PIPE, POWDER CLEARED FROM FIREMAN'S LOCKER

A Nashville Fire Department supervisor yesterday was accused of removing "a
pipe and a white powdery substance" from a locker of a fellow firefighter
who had just died after going into cardiac arrest, department officials said.

Fire District Chief Don Ridley could be suspended without pay, demoted or
terminated if found guilty of conduct unbecoming a Metro employee,
according to a charge letter written by Nashville Fire Chief Stephen Halford.

Ridley also is accused of behavior that reflects discredit upon himself and
the department.

Ridley has been on paid administrative leave since Jan. 14, three days
after Richard Majors died after becoming ill while working at a fire hall
on Centennial Boulevard, Assistant Fire Chief Kim Lawson said.

Attempts to reach Ridley last night were unsuccessful.

Majors, 44, complained of coughing and respiratory distress, fire officials
said. He went into cardiac arrest and died at Metro General Hospital,
Lawson said.

An autopsy was ordered to determine the exact cause of death and is
expected soon, Lawson said. Police said Ridley told investigators he
discarded a travel bag with a pipe to spare his comrade's family "any
embarrassment."

Fire officials said Ridley found a pipe and powder. It's unclear how much
powder was found.

The officials called police after learning that Ridley, who had been a
captain in charge of Majors' crew until he was promoted in November, had
found a pipe and a powder while going through Majors' personal effects.

Vice officers interviewed Ridley on Jan. 15 at Fire Department
headquarters, police spokesman Don Aaron said.

"During the interview, Mr. Ridley admitted that he discarded Majors' travel
bag, which contained a drug pipe. The reason for the disposal, according to
him, was to not cause embarrassment to the Majors family."

The Police Department consulted with the district attorney general's
office, and it was decided that no criminal law was violated, Aaron said.

Ridley, who was off duty at the time of Majors' death, was contacted by
personnel and went to the station to comfort his former crew.

Ridley and others at the station gathered Majors' belongings to give to his
family. Fire officials said they learned the following day that Ridley came
across the pipe with the white powder and threw it away.

The Fire Department will hold a hearing next Wednesday to determine whether
disciplinary action is warranted.

In his charge letter, Halford accuses Ridley of using poor judgment.

"While it is recognized that your actions were to spare the family
embarrassment when you turned over the personal effects, you used extremely
poor judgment in disposing of the stated materials."

Ridley has been employed with the Nashville Fire Department since May 1978.
His district-chief position pays $59,385 a year, Lawson said.

Majors had been with the department since January 1983.

Under Metro law, Majors' estate is due $50,000 in life insurance as soon as
his death certificate is produced. Up to $100,000 is also possible if the
death is ruled accidental and up to $200,000 if it was in the line of duty.

That amount varies for Metro employees according to salary.

Families generally bring in a death certificate immediately so they can go
ahead and receive the $50,000, Metro officials said. They added that an
investigation into Majors' death is taking place, but that is standard
procedure.

A spouse or minor children, if there is no legal spouse, is eligible for
additional benefits if the employee who died has been employed at least
five years.

That amount can be 25% of the last 12 months' average earnings divided by
12, or the deceased's pension if the person was near retirement.

Federal death benefits also are available to municipal firefighters through
the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Staff writer Anne Paine contributed to this report.