As an investigation begins into allegations of sexual harassment in the Fairfax County Fire Department, there is concern over a huge firefighter's conference planned for May.
The International Association of Women in Fire and Emergency Services is planning to hold it's 2018 conference in Fairfax County. But now, there are calls for it to go elsewhere.
In a video on the organization's webpage, several Fairfax County women firefighters are seen promoting the upcoming conference called iWomen.
Fire Chief Richard Bowers also appears in it welcoming everybody and touting the "tremendous venue" and the training firefighters will receive.
But since the departments' top women leader, Battalion Chief Kathleen Stanley, resigned her position last week as Women's Program Officer after criticizing Bower's leadership, calls have gone out to move the conference to another city.
Retired battalion chief and Blogger Robert Avsec is calling for iWomen to switch course.
"If iWomen chose to say, 'Hey, we're not going to have the conference in Fairfax unless these things happen'...we think there needs to be a complete leadership change in Fairfax County," said Avsec. He wrote a counter to iWomen's statement affirming their commitment to Fairfax.
"What are you ladies thinking of? You want to show support for Battalion Chief Stanley and the rest of the women of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department? Then announce that you'll not bring the iWomen conference to Fairfax County until the fire chief and his seniors staff are gone."
But even Kathleen Sanley says bringing the iWomen conference to Fairfax is a good thing.
"I am very proud of iWomen for standing behind me and Fairfax and not shying away from the great controversial topics. They stood behind me, they're giving me all the support, and I think it's very important. This gives us an opportunity to bring everybody from around the world to this one central location so we can discuss this," said Stanley.
Fairfax firefighter Kristi Bartlett at the Incident Commander of the iWomen Conference in charge of it.
"Obviously, having a nice, strong woman like Kathleen in our senior management, she can be very influential and also help support other women who may be going through the same thing who don't have women in their senior staff to go to," said Bartlett.
And retired firefighter Leigh Boswell said it would be a "huge mistake" for the iWomen Conference to not come to Fairfax, and "a slap in the face to all the women working their butts off" to put on a great event.
Fairfax Fire and Rescue leadership would not respond to WUSA9's inquires today.
The iWomen International Conference is set to be held in Fairfax County from May 24 to 26th.
