Pleasant Hill-Newton Township Fire Association
located in Miami County, Ohio

3-30-07

The newspaper this week has had stories from one of our neighboring fire departments.  It seems one of the Covington Squad Chiefs was Indicted on Misuse of a Credit Card.   Nothing I've read says that he intentionally put charges on the card however that may be the case.  From what I've read, it's also possible that he accidentally put the charges on the wrong card.  Those of us who carry work and personal cards know that can happen.  When it does, paperwork is done to correct it and we move on.  Perhaps what he did was intentional, perhaps not.  The paper didn't say and I do not have any personal information about the case.

What is interesting to me is that this person was demoted from the Troy Fire Department and put on leave until after the court date. Indeed there have been charges filed.  Actions have been swift and strong. Compare that to what's happened in our department where someone, or multiple people, intentionally stole gasoline over a long period of time, may have abused drugs from the drug bag, ran as an EMT while not certified, failed to return confidential documents when requested, and hardly a thing was done about it.  

The suspect's mother in the gasoline theft was informed that cameras were being set up to catch the thief before the cameras were in place (this information was given to me by our police officer a few days later).  Why was she told? So she could warn her son?  Funny how the thefts stopped that very day.  It's not proof that her son was guilty, but it doesn't look good.   

I was on a squad run with this same person only later to learn that his EMS certification had been withdrawn.  He never mentioned it to me on the run, and the other squad members later told me that they were also unaware that he was not certified at the time.  He claims he didn't do anything on the run that would require certification but that's not the point.  The rest of the squad should have been informed.   Since my leaving the department I've been told that his mother had failed her protocols tests and wasn't supposed to be running either but she kept it hidden from the rest of the squad.  I haven't seen the paperwork myself so I can't say for a fact that it's true, but I was at the meeting where she was removed from office for gross negligence by the JFD Board. To the best of my knowledge no formal charges were filed with any agency.  For some reason she had taken home patients personal files.  When she was asked to return them to the department she failed to comply.  I have asked about this at later public meetings have have been told by the Joint Fire District board in those meetings that the records have not been returned.   My last request for information met with a shoulder shug only.  When I pressed for details I was told "What can we do?" and the meeting went on.  When I started to respond to the question I was told I was out of order and that I could not address the board further.   The answer of course is that charges should have been filed.  Both the State of Ohio and the Federal Government have processes in place to prosecute people for HIPAA violations and indeed require that they be informed of such violations.  With two years of patient records missing the state told me they had received no such report when I called their office.

I was on a run where a controlled drug was given to a patient.  The entire bottle was not used.  When we got to the hospital to write our reports and dispose of the remaining drug we were told that the EMT had "wasted" the drugs by dumping the remaining drugs on the ground outside the squad while on the scene.  The problem with this story is that I was with the squad the entire time.  At no point did this person exit the squad once the drug bag had been opened.  It is impossible that he disposed of the drugs in the way he claims.   Other squad members on the scene also said they did not see him dispose of the remaining drugs and they confirmed that he never left the squad once the drug bag was opened.  What happened to the rest of those drugs?  Could it be his mother covered his tracks again in her position of squad chief?  I'll let you decide.

I don't know the facts of the case in regards to the man in Covington, but it does look to me like he's not getting a "fair" shake when compared to the abuses that have taken place in Pleasant Hill.   

9-2006

There's been no change in the past several months.  There are still many things that are wrong, most likely illegal, but no one seems to have an interest in making it right.  It's easier to ignore a problem than to solve one.  

At the August JFD meeting I asked about the two years of missing patient records that the ex-squad chief never returned. I think this is a serious HIPAA Compliance problem but all I got was a shrug of the shoulders.  

It's ironic that our new fire chief was prohibited from being an officer on the department for many years due to his very large size which severely restricts his abilities as a fireman, and now he's chief.  

It's also been interesting to hear that many of the firemen are under the impression that I've filed a law suit against them.  While I may have grounds, I don't see how it would be in the best interests of the people of Newton Township for me to do so.  Interesting that so many of them are saying that I filed suit already.  I really wish the fire department would check it's facts before making such remarks.  If they'd checked their facts then they'd have known that not one of the "reasons" they listed for my termination was valid. They've allowed themselves to be manipulated by someone who is used to getting his way. He'd never let the truth get in the way.  

