Fire chief quits before discipline hearing on booze

Fire Chief Stephen Moreno III resigned Tuesday after showing up at a fire scene in January with alcohol on his breath, according to city documents.

Moreno submitted his letter of resignation after reviewing an investigative file on the incident and before a disciplinary hearing was to begin.

The incident occurred Jan. 14 during a fire at 1304 Belcher Drive, according to city documents.

Moreno showed up but never got a radio and barked commands with no regard for what other fire administrators already had ordered, the documents state.

He put at least one firefighter in jeopardy by having him put on gear he had just taken off, a move one firefighter said could cause a heart attack, the documents state.

The blaze, which started as a mattress fire, claimed the life of Frederick Roever, a prominent 69-year-old physician. Roever's wife, Patricia, survived.

The fire chief told at least one firefighter to don an air mask a firefighter had taken off after retreating from the house shortly before the roof collapsed. He also started having firefighters move hoses, sometimes to locations where hoses were in place, and at one point ordered that the hoses be turned off, though the second floor was still on fire, city documents state.

Moreno also wanted a vent fan used to clear out smoke. That was widely criticized by fire administrators from Palm Harbor, whose fire department also was battling the blaze. A fan can be used to blow out smoke, but fanning the flames was a risk in this case, they told investigators.

Though Moreno's actions were criticized, his colleagues did not think the house or Roever's life could have been saved if he had not shown up, the report states.

Moreno told investigators he had been with members of the National Society of Executive Fire Officers, who were in Tarpon Springs for a retreat. He said

He drank three cocktails and had gone home to study for a class when a former neighbor called to tell him about the Belcher Drive blaze.

Moreno portrayed his communications with his subordinates and colleagues from other fire departments as civil and professional.

"At no time did I do anything that put anyone in danger," he said. "It had been over three hours since I had consumed any alcoholic beverages, but like peanut butter, onions and other food, certain things stay on your breathe (sic) for hours. I was not intoxicated, inebriated or in any way impaired while going to and from and while on scene."