Final Report Ready for Suspended Fire Co.
By: Jennifer Lee
Updated: January 15, 2013
WASHINGTON COUNTY, MD - The Task Force overseeing the suspended fire company in Washington County had their final meeting Monday night.
Final recommendations will now make their way to county officials to determine whether or not Fairplay will be in service again.
More than ten fire professionals have been meeting regularly once a week for nearly six months to provide their input and recommendations to rebuild the broken fire company.
"It certainly has been a difficult position for them because it was their fire department that was put out of service, so I could certainly understand feelings expressed in the letter," says Paul Miller, Chair Task Force.
The president of Company 12 wasn't at the task force meeting, but he submitted a letter stating he felt they were being scrutinized because their volunteers don't volunteer enough.
"That fire company, some of the leaders there chose, and I emphasize chose, to remove members that had a lot of qualifications. Some of them, even more than the chief at that time," says Michelle Asper, a Fairplay resident.
Many in the community expressed their worries from the beginning. Company 12 was suspended because they weren't responding to calls on time. They were also lacking the man-power during the day.
"When you are sending out fund drives asking for volunteers and then in-turn you're removing them, that's just something that doesn't make sense to me and I have to question that," says Asper.
Nearly 80 applications were submitted to Fairplay, 30 of them qualified firefighters, but some say a change in leadership is what has caused the problem.
"The leaders down there right now have created this mess. I think that is evident that they created it and now they're being called out on it, and I don't think they like that," says Asper.
The Task Force has added in their final report; the recommendation to remove the current president and fire chief.
The Task Force is hoping county officials will be available during the last week of January to go over their report.
Final recommendations will now make their way to county officials to determine whether or not Fairplay will be in service again.
More than ten fire professionals have been meeting regularly once a week for nearly six months to provide their input and recommendations to rebuild the broken fire company.
"It certainly has been a difficult position for them because it was their fire department that was put out of service, so I could certainly understand feelings expressed in the letter," says Paul Miller, Chair Task Force.
The president of Company 12 wasn't at the task force meeting, but he submitted a letter stating he felt they were being scrutinized because their volunteers don't volunteer enough.
"That fire company, some of the leaders there chose, and I emphasize chose, to remove members that had a lot of qualifications. Some of them, even more than the chief at that time," says Michelle Asper, a Fairplay resident.
Many in the community expressed their worries from the beginning. Company 12 was suspended because they weren't responding to calls on time. They were also lacking the man-power during the day.
"When you are sending out fund drives asking for volunteers and then in-turn you're removing them, that's just something that doesn't make sense to me and I have to question that," says Asper.
Nearly 80 applications were submitted to Fairplay, 30 of them qualified firefighters, but some say a change in leadership is what has caused the problem.
"The leaders down there right now have created this mess. I think that is evident that they created it and now they're being called out on it, and I don't think they like that," says Asper.
The Task Force has added in their final report; the recommendation to remove the current president and fire chief.
The Task Force is hoping county officials will be available during the last week of January to go over their report.
