Fire board gridlocked on filling vacant post

The East County Fire Protection District Board of Directors has been without a third member for nearly a year, since the last person to hold the position resigned.

The issue of how to fill the vacancy has been discussed in board meetings, but the two current members remain gridlocked on the candidates.

At a board meeting Thursday night, board chairman Gary Fornkahl and board member Pamela Allen outlined their candidates, but the two could not come to an agreement on any of those names.

Allen named three candidates, stating they either showed interest in learning about the fire department or were already firefighters.

Allen said it would be useful to have someone on the board of directors who understood the department and had a grasp of cost and use of new equipment often discussed in board meetings. She cited the example of a new communications tower the department will purchase to replace one damaged by the recent ice storm. All three candidates had regularly or fairly regularly attended board meetings, she said.

Fornkahl declined to give a reason for his selections, other than saying he would like to see the member who resigned return and finish out her term. Fornkahl also proposed leaving the position open.

Several firefighters expressed concern during the meeting that the dissension between members of the board is widening and that it is starting to affect the department.

One firefighter, John Canavan, who others said has been with the department for about a year, announced his resignation before the two board members went into a closed session.

"As a firefighter in this department, I don't want all the bickering and name-calling to spill onto a fire scene," Canavan said during the public comments section of the meeting.

He said he wanted some sort of resolution before the quarreling became a safety issue.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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