paralyzed, and time comes to a standstill. As you stand there seeing the chaos around you, it begins to feel like an eternity of time. For the firefighter the stress put on their body fighting your house fire can prompt their brain to speed up its internal processing which helps them face life or death situations.
When the process began to search for a new chief, the firefighters quickly realized the city had an agenda and that former Assistant Fire Chief Lee Glover from the “Un-Happy Days” was about to be their new commanding officer and Chief. The Frisco Firefighters Association did a survey and provided it to the City Manager and Council. In Survey Says we told you about that survey and its results. Question 1: Do you want Interim Fire Chief Glover to be the next Fire Chief of the Frisco Fire Department? Survey says … 92.5% said NO. City Manager Wes Pierson and his office, along with City Council, were given the results and they chose to disregard the voice of some 200+ firefighters and make Lee Glover the new Fire Chief.
When we were reading through the “In-Service Meeting” notes it was noted that firefighters believe it is their Chiefs job to fight for them and defend them but instead they feel Glover ignoring the staffing issues and only doing what is being asked of him by City Manager Wes Pierson. They don’t believe their current leader and Chief supports them in any way and the result is they have no voice with city management and city officials. One comment noted, “we are not being heard and it will take one of them dying before Glover or the city take notice of staffing issues.”
Who is responsible for hiring and firing in the city? Mayor Jeff Cheney addressed this issue in the 2023 Mayoral Campaign at the Star Patriots Candidate Forum. The Council hires the City Manager, and it is the city managers responsibility to manage and hire and fire department heads. If something goes wrong, you can bet Cheney will excuse himself from responsibility and put it all on Wes Pierson.
Another comment from the most recent notes reads, “we work under the fear of retaliation and feel we are disciplined for the simplest mistakes.” We feel like we have heard this before – oh yeah, we have in the 2011 Climate Report when Lee Glover was the Assistant Fire Chief. The 2011 Climate report reads “firefighters talk about getting in trouble for small things and being required to write memos on things they done (and re-writing them over and over until the Senior Officer is happy with it).” It goes on to read “they are being threatened with their job, being moved to the day shift, being belittled, yelled and treated like children.” Proof is in the pudding!
The “In-Service Meeting” notes also address promotions and annual evaluations. Officers feel they meet their rankings, do their job, and then they are told they must do more than that to get to move up. Now the promotional process is based on a “taskbook” which is a checklist that shows what a firefighter or officer understands and has been cleared in, to show they are proficient in the job they will be stepping into. It was recommended by one of the committees to implement the taskbook in 2025. The 50+ pages of notes said some complete the taskbook, but others can be prevented from completing it by the Battalion Chiefs which prevent them from testing. One comment was the process was very “subjective” and “some are allowed to test, while and others are not allowed to test for promotions.” We know from talking to several inside sources that just recently a handful of firefighters applied for the LT positions, and they were not allowed to test even though they qualified which matches the statements made by the firefighters at the meeting. We also learned that Fire Chief Lee Glover choose to ignore his committees (another complaint in the notes) and implement the taskbook requirement now and that did not give all the candidates time to complete it before the test.
After reading this, we honestly feel like we are on a Merry-Go-Round that is not so …merry. We pulled up the 2011 Climate Report that reads “firefighters’ perceptions of the hiring and promotion process is that it is manipulated by the Chief and Senior Officers.” It goes on to read “firefighters would like to see a hiring and promotion process established, published and followed that does not allow for manipulation of the data of tests and who is selected.” So basically, what is in the 2011 Climate Report matches the feelings of the 2024 In-Service Meeting Notes and the one common denominator is … Fire Chief Lee Glover!
We think that City Manager – Wes Pierson, Mayor Jeff Cheney, and the City Council suffer from Echolaia, which is the repetition or echoing of words that you hear someone else say. If not Echolaia, then they suffer from insanity which is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. If they don’t have either of those two medical conditions, well then, they suffer from just simple stupidity. Voltaire noted that the more often a stupidity is repeated, the more it appears to be wisdom.
