Whistle blower victim of fire bomb

"As soon as I opened the front door all I saw was a big ball of fire," said Darmanin. "This is the most violent thing that has happened since it all began."

At 11:27 p.m. Wednesday Darmanin's wife called 911 after a neighbor alerted them to the burning car on Edgewood Road. The neighbor heard a few people talking outside followed by squealing tires and a loud explosion. Minutes later the 1990 Geo Metro convertible was completely engulfed in flames. It took Redwood City firefighters 15 to 20 minutes to put the fire out and appears suspicious, said Redwood City Battalion Chief Steve Cavallero.

When the car was hit, Darmanin was watching part of an interview he had given to the KRON4 news station about the SFFD safety deficiencies that led to the death of San Francisco Firefighter Mindy Ohler.

On Jan 13, 2003 Ohler was thrown from an open cab fire engine and died days later from injuries she sustained. Last week the Federal Occupational Health and Safety Agency ruled that the SFFD should have had spring loaded safety rails and fined the department $18,000. Darmanin was interviewed because he worked with OSHA to investigate Ohler's death.

Darmanin has been an outspoken member of the fire department for the past seven years. However, in the last six months the whistle blower has been the target of several uncommon crimes. The crimes began in January after he appeared on "Good Morning America" claiming the department had forged training documents at San Francisco International Airport.

Darmanin has a sordid history with the SFFD dating back to 1996 when he was demoted after blowing the whistle on a different allegation of fraudulent documents at the airport. He later sued the department, got his job back and is in the process of settling out of court.

Since the interview in January, Darmanin has had the tires of his white Volkswagen van slashed and paint balls fired at the vehicle. In February, he was the subject of two threatening letters sent to the San Francisco Airport Commission. The letters were turned over the San Mateo County Sheriff's Detective Rich Glennon who is stationed at the airport.

The unsigned letters never made it into a formal report because they didn't site specific action towards Darmanin, said Glennon. Glennon was unwilling to reveal the contents of the letters. However, Darmanin believes the attacks on his home could have been prevented if Glennon followed up and created a report.

"What's next? Are they going to go after my family or my house?," asked Darmanin.

The suspects are members of the San Francisco Fire Department, said Darmanin,. But he says he doesn't have enough information to provide names.

At union meetings, Darmanin claims he's been singled out as a snitch by other firefighters which has led to animosity towards him. Despite the ongoing crimes Darmanin is not frightened by the threats.

"I'm even more determined to be more outspoken," said Darmanin.

Darmanin hopes the evidence is strong enough to lead local law enforcement agencies to investigate the crime and find the culprits.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.