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January 2006?

Update to a plea for help.

Thank you to the Joint Fire District for taking the first step needed to correct the problems in the fire department.  This was a bold, but needed, event.  By removing the squad chief from office it will allow the remaining personnel to work in a non-hostile environment.  By splitting the squad into it's own agency (under the Joint Fire District of course) with an equal footing as the fire department you have eliminated much of the conflict that has taken place over  the past several years. 

As a 15 year firefighter and a member of this community I would like to say THANK YOU!   You now know how very close we were to losing our licenses and ability to even operate a squad thanks to your investigations.  You confirmed what you were told by other members of the squad for yourself and took the time to sort out the truth.  I know this has been a challenge for you and it must have been as heartbreaking for you to learn of the department's peril just as it was for our own members to have learned just how close to disaster we had been brought.

Now we can get about the business of rebuilding the squad.  Work is already quickly under way.   We welcome our new squad chief, Kurt Bayer, and his experience in working with not only our our squad members, but in managing people.  His experience as a business owner will help him manage people in a way that someone without business experience simply can not do.

To members of Newton Township who have considered joining the squad but have been reluctant because of the stories they've heard in the past I would encourage you to again consider this most rewarding of volunteer positions.  It's life changing in a way that will leave you satisfied, knowing you have helped someone who was in serious need.  This is far more rewarding than a money donation.  Those are needed also of course, but the biggest rewards go to those who invest themselves in service.  Come see if this is for you. You don't need to commit at this time. Just come explore the opportunity and make a decision once you have a better idea what it is that we do exactly.

To the Joint Fire District I again say thank you for your assistance in this first step.  I encourage you not to stop here however.  As you are beginning to realize, there is a similar problem in the fire department itself.  The problem can be summed up rather easily but the solution is more complex.  You know the announcement of the new fire chief is not the solution as he's been a major part of the problem.  He has no people skills and isn't respected by many on the department.  I again encourage you to consider a chief from outside the existing department if a well suited existing member is not willing to serve.  I strongly feel this is in the best interests of the citizens of Newton Township. Having a chief who works full time in fire fighting has many more advantages to it than the minor disadvantage of not having that chief reside in the township.  Times have changed from the old days where we used horses to pull water to a scene so we could throw buckets of water on what was left of a house.  Those changes also require that we give up the idea that someone needs to live in the township in order to be able to serve as chief of the department, a position that is as much paperwork and training centered as it is about actually fighting a fire.  Many fires in this township are fought without the fire chief being present.  In many ways he's already done his job by the time a fire actually gets reported.

Indeed when I first joined the department 15 years ago I lived outside the township.  I was allowed to join because I worked in the township all day.  The interesting part of this story is that I could actually get to the firehouse FASTER when I lived outside the township than I can now as a resident of Newton Township.   Don't limit your search to a line in the sand.  Pick the best chief you can find regardless of where his house is located.  The citizens of this township deserve it.

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A Plea for help!!!

I believe that we have a crisis taking place at our local fire department.   Over the past several years we have been losing members while being unable to retain new recruits.   I believe this is because of abuse caused by a family which has taken control of the department.  Years ago we allowed another family to control the department and it resulted in a law suit and legal action at the expense of the taxpayers.

 This is a volunteer department.  People serve because of a sense of duty, a desire to give back to the community, and because they have a need to help people in a time of crisis. 

 I can tell you that it is not easy to get out of bed at three in the morning, knowing you’re going to be working out in the freezing cold for hours, and that you won’t get any more sleep before needing to go to work, or missing work.  It isn’t easy running out of your busy office knowing that the company will suffer due to your absence, and some customers will not understand why they aren’t more important than the lady who just hit a bridge with her car.   It’s not easy being a volunteer fireman or squad member when you know that the people in charge of the department won’t tell you about training, exclude you from planning activities, do not follow procedures, and make the firehouse a hostile place to serve.

 I have served on the Pleasant Hill-Newton Township Fire Department for 15 years.  I had planned to serve longer as it has been the most rewarding activity with which I have been involved outside of my church.  You have probably seen me on runs as I’ve completed most daytime runs and many evening and night runs for 15 years.  It is from this service that I write this letter.