In a nutshell the council hopes we are “STUPID” and if they just repeat the same thing over and over, we will begin to believe it. They are like Dorothy in the Wizard of OZ clicking together her ruby red slippers but instead of saying there is no place like home they are saying Chief Glover is the best, Chief Glover is the best! Just look at Mayor Jeff Cheney at the Star Patriot forum in 2023 when he was running for re-election. After seeing the FFA Survey showing a vote of NO CONFIDENCE in the new Fire Chief Lee Glover, he went to a candidate forum and directly lied to our faces talking about how great Glover was and how he was already improving things at the fire department. LET THAT SINK IN FRISCO RESIDENTS: MAYOR CHENEY KNOWINGLY LIED DIRECTLY TO VOTERS and thought he would never get caught.
Remember, the entire goal of the city and its leadership at all levels these past two years has been to blame Piland, blame the power grab on the “small portion of firefighters”, and to blame anyone and everyone but themselves. They have LIED…. and in the most recent election for the propositions the Frisco Fire Association even made a video pointing that out.
The only mistake the City of Frisco and Frisco City Council made was thinking people would not get tired of their BS and start to pay attention. That failure is what allowed the Whistleblowers to rise up!
The other day I was reading an article about the most common 6 phrases people say to gaslight and manipulate you. What is gaslighting? It is a manipulation tactic often wielded by emotional disruptive abusers and is insidious in nature making it hard for a person to recognize the tactic is happening. What happens when someone tries to gaslight you?
Gradually you begin to question your own judgement, memories, feelings and questioning reality. The article quoted therapist Shannon Thomas who stated that “people who cannot authentically argue their point of view or stand behind their words turn to gaslighting as a tool.” She went on to say ’they resort to confusion creating tactics, and that it really is a true sign of character weakness.”
It made me think back to our recent elections and the mixed messaging the city tried to sell to citizens while attacking our Frisco Firefighters relentlessly while also saying they support our first responders and dedicate at least ½ our annual budget to public safety. They also attacked and tried to destroy the reputation of Former Fire Chief, Mark Piland by saying he was the problem and the reason for the low morale. The solution, to make Lee Glover, the new “SAVING GRACE” Fire Chief. Based on the In-Service notes we have reviewed, the city may have failed “BIG TIME” and the leader driving the bus is our very own City Manager, Wes Pierson!
After the election was over there was a large disdain between our Fire Department and the city so they planned a weeklong set of In-Service Meetings, aka “Healing Sessions” to listen to the firefighters’ concerns. We filed a PIR for anything related to those meetings and after reading the 50+ page report of notes one thing became very clear, the city council knowingly and repeatedly lied to citizens during the election.
Example 1: The Vote No PAC, funded by Frisco Developers, and run by Mayor Pro Tem Bill Woodard
Councilman Woodard was interviewed by Jack Fink with CBS Texas and when asked why the Fire Fighters were bringing the propositions to the ballot, he specifically said due to the “FORMER LEADERSHIP” of the department, referring to Former Fire Chief Mark Piland. We assumed we would see some of those issues noted in this 50+ page report, however only 2 comments were made, which is one the environment is a little more relaxed now (uniforms) and that Piland may have tended to over communicate to the department.
However, they had a lot to say about the current Fire Chief, Lee Glover. When it comes to budgeting and purchasing new equipment, they feel the Chief Glover is out of touch with today’s firefighting tactics. Firefighters said Glovers’ only tactic since arriving has been cost cutting measures to look good to the City Manager’s Office and council and that means he his neglecting his duty to his command.
Remember the Blood Program, otherwise known as which was carried by the Squad Unit? Refresh your memory by reading our older articles “Another One Bites The Dust” and “Make It Look Pretty.” At the time Councilman Woodard was the “city mouthpiece” across social media supporting Glover’s decision to end the Squad program and transfer the blood program to two battalion chief vehicles. The report talks about Glover’s cost cutting measures and how the firefighters believe removing the Squad Unit and transferring the Blood Program was a huge failure as it took away two extra working people on calls and losing the expertise of the Squad members could be and will be deadly to citizens.
