Firefighter: Several resigned from Gordonville department

A disagreement at a board meeting Wednesday night has resulted in resignations and some reinstatements among the officers of the Gordonville Fire Protection District.

According to Dustin Koerber, former battalion chief of the district, he, the assistant fire chief and three fire captains resigned after they had a disagreement with the board of directors and a compromise could not be reached. Koerber said he had moral and ethical concerns about the board and some of its decisions.

He said he has not spoken with any of the others since their resignations and does not know if any of them have changed their minds after having some time to think about their decision. He said he stands by his resignation.

One of the three captains who resigned said he has since been reinstated. The captain, who did not wish his name to be used, said the conflict stemmed from the board's decision to reinstate a firefighter the officers had released from duty. The captain said the firefighter had been a member of the department for 15 years but had not received training or answered a call in at least two years. The officers felt that because of the inactivity it was in the department's best interest to release him.

The captain said the officers felt the board, by reinstating the firefighter to a support staff position, did not support or respect their decision. He said it amounted to nothing more than a "good old boy" system.

The captain said after he resigned and returned his gear, he was physically pushed from the fire station by a member of the board. He said he still wants to be a member of the department and serve the community but is considering working only as a firefighter, not a captain.

Fire chief Randy Morris Jr. said that to his knowledge all of the men, including Koerber, are still with the department. He said there was a misunderstanding and some men walked out of the meeting but that they did not resign. Until he receives letters of resignation, he said, he considers all of the firefighters to be on the district's roster.

Koerber said he made his intent to leave the department clear Wednesday night. It couldn't be confirmed whether the other officers have been reinstated.

Morris said fire protection has not been affected by the personnel matters stemming from Wednesday's meeting.

cbartholomew@semissourian.com

243-8600