The Biel fire department is on fire Commander on leave - investigation exonerates him

It is about questionable use of resources, for example: the commander of the Biel fire department is facing massive criticism. The city has now presented the results of an investigation.

The Biel fire department was recently in turmoil, culminating in the temporary suspension of the fire department commander. Internal documents reported on by "Ajour" brought to light serious allegations against his conduct in office.

Specifically, it concerns a letter from the Swiss Association of Public Service Personnel (VPOD) dated August 18, 2025, in which, according to "Ajour", Regional Secretary Claudio Marrari speaks of "untenable conditions in the management of the Biel professional fire department" and demands "immediate action".

The focus is on the commander's management style. This is described as "autocratic, arbitrary, against any logic of progress and development". He had used his position to make it clear who was the "master of the house".

Evaluation lists about employees

In addition, the fire department commander is said to have repeatedly drawn up evaluation lists of employees on his own authority and passed these on to division managers. The latter should have conducted the evaluations with the employees concerned - contrary to the personnel regulations of the city of Biel, according to which such discussions are generally conducted by direct superiors.

Another serious allegation concerns the alleged misuse of fire department resources for private purposes. In June 2021, employees were allegedly deployed during working hours for the wedding of his daughter and son-in-law - himself a member of the fire department.

At the request of "Ajour", neither the city nor the accused nor the VPOD commented on the specific allegations. The reason: an ongoing investigation commissioned by the city of Biel.

Investigation partially exonerates commanders

The results were presented on Friday morning. Michael Daphinoff, lawyer at Kellerhals Carrard, the law firm in charge of the investigation, told the media: "The investigation revealed management and communication weaknesses on the part of the commander, but numerous allegations could not be substantiated." No violation of the law was found.

For example, the evaluation lists recorded by the commander do not constitute a breach of the law. The accused is also exonerated of the allegations in connection with his daughter's wedding: "We were unable to establish any abuse of power or any action out of pure self-interest," says Daphinoff.

On the other hand, the commander had failed to implement de-escalating measures in the heated environment within the fire department. He had also delegated the management of large-scale operations to his deputy on several occasions.