 Over the past several years this department has gone from a small department with decent  training and a great deal of pride, to one with few active members and has become the butt of jokes from other departments.  The firehouse has become a point of division, with people being run off the department rather than face the unprofessional and unwarranted actions of some of its officers.   This is after all a volunteer organization. When abused, volunteers generally just leave rather than fight.  I’ve seen many good members leave the past few years.

 It’s long past time that some sunshine enter into the firehouse and those in power be exposed.  Firemen are prohibited from talking about the problems on the department and are threatened with removal even if they take their concerns to the Joint Fire District which is supposed to be overseeing the operations.  This makes it a little hard to get good information on what is happening but it is critical that we ask serious questions before it’s our own homes or loved ones that are in need of help.

 In my opinion the problems are so severe that I suggest a new chief be appointed from outside the department.  This chief will need to be able to unify the remaining members.  I suggest appointing someone who is a full time fireman on a paid department so that they are aware of new reporting requirements and training opportunities.  The chief does not need to be present on a fire scene but rather is more of an administrator.  This person would not need to live inside the township in order to be an effective leader for this department.

 I further suggest that our department is so depleted currently that mutual aid should be dispatched immediately for all daytime fires and that the JFD should seek further planned squad assists until such time that the department has enough members showing up to be effective.

 It is further my personal opinion that this family has created such hard feelings and division among members of the department, and has been largely responsible for the decline of the department in the past few years, that I believe they should be removed from the fire department.  I believe there are several members of the community who are willing to serve provided that they will not be subjected to this family’s abuse.  As long as this family is a part of the department I believe people will continue to find other ways to fill their time.

 I encourage you strongly to ask questions and investigate the events that have taken place in the department.  If you know a fire or squad member ask them for their opinion in confidence.   It’s time.

 Attached you will find a letter written to the fire association after my own removal from the department.  There are guidelines, in writing, as to the procedure to be followed in removing a person from the department.  Those procedures were not followed and a vote was pushed through before people had a time to react.  Objections to my removal were not given an opportunity to be heard.  No one contacted me from the department. And the most important is that the grounds for my dismissal have been proven groundless.  I’m just the most recent example of the abuse.  I’m off the department now so I’m able to talk to you about my own experiences. 

Now here's the letter I read to the fire association when they terminated me without following their own procedures for termination, and without any valid reason.

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As you know, on October 15^th I was informed by Certified mail that I was no longer a member of the Pleasant Hill-Newton Township Fire department. I was terminated for three reasons; Not attending calls, not attending meetings, and for “behavior detrimental to our department”.  This naturally came as quite a surprise to me.

 I knew the first statement was false as I have responded to all but two daytime calls in the past 15 years that I am able to recall, unless I was out of the state on business of course.  Three years ago I considered retiring due to a busy schedule and teenage kids.

 At that time Chief John Marchal and Squad Chief Sandy Marchal approached me and asked me to stay.   The department was, and is, very short handed for daytime responses.   If I would stay on the department and respond to daytime calls and attend training when I could, they would be most grateful. They also agreed that I would not be required to attend the Monday night meetings.

 For the past three years I have responded to daytime calls as I had promised to do.  I am aware of only one call where I did not respond promptly, and that was a mutual fire call to which no one else responded either for hours as the county continued to drop tones.  Even had I responded I would not have been able to do anything as the only person at the firehouse.

 I have responded to numerous calls as is evidenced in part by my signature on many squad run sheets.  In fact I’ve been on more daytime calls that anyone else on the department. 

 Some argue that these are “only squad calls” to which I respond that our number one task is to preserve life.  Our second responsibility is to protect property.  My actions respond to that highest of callings we have as a department and to ignore those calls would be to ignore the very reason we exist as a department.

Secondly I have in fact responded to fire calls as well.  I have been on several grass fires this year as well as a mutual aid fire with Covington .  Those are the only fire calls we’ve had in the past year during the day unless I missed calls while I was out on business..  I can not say if my name is on those reports or not because the responsibility for completing those reports belongs to others.  I can only say that if my name does not appear on those reports that it only reflects the lack of others in performing their duties and not my own.

 As for the accusation that I have not attended meetings, that is true.  I have been excused from those meetings by both Chiefs of this department.  If there was discussion where I was faulted for not attending then I can only fault those officers for not standing up and defending me.  To have done less is to have broken their word to me and to have lied to the department as a whole.  

