A Team 7 Investigation last May caught Chief Mark Fitzgerald inside a Skyway bar, downing the equivalent of more than nine beers, then driving a county car.

VIDEO: Undercover Team 7 Investigation

That video led Fire Commissioners to discipline the Chief.

Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne has an exclusive copy of King County's internal, personnel investigation into the matter.

According to a memo entitled "Last Chance Agreement," District 20 Fire Chief Mark Fitzgerald will be suspended for one month without pay for drinking alcohol, then driving a county vehicle.

If he screws up again within the next year, he's set up to be fired.

Beer after beer after beer after beer. King County Fire Chief Mark Fitzgerald put them away. We videotaped; he drank and drank. After paying the tab, Fitzgerald surprised us by getting into his district-issued fire truck and racing down the road.

After airing this video, Fitzgerald's bosses on the fire commission called for a full investigation into his behavior.

This report details the findings: Fitzgerald says "somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that driving a district vehicle after drinking wasn't the right thing to do, but it wasn't until Chris Halsne of KIRO called him on it that it really registered."

The Chief denies he drove intoxicated, but still agreed to "complete substance abuse counseling and to a month-long, unpaid suspension as punishment for breaking district rules."

An interesting note buried inside the internal report: Fire Commissioner Gregg Nelson told investigators, he had received complaints about Chief Fitzgerald's drinking before, but took them with a "grain of salt," saying drinking is part of the firefighters culture.

"It take a long time to change what used to be the good ole thing, alcohol, and related issues," said Washington State Patrol Capt. Fred Fakkema.

Fakkema says over-drinking alcohol was at one time tolerated as a "stress-reducer" for police and fire officers alike. However, no longer can that attitude prevail.

"After the event happens, it can bring down an agency." He said. "It can change a publics perception of the agency."

Fakkema says he's glad the drinking and driving incident we videotaped didn't turn tragic, instead becoming a catalyst for change.

Inside the report, another Fire District Commissioner named Jeff Doppmann questioned our investigative team's motives in airing this story, saying he didn't think Chief Fitzgerald drank that much, certainly not nine beers.

Doppman should have some idea because we videotaped him sitting right there with the Chief much of the night in question.