Former spokesman for county fire dept. sues chief

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2002 | 11:08 a.m.

Steve La-Sky has sued Clark County Fire Department Chief Earl Greene, claiming he was booted from his post as department spokesman as punishment for being a whistle-blower of a potential coverup.

La-Sky, who was reassigned to firefighter on Jan. 7, filed his suit Monday in federal court, seeking $1.3 million in damages.

"I can't stress enough this is not about the money, but rather about vindication," La-Sky said today. The former spokesman has said he was demoted because he tried to reveal that documents were shredded after an Oct. 15 AeroTech model rocket fuel blaze at the plant on Palm Street near Boulder Highway and St. Louis Avenue.

"This is about restoring my reputation and my good name. The dollar figure is to grab people's attention to let them know how serious I am about proving I told the truth."

La-Sky claimed that the department shredded documents after reporters asked to see fire inspections of the plant before the blaze that killed one plant worker and seriously injured two other employees.

Greene has maintained -- and reiterated today -- that La-Sky was not demoted, that he was reassigned as part of a normal reorganization of the department staff. The department went from having two to one public information officers.

Greene also has maintained that the only documents shredded were proprietary information from the company of trade secrets, on the advice of county attorneys. He has denied there was any coverup.

The suit "is not a surprise, but it saddens me that it has come to this," Greene said. "I would hope that the public would not get sidetracked with this thing between me and Steve, but would continue to realize that this is a fine department."

Greene said he hired La-Sky as a second department public information officer five years ago to help out La-Sky, then a firefighter, and his family.

"It was an at-will position and Steve did a good job for five years," Greene said, noting that pressure from the county to cut overtime costs led to reorganization that eliminated a second PIO post.

The AeroTech fire was determined to be an accident, but no further details have been released. Greene has promised to release report of the investigation when it is completed.

La-Sky maintains that he began e-mail conversations with the secretary of County Manager Thom Reilly on Dec. 19 regarding concerns of a cover-up, and had set a 2 p.m. Jan. 7 meeting with Reilly. La-Sky was reassigned that morning.

La-Sky's PIO salary, which is about $15,000 higher than firefighters, has not been reduced.

The AeroTech fire ignited the chemicals ammonium perchlorate and magnesium, which are used to make the model rocket propellent. The fire caused the evacuation of the neighborhood.

La-Sky maintains he acted properly by telling the news media at the scene that the chemicals were onsite.

"When I got back to the station Chief Greene approached me in the hallway and asked me why I released that information, and I told him that when you evacuate a half-mile area, you better tell people why you want them to leave their homes," La-Sky said.

Greene declined to discuss that issue and other merits of the lawsuit.

Three AeroTech employees were hurt in the fire. Avelino Corpuz died Oct. 26 from his injuries. The other two employees survived their burns.

The blaze burned throughout the night and into the next day causing an estimated $12 million to $15 million in damages to the building and other businesses but did not spread to nearby residential neighborhoods.

AeroTech has since relocated its plant to Cedar City, Utah.