Railroad Township plans to take direct control of its fire protection services, following allegations of various breaches of contract with the San Pierre Volunteer Fire Department. Township Trustee Mandy Thomason has announced that the current form of the fire department will be disbanded at the end of the month.
Taking its place on January 1 will be a new Railroad Township Volunteer Fire Department. “We are restructuring to a township department, which would just be a different form of organizing,” she explains.
Under the current arrangement, the fire department operates under a contract with the township. A contract renewal for 2017 was rejected by the Railroad Township Board back in October. Thomason says the department failed to set up a meeting with her for additional negotiations.
One major point of contention was financial reporting to the township. Fire department officials reportedly did not believe the township trustee had the authority to demand financial oversight. Thomason’s attorney has said that while financial reporting is not required under statute, it’s not uncommon for its to be included in contracts.
Her request for financial oversight appears to stem from rumors of the mishandling of funds within the department. While she didn’t have solid evidence of any such mishandling, she did request the department share its records to clarify the issue. Problems with the department’s financial records have also caused Railroad Township to miss out on grant funding, according to Thomason.
In a press release, Thomason listed a number of alleged contract breaches over the past two years, including a lack of CPR and EMR training for at least some of its members, and a lack maintenance to trucks, the siren, and equipment. Additionally, she accuses firefighters of drinking alcohol on township property and illegally removing prescribed medication from a department vehicle. Thomason also says a “ghost employee” is on the department’s member roster, and the chief and lieutenant are non-compliant for run calls percentage.
She says she met with firefighters Thursday to announce the changes. As for how the transition will take place, Thomason says it starts with letting the current contract expire at the end of the year. “All of the equipment and the fire station is owned by the township,” she says. “So we just would then have firemen apply to stay.” Thomason says the Railroad Township Board has been notified, but the restructuring doesn’t require any action from board members.
She adds that current volunteers are invited to reapply. “We will have applications, and a constitution and bylaws for the new department at the station on Monday,” she says. Thomason says officers will be appointed, at least initially, and volunteers will be paid on a merit system.
She emphasizes that the safety of residents and fire department volunteers has been a top priority throughout the restructuring process.