What is the end result of the firefighter’s statement above about their concerns with Glover being out of touch with today’s firefighting tactics? Chief Glover has cut valid programs, training and they believe he is purchasing the wrong equipment. Glover has also de-incentivized training under his command, and today they have less training which is dangerous. Courses and training are required for promotions to the next rank and other departments pay for employees to attend training, but Glover is telling his command to “put stock in your own training.” As for equipment, Glover is buying more Quints -the big bulky fire trucks of the old days, which are hard to get around the neighborhood’s tight and crowded streets. The firefighters prefer more engines and tillers. We are told engines are quicker and shorter in size making them a better choice. We are also told the tillers are an advantageous truck because they can go anywhere, carries more tools and is quicker to vent with 107’ ladder.
Are we done yet? Oh no, we are just getting started! There is so much to go over that we are going to break it up into multiple articles this week. Tonight, we leave you with three questions:
1. Why is the City Council and City Manager gaslighting residents into believing all of these issues are due to Former Fire Chief Piland who was endorsed by the Frisco Firefighters Assocation this year during the election?
2. Why is the City Council and City Manager gaslighting residents into thinking the problem is our Fire Association, who they called Greedy Bastards, power hungry and lazy during the election?
3. Why is the City Council and City Manager dying on a sharp sword for Fire Chief Lee Glover who in all respects to his command his nowhere to be found and neglecting his duty to his command?
We leave you with a strong remark in the In-Service notes which we stated above, “Firefighters believe Glover’s only goal is to look good to the City Manager’s Office and City Council which results in him neglecting his duty to his command.” ….. come back tomorrow for part two
UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE WE HAVE MADE CORRECTIONS TO OUR ARTICLE BASED ON MORE DETAILS RECEIVED. CORRECTIONS CAN BE NOTED IN RED OR WITH A STRIKETHROUGH MARK.
On October 30, 2023, we published our blog Another One Bites The Dust which was about Fire Chief Lee Glover killing the Squad Unit and Blood Program. Generally, Squad which is a 2-person group, responds to all high acuity EMS calls and critical care calls, as well as all structure fires in a city. It is like no other unit in the department and when in trouble if you have a need for the most advanced or technical medical procedures in the field, they are the team you want at your front door. It must have ruffled a few feathers at city hall because Bobblehead Bill was quick to act as the mouthpiece for the city and troll social media to tell us we were wrong.
We took his statements and submitted a PIR the next day for the proof to back up his comments which he spewed all over the North Texas Politics Facebook page. On November 15th we received a letter back from the city with a PIR Invoice for $90 dollars. It is the breakdown that we found interesting of those charges:
Labor: Identify Search Terms / Set Up Search / Download / Export Emails: $3.75
Labor: Compile / Review /Conversion / and Redactions of Emails: $41.25
Labor: Fire / HR Department Records Collections: $30.00
20% Overhead: $15.00 for a GRAND TOTAL OF $90.00
We paid and then waited for our files. Now in a new year, still waiting, we emailed the city on January 12024, asking when we should expect our files. The next day we got an email back from the city that read, “The City of Frisco has reviewed its files and has located documents responsive to your request. HOWEVER, DUE TO CONFIDENTIALITY, the City has chosen to seek a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General regarding the release of a portion of the responsive documents. The remaining responsive documents are available. They also mentioned some figures we asked for were released in a different PIR that we chose not to pay another $100 dollars for.
What did $90 buy us? There was a PDF which contained 15 or so emails, two additional outlook message attachments, copy of the blood contract, two excel spreadsheets that contained the hiring/history breakdown and the call count. That’s it … because the rest (which we don’t know what that is) has been sent to the AG.
Question 1: Did the city charge us for a copy of the blood contract that Bobblehead Bill offered to send out to anyone who emailed him for free without a PIR? Question 2: WHAT IN THE HELL COST $90.00? We have paid $30 for way more information than this in the past.
Woodard’s Statement: The blood transfusion program isn’t going away; in fact it’s expanding. We use data to analyze the best use of resources. Right now, Squad sits almost all the time.
Fact or Fiction: We asked for the study or data they used to make their decision and the response we received was, “There are no records responsive to a “Study.” Then they said it was the number break-down for blood products administered and the number of squad responses that the department reviews for decision-making.
The breakdown for the “Blood Administration” since 2018 is as follows: 1 in 2018, 5 in 2019, 12 in 2020, 5 in 2021, 10 in 2022 and 13 in 2023 (through 11/1/23). Initially looking at the blood administration program the numbers are going up each year. While it is not tons of patients it is showing a trend that is going up, not down.
