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Fire Commissioner Giammarco Responds To Accusations

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By TONY HOLT Hernando Today

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 10, 2008

SPRING HILL - One feels insulted for being called a liar.

The other thinks he is being publically discredited.
Spring Hill Fire Rescue Commissioner Rob Giammarco was dressed down during a public meeting Wednesday when Chairman Charles Raborn accused him of calling one of his supervisors at Pasco County Fire Rescue and telling her he had lied about the department's drug policy.

Raborn, who also is a fire inspector in Pasco County, also accused Giammarco of identifying himself over the phone as a county commissioner.

"When I was pulled into her office, she told me a county commissioner had called her," Raborn said. "He was asking questions and asked her, 'Do you have a fire inspector over there named Charles Raborn?'"

That was followed by accusations the chairman had lied about Pasco County Fire Rescue's drug policy.

"He told her, 'I just want you to know he lied in a public meeting,'" Raborn said.

Giammarco denied calling Raborn a liar and said he never identified himself as a county commissioner.

"It's all untrue," he said. "I wouldn't misrepresent myself like that."

It wasn't the first time Raborn has scolded Giammarco during a public meeting. The two are on opposing sides of the referendum issue. One is for Spring Hill Fire Rescue becoming an independent district while the other wants it to be merged with the county's fire service.

Giammarco has urged the fire board to practice more fiscal responsibility. Raborn has accused him of putting more emphasis on saving dollars than saving lives. The two also have taken shots at the other through the press.

During Wednesday's meeting, Raborn said he had an audio tape of the conversation Giammarco had with Chief Cindy Holland, who is in charge of the department's personnel.

Giammarco said he called Holland the next day and asked whether she had recorded their conversation. She told him she had not.

Raborn said the reference to an audio tape was merely "an interrogation tactic."

It is illegal in Florida for one person to record a phone conversation without the other's knowledge.

"He's going to be backpedalling a bit at this point," Raborn said.

Giammarco shrugged off the chairman's threats.

"It's just another way to try and discredit me," he said.

Holland said the conversations she had with both men were short and centered on the department's drug policy. She refused to go into further detail.

"I'm not getting in the middle of it," she said.

In other district news:

Fire commissioners were scheduled to discuss the possibility of merging their emergency call center with the county and having the dispatchers take part in ambulance calls.

Those who work full time in the dispatch center are certified emergency medical technicians. Interim chief Mike Rampino said he was going to discuss the possibility and have the commissioners decide whether such a move was feasible.

The district has 11 dispatch employees, eight of which are full time.

Instead, the fire board decided to table all pending matters until after the Nov. 4 election.

If the majority of Spring Hill residents vote no on independence, the board would be dissolved and the county would take control of the district.

If they vote yes, a newly elected board would take over.

"There are a lot of things that could happen in the next three weeks," Raborn said. "I think it's only fair."

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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