Lynchburg Fire Chief Greg Wormser was placed on administrative leave Friday, according to city spokesperson Anna Bentson.
City Manager Wynter Benda has initiated an external and independent review of the fire department, Bentson said. The review will focus on recruitment and retention practices, personnel policies and internal training protocols. The timeline of the review is not available at this time, Bentson said.
In the meantime, Wormser’s leave will be paid, Bentson said.
Wormser started at the city’s fire department in 1995, according to his staff page on the city’s website, and became fire chief in 2018.
Deputy Chief Jonathan Wright has been appointed acting chief “to ensure continuity of operations” while the review is conducted, Bentson said.
The department’s other deputy chief, Marques Bush, has been on administrative leave since July, Bentson said. The reason for his leave has not been made public.
The city also has not released any details about why Wormser was placed on leave. “Because this is a personnel matter, we are limited in the information we can share at this time,” Bentson said.
The announcement of Wormser’s leave came in the same week that one video and one audio recording, which purport to depict two Lynchburg firefighters using racist language, spread on social media. In the audio recording, the firefighter also threatened the life of a woman.
The account that posted the clips, called The Robbie Harvey on various social media platforms, has more than 1 million followers on Instagram and about 2 million followers on Facebook.
Neither Wright nor Wormser responded to requests for comment.
The fire chief reports to the city manager’s office, which is responsible for hiring and firing people in that role.
Several city council members released statements Monday about the situation.
“Council needs to step forward — our firefighters need stability, our administration needs transparency, and anything less risks public trust and even our bond rating,” Vice Mayor Curt Diemer said in a written statement.
“I am fully confident in the men and women of the Lynchburg Fire Department to deliver the best services they are capable of delivering,” Councilmember Marty Misjuns said in a phone interview.