Railroad Township Board Calls for Stop to Fire Department Restructuring

Posted on December 22, 2016
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI

The Railroad Township Board is calling for a stop to the restructuring of the township’s fire protection services. Board members Gus Eckert and Clarence Gehrke gathered in special session Wednesday to pass a resolution rejecting a plan to sever ties with the San Pierre Volunteer Fire Department.

The department is a legally-separate organization that’s contracted to provide fire protection to Railroad Township. Township Trustee Mandy Thomason announced plans last week not to renew that contract at the end of the year.

In addition to contracting with volunteer departments, townships do have the option to hire firefighters and operate the service directly, which Thomason seems to favor. But board members say changing the fire protection method can’t be done without their approval.

Reading from a prepared resolution, Eckert said the township board has not agreed to Thomason’s plan. “The board has not approved procuring fire protection from any entity other than the San Pierre Fire Department, Inc.,” he said. “The board rejects procuring fire protection from any other entity other than the San Pierre Fire Department, Inc. The creation of a new township fire department must cease, and no aspect of it has been approved by the board.”

The resolution also calls for Thomason to present a contract with the San Pierre Volunteer Fire Department for the board’s approval during another special session to be held Friday, December 30 at 6:00 p.m. “Which means the trustee must put together a contract,” Eckert said. “She must give it to the fire department with enough time that they can review it, and at the special meeting, the contract approved by both parties will be brought to the board for signature.” If no contract is approved at that meeting, board members plan to vote on emergency fire protection measures.

The board rejected a previous contract proposal back in October. Eckert and Gehrke said Wednesday they felt the contract was unacceptable for firefighters. Firefighters say Thomason failed to schedule a meeting for further negotiations, before announcing her plan to restructure the department last week.

Eckert said the current situation is uncharted territory, with the board never having significant disagreements with a township trustee before. “I did not know what our powers really were, and I have talked to gentlemen and people in this township,” he said. “We were lax. We were lazy. That’s why the state wanted to get rid of trustee government was because the boards were like us. I am making the promise to you that this next year will be entirely different.”

Former trustee Roger Chaffins, who was unseated by Thomason two years ago, also offered his input on the situation. “She’s stirred up some stuff that, maybe it’s a big deal. I don’t think it is,” Chaffins said. “She’s just trying to stir up things with the fire department and cause problems. She wants total control over everything, and that’s not right. That’s just not going to work. The fire department works great. I never had any trouble with them. My wife, prior to that, never had any trouble with them.”

Thomason was not in attendance during Wednesday’s meeting.