D.A. investigates possible firefighter cover-up

Firefighting equipment is ready to roll at Fire Station No. 1 on Folsom Street in San Francisco, Calif. on Wednesday, March 27, 2013. The firehouse, the first built in the city in 40 years, replaces the old one on Howard Street, which is being demolished to make way for the SFMOMA expansion. less Firefighting equipment is ready to roll at Fire Station No. 1 on Folsom Street in San Francisco, Calif. on Wednesday, March 27, 2013. The firehouse, the first built in the city in 40 years, replaces the old one ... more Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close D.A. investigates possible firefighter cover-up 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

The San Francisco district attorney is investigating whether fellow firefighters tried to cover for Michael Quinn, the allegedly drunken firefighter who crashed his ladder truck into a motorcyclist in the South of Market in June.

"This is not your run-of-the-mill DUI investigation," is all the district attorney's spokesman, Alex Bastian, would say when asked about the possibility that Quinn's colleagues tried to cover up the circumstances of the crash.

Meanwhile, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White says her office is considering disciplinary action against an unspecified number of firefighters who were on duty the night of the incident.

"We are looking at if things could have gone differently, or if different decisions could have been made," Hayes-White said.

Quinn, a 23-year veteran of the department, was at the wheel of a Station 1 ladder truck when he raced through a red light at Fifth and Howard streets late June 29 on his way to what turned out to be a false alarm.

The truck collided with a motorcyclist, throwing the rider into a fire hydrant and seriously injuring him.

Quinn left the crash scene before police arrived about 40 minutes later and did not turn up at Station 1 a few blocks down Howard Street for several hours.

Police obtained security-camera footage that shows Quinn drinking water at the Chieftain Irish Pub at Fifth and Howard in what appeared to be an attempt to sober up before returning to the station, sources say.

Still, after police caught up to him at the station, Quinn's blood alcohol level was measured at 0.13 percent, above the legal limit for driving of 0.08 percent, sources say. The Fire Department has a zero-tolerance policy for on-duty drinking.

Quinn was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and hit-and-run, but has yet to be charged. The D.A.'s office says the investigation isn't complete.

Fire Department sources tell us that no fewer than 21 firefighters, paramedics and others who were on duty the night of the crash have been interviewed by police.

And at least two firefighters, besides Quinn, may face disciplinary action as well.

One is a firefighter who denied being at the Chieftain with Quinn but showed up on security-camera footage talking to him in the bar, according to sources.

Surveillance camera footage also supposedly contradicted the statement of a department higher-up who said Quinn's ladder truck had nearly cleared the intersection safely before the crash. In fact, the light was red before Quinn reached the intersection, but his rig never slowed down, sources say.

Hayes-White said she had found no evidence of a conspiracy within the department to cover up the crash circumstances.

The chief confirmed that Quinn, who had been on administrative leave without pay since the crash, submitted his resignation Nov. 1 - just in time to avoid a formal dismissal hearing that had been scheduled for that day.

His attorney told us Friday he'd get back to us to discuss the case. We're still waiting.

Like Hayes-White, Firefighters Union President Tom O'Connor rejected the notion of an attempted cover-up.

"Everybody on duty that night was making every effort possible to assist the police with their investigation," O'Connor said.

"In fact, they called the police once (Quinn) returned to the station."

After our inquiry last week, Hayes-White said she spoke to District Attorney George Gascón, who told her only that prosecutors "are getting close" to a decision on whether to file charges.

For the record: Maybe it's just a coincidence, but the day after we reported that Oakland City Councilwoman Libby Schaaf was thinking about running for mayor, a supporter of Mayor Jean Quan was knocking on doors in Schaaf's Montclair district on behalf of a pro-Quan group called Oakland on the Rise.

The booster was handing out a glossy, eight-page "State of the City" booklet touting the city's economic recovery and crime-fighting efforts under Quan's watch.

The booklet states that it was funded by donations - not taxpayer dollars - and lists Quan's home address as Oakland on the Rise's headquarters.

Residents who got the booklet were invited to take part in an online "neighborhood survey" in which participants are asked to rate the council, the city administrator and the mayor's performance.

While Quan's effort might have all the earmarks of a re-election campaign, there are no records on file for Oakland on the Rise with either the secretary of state or Oakland's Ethics Commission.

But the booklet effort pretty much mirrors one that Quan and her labor supporters used in fending off a recall attempt last year.

Quan spokesman Sean Maher told us that in both cases, the handouts were "100 percent informational and educational, not campaign material." He said they were needed because "it is clear that residents are hungry for this kind of information."