In my discussion of this letter with John it was said that I’ve not attended training.  That is a partially true statement.  I have not attended training as often as I have in the past due to my schedule however in the fifteen years I’ve been on the department I doubt many, if any, have had a higher attendance record than myself. 

 This past summer has been my least attended.  During this time, in which John informed me I have been absent, I attended a water movement training out at Panther Creek where I participated as much as anyone else.  It was designed to teach new operators the basics of drafting water.  As one of only two Engineers on this department I was naturally expected to assist, but not operate the pumps. This is what I did.

 I missed a couple of trainings because my work schedule took me out of town, followed by my annual vacation.  As a result I missed two summer training sessions.  I then returned but there was no training at the next session. Very few of us showed up and there was no training by anyone that night.  At about 9:30pm I went home.

 Twice over the summer I took time off work with my forklift to assist by unloading 1800 pounds of fire hose as well as a new cascade system.  This later time Chief Marchal was with me yet he failed to say anything to me about the actions being taken against me.  My feeling now is that he didn’t want to give me a chance to defend myself. Even the most basic of managers would have wanted to know the entire story before making a decision.

 I attended another training this fall where the engine was to be taken to the school.  Assistant Chief Brent Raines instructed me to put my gear on the truck, which I did.  I was then called to the back of the firehouse.  I returned to the front just as the engine was pulling out of the firehouse with a full crew onboard.  My gear had been removed and placed back on its hook.  I was asked to help repair Rescue 14 at that time which I did.  I went home just as the engine was returning to the firehouse.  

I also attended training last month were a rescue tool was being tested.  I asked if I could geared up and I was informed that this training was to give the new guys a chance to cut some steel and try out the new tool.   I stayed the evening and talked to several members however it was obvious that some members were avoiding me.  I did not know why as no one had told me I was being removed.  Assistant Chief Joe Marchal wouldn’t even say hello back to me when I tried to talk to him for example.  A few members talked to me but no one said anything about this action against me.

 The last thing I am charged with is “behavior detrimental to our department”.  This was the most shocking charge to me as I’ve taken great pride in being a part of this department for 15 years and I could not imagine what I could have done.  Chief John Marchal told me that my offense was that I had not worked the chicken barbeque in September and that it “really pissed some people off”.

 To that charge I’m not really sure how to respond.  I was at church that day where I served as Technical Director.  My church has seven services a weekend.  I’m there from 2:45pm Saturday until 7:30pm , and then again Sunday from 8AM until 1:30pm .  There are over 50,000 people a month who are touched by my mission there.   It is true that my priority in service to God is higher than my priority to chicken sales.   

I find myself further confused by this charge the more I think about it.  I am the most active daytime member this department has, and yet they feel that selling chickens is more important to the taxpayers of Newton Township .

 This isn’t about money.  The income I help bring to the department through squad runs is far more than the total funds brought in by the chicken barbeque.  This isn’t about our primary charge of protecting life.  It isn’t even about our secondary charge to protect property.  The taxpayers of Newton Township have never said that they want to pay tax dollars to hire a chicken salesman.

 Having reviewed all three charges brought against me and finding them all to be without merit I’m left with one fact that holds true.  I was never asked to change any part of my behavior.  I was never warned of an upcoming dismissal.  And while others who have recently been sent letters were offered a chance to stay on the department if they’d show up once in a while, I was not given such an opportunity, probably because I have been here all along.  

I’ve had this department’s back protected.  I’ve stood my watch with diligence and honor.  I have served the people of Newton Township , some of whom would not be here today had I not done so.  

Another fact that I’m also now aware of is that this department didn’t have my back.  I know from your vote that you don’t want me on the department and you are willing to lie to get me to leave. I don’t know why you’d stoop so low, but I know you have done so now.

 With that thought in mind I am indeed leaving the department having just started my 16^th year but I question you again:  Are you doing what is in the best interest of the people of Newton Township ?  Can you honestly say that it is better to not respond at all to that emergency call than to have allowed me to respond?  How many people have you killed because of this decision?  Can you live with their deaths? They will be on your heads to be certain.  

 I hope the taxpayers realize the dangers of having one family in control of the entire department.  This department was in court before for this very reason when the Adam’s family abused their power and control.  It appears to me that court may be required to cure the disease this time as well.