A group of Georgia volunteer firefighters have walked out to protest this month's firing of the department's chief.
As part of the protest, Polk County firefighters left their turnout gear outside department headquarters in Cedartown on Tuesday, The Polk County Standard Journal reports. The move was in response to the April 9 termination of Chief Randy Lacey, who also was the county's emergency management director.
“The fire chief that they fired, Randy Lacey, we're backing him,” firefighter Jason Shuman, a department training officer, told the Standard Journal. “The way things are starting now and some stuff that's come out from a meeting that we had here the other day … we’re not happy with the way that things are going now. So we're just going to turn our stuff in and be done (as) volunteers for Polk County.”
At least 10 firefighters of the roughly 200-member department have walked out.
These photos were some of the hardest I've ever taken. Especially taking them with tears in my eyes. This morning...
Posted by Regina Rose Gentry on Tuesday, April 27, 2021
“The Polk County Volunteer Fire Department consists of dedicated men and women who serve their community faithfully,” Polk County Manager Matt Denton said in a statement. “The firefighters who resigned this morning did not quit Polk County Government, they quit the community they served.”
Lacey's dismissal came after a review by the Georgia Firefighters' Pension Fund. According to the review, Lacey, who has been with the county since 2011, allegedly falsified records and allowed firefighters to sign documents some time after an incident claiming members had responded to