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NewsJuly 3, 2013

PIEDMONT, Mo. -- An interim fire chief was appointed Monday night to serve the Clearwater Fire Protection District after its chief resigned amid allegations of misuse of a department truck. Josh Allen resigned as chief of both the Clearwater Fire Protection District and Piedmont City Fire Department before the protection district's regular monthly board meeting Monday, according to Shane Babb, a fire protection board member...

PIEDMONT, Mo. -- An interim fire chief was appointed Monday night to serve the Clearwater Fire Protection District after its chief resigned amid allegations of misuse of a department truck.

Josh Allen resigned as chief of both the Clearwater Fire Protection District and Piedmont City Fire Department before the protection district's regular monthly board meeting Monday, according to Shane Babb, a fire protection board member.

"The fire district actually shares a fire house with the city of Piedmont and a lot of our personnel is the same," Babb said.

Allegations, according to firefighter Stephen Hastings, are that Allen, as well as assistant chief Jeff Handy and Capt. Scott Hale, took a vehicle jointly owned by the two departments on a float trip with alcohol to The Landing in Van Buren, Mo.

Handy and Hale also serve on the fire board.

"They took it, so basically they misused the equipment; also, there was alcohol involved," Hastings said.

Photographs were taken of the incident, which allegedly happened Saturday, Hastings said.

Hastings said more than just the three firefighters took part in the float trip.

"They had a bunch of people in there that were not fire personnel," Hasting said. "If they had had a wreck, we would have been in trouble."

Babb said he was not in a position to discuss the allegations, as they involved personnel matters.

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"We went into closed session to discuss personnel. … The only thing that came out of closed session that we voted on, we appointed an interim chief," Babb said.

Handy and Hale, according to Babb, resigned as firefighters before the close of Monday night's meeting.

"As board members, to my knowledge they have not resigned," Babb said.

The board, Babb said, will meet again Monday to appoint a permanent chief.

"Basically, up until now, one chief served both departments," Babb said. "Going forward, we're not going to go that route again.

"We will have a chief to serve our department. Piedmont can choose their own chief, so there will be two different chiefs serving their respective posts."

According to Babb, there is going to be no further investigation.

Babb said there will be "no loss in fire protection and services. … the district will help the city with their responses; the city will help the district."

Pertinent address:

Piedmont, Mo.

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