'Neglect, mismanagement and lack of proper credentialing': Durham Co. chief fire marshal accuses DPS employees of falsifying fire alarm reports for years

In the emails, Shepherd raised concerns about DPS leaders for "providing, falsifying and copying multiple years of internal fire alarm reports."

"The responsibility of fire safety in our schools belongs to all of us," Shepherd said. " [And] The actions by the staff members of Durham Public Schools [have] jeopardized my trust in DPS's ability to self-manage the fire alarm inspection program."

WRAL News previously reported issues with fire systems in DPS when County Deputy Chief Fire Marshal Mike Webb was under investigation following an April 2022 fire at a Forest View Elementary School. District leaders contracted a company belonging to a family member of Webb to service the schools.

Webb did not disclose the conflict of interest to Shepherd, according to a search warrant filed by North Carolina Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division in October 2022 to search his office for missing financial records.

With financial records missing, Durham County deputy fire marshal under investigation for 'failure to perform duties' and 'conflict of interest'

"We should have never reached a point where we are today with inadequate life safety equipment, falsified documents and fires in schools" Shepherd wrote in emails to DPS officials.

The emails detailed how the problems with the fire alarm systems were discussed with DPS leaders at a meeting with Shepherd on April 14, 2022.

According to the emails, Shepherd said he believed the DPS leaders created larger problems with the fire alarm systems in place.

"I'm confident that through neglect, mismanagement and lack of proper credentialing has exacerbated the problems identified by him with the fire alarm system," Shepherd said.

In November 2022, DPS employee Andrew Roesch was charged with three counts of “failure to perform duties,” which are misdemeanors. Roesch is accused of falsifying fire safety tests and inspection forms.

DPS employee charged with falsifying fire safety tests, inspection forms

Shepherd did believe this would be a turning point for officials to focus on fixing the issues and move forward.

"It is my hope that we can swiftly move past these issues and focus on educating our children, teachers and principals on fire safety in a manner that is proactive and not reactive," Shepherd said.

DPS leaders agreed to talk to WRAL Investigates, but backed out the day the interview was scheduled to take place. They did provide a statement to WRAL Investigates regarding the emails:

"Durham Public Schools is committed to working diligently with the Fire Marshal to ensure that the district is compliant with the applicable fire codes. Our ultimate goal is to abate and mitigate risks in our building identified by the Fire Marshal and other authorities having jurisdiction, so that they can remain safe for our students and staff."