As for the Squad response breakdown the numbers provided to us by the city are 1502 in 2021, then 1103 in 2022, and 538 in 2023 through 11/1/23. Initially looking at the numbers it would appear Squad calls are going down just like Woodard stated, but we were curious what happened that resulted in 565 fewer calls on one of the busiest apparatuses in a growing city.
We of course went digging for the answer and we learned there are several call types for example, unresponsive, unconscious patient, medical emergency 1 and 2 calls. The call type determines which apparatus responds. Several whistleblowers sent us information on an email by Fire Chief, Lee Glover’s where he gives direction shortly after being named Fire Chief to start taking Squad off certain types of calls to reduce the numbers which makes them look EXPENDABLE. If you look at the call history SQUAD was removed from all ME 1 and ME 2 calls in district 4 and then they were removed from all unconscious and unresponsive calls for the entire city. WELL, WELL, WELL now that explains how calls for SQUAD dropped over 565 calls in less than a year. Maybe that is what Glover’s email meant when he said “Make It Look Pretty”
Woodards Statement: In 2024 we expect to add this program to every ambulance we have, further expanding the program.
Fact or Fiction: We asked about the costs and how they planned to fund the personnel training and the cost for every ambulance to be outfitted to carry the blood products. The response from the city was, “Paramedics will be trained in blood administration in an on-duty rotation at no added cost to the city and that blood will be carried on two vehicles with trained personnel every day.” We were not provided with any details on the cost to retrofit any apparatuses to carry blood.
Woodards Statement: We have been working with our medical director (as well as any other required parties) to ensure the program is run appropriately and has all the proper staffing. He also posted a picture of section 2.2 of a blood contract acting as if that was the guarantee they had.
Fact or Fiction: We asked for any communications between the city, blood bank, and medical director discussing the EXPANSION of the blood program. We were provided no communications between the city and their Medical Director where they discuss expanding the program and discussions to ensure the “program runs appropriately” as Bobblehead Bill stated.
We also asked for a copy of the approval letter from the blood bank and/or hospital where they guarantee to give more blood to more vehicles. The city provided us a signed 2018 Blood Contract and the signed 2023 Amendment. The 2018 Contact clearly states in the “SCOPE OF THE AGREEMENT” the city is to store a certain amount of blood and plasma in AN AMBULANCE UNIT in a continuously monitored refrigerator. In the section he posted “SUPPLY OF BLOOD PRODUCTS” it states it will provide what the city needs, however due to the unpredictable nature of the demands for blood products, the hospital can NOT GUARANTEE the city availability for ALL OR ANY PORTION of the blood products to be supplied. Hey Bill, it says an ambo unit meaning singular (aka 1) and did you read “No Guarantee.”
As for the 2023 Amendment, it is simply an updated FEE SCHEDULE meaning the cost the city has to pay for the blood and plasma product. Then it states the remaining terms and conditions of the contract from 2018 will continue in full force and effect, unchanged. Well, Well, Well Bobblehead Bill… there is NO GUARANTEE THEY WILL SUPPLY BLOOD FOR EVERY AMBO. Did we read that right? Prices for blood and plasma have gone up considerably and now we are talking about carrying it on every ambo instead of 1 or 2 specialized Squad Teams. In a nutshell it means more taxpayer money, more taxpayer money, and more taxpayer money. Besides the cost increasing for carrying the product that has a shelf life which means it has to be switched out, we also now have to retrofit ambos/vehicles and train more personnel. It sounds like we are wasting money when what we have currently is working.
In closing, it looks like Bobblehead Bill needs to do more research! There is no guarantee in writing that the hospital will agree to expansion or that they will guarantee you any product. Why would we retrofit any apparatus or vehicle on a “WHAT IF THEY GIVE US BLOOD MENTALITY.” The DRASTIC DROP in the Squad response numbers can be related to Glover removing them from certain calls. Why would he do that? According to insiders he has hated this program since its inception back in 2018. The city wants to sell you on that this is a good decision, however if you ask a firefighter, what might they say? Let’s just say it is your life on the line, are you willing to give up a dedicated team to critical care that literally could mean life or death?
Every country has different traditions when it comes to celebrating New Years. I remember as a kid when I spent some time in Denmark with my family they would go door to door and smash plates on doorsteps of friends and family. The more shards there are in front of your home the luckier and more well liked were. One year we celebrated New Years in the Philippines and there everyone just wears Polka dots because they believe it increases their chances of good luck. Our tradition in the winery, you keep the windows and doors open on the front and back of your home. The idea was you welcome the new year in and in turn blow out the old year, so you have a clean slate so to speak.
What does 2024 bring for the Whistleblower Family? We will continue to work on the leads sent to us by our followers, file more PIR’s, and work to uncover the happenings behind the scenes at city hall. The one thing from 2023 that we are perplexed by is why the city chose to fight so hard to keep certain things a secret and what they were willing to release.
For example, Nepotism, yes that is right, Nepotism. Ask yourself, why would a city fight so hard to keep documents from the public related to the Nepotism Policy. The policy is published on the city website for anyone to see. Any changes to the policy must go before the council and are listed in the Agenda and Minutes. That is why we were surprised and perplexed they sent our PIR request to the Attorney General who issued a response on December 15 and the city notified us on December 29th.
We asked for communications between city officials pertaining to changes of the Nepotism policy. We wanted to understand why they were changing it, who they were changing it for, and how it would impact the city. However, the city asserted attorney-client privilege that was made for the purpose of facilitating the rendition of professional legal services to the city and the communications have remained confidential. They also submitted that the documents consist of advice, opinions and recommendations of city employees and officials regarding policymaking matters of the city. The attorney general agreed the city could withhold it.
We know from an March 8th email they had already made up their mind to hire Interim Fire Chief Lee Glover but to do so they had to change the policy in April 2023. So why then did they host a meet the candidate night in May 2023? The decision was final, they had no intention to hire any of those candidates. It was for POMP & CIRCUMSTANCE, so it appeared they were doing their due diligence.
Then we know they changed the policy again just a month or so later to hire the IT Director whose husband works in the Frisco Police Department. Our issue is that the same policy was used in the past and recently to disqualify candidates for jobs. So they want their peanut butter and jelly when it suits them, but they want to whistle and swing the policy around as an excuse when they did not want to hire someone. It is not fair practice, and it does not give everyone an equal playing field.
If the city had nothing to hide and everything they did when it comes to changing the Nepotism policy was above board, then why not release the email communications? We also can’t understand why they sent to the AG a PIR request for a street flood. What are you hiding about a street flood that affected tax paying citizens homes? We just can’t wrap our head around the fact the city would fight to keep a few emails private and claim policy making as the reason, but they will go to a city council meeting and vote to release a confidential document about a retired employee running for Mayor.
Traditions are important in this world, and like we said at the beginning we all have our New Year traditions that are the kick start of good luck for the future. The city’s tradition is to delay PIRs by sending them to the AG and covering their tracks by claiming attorney client privilege which they have done with almost every PIR in 2023 that they wanted to bury. We assume the tradition will continue in 2024. For all those saying we’re reaching or trying to make something out of nothing, the truth is we are realists and what is happening is so obvious to anyone if they just clean the lenses of their glasses. The other tradition we know the city will continue in 2024 is to waste our taxpayer dollars and operate the “Frisco Way!”
Our tradition is to continue to watch the city very closely and each person in this city. It is easier now that moles are coming out of the word work to help and join the team. The city continues to lose amazing talent to other cities which will dramatically change how Frisco operates and develops. As my dad would say one step, two step, you step, we step meaning “we are watching you.” If you have something you would like to share with us, just drop us an email at FriscoWhistleBlower@protonmail.com
I went to her to ask for help with an issue my child that was getting nowhere with the school,…
So whatever became of the $17 million dollars that the city council gave the Mayor to beautify a drainage ditch?
At last count, there are 3 different "spa/massage" businesses in the small office park at the northeast corner of John…
I literally just saw this. Yeah, she used to forward everybody’s emails behind their backs.
You're dropping truth bombs! These mom and pop shops are what should be the least of Karen's worries. If they…