Fire chief put on paid leave; FOIA request filed

Birmingham City Manager Jana Ecker, effective Thursday, July 17, put Birmingham Fire Chief Paul Walls on paid administrative leave.

In an email announcing the leave, sent to city commissioners and department heads, Ecker said that Matthew Bartalino, assistant fire chief, would serve as interim fire chief, “pending further investigation.”

Ecker also wrote, “This decision was not made lightly, but was necessary in light of my responsibility to ensure the safe, effective, and efficient operation of the city. Steps have been taken to ensure that all services and operations continue without interruption.”

When Downtown Newsmagazine contacted Ecker by email with questions of how long the leave is anticipated to last and whether the cause for the leave was job performance related or of a personal nature, the publication was supplied only with information mirroring the email sent to city officials, with the city manager stating that this was all the information that could be supplied at this time.

Wells has been with the department for approximately 27 years and was named fire chief in August of 2019.

Downtown Newsmagazine on Wednesday, July 23, filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the city asking for copies of past annual work performance reviews of the fire chief; the written document outlining work improvements needed/required of Paul Walls; a copy of Paul Walls contract with the city; and any formal HR complaints filed by Paul Wells against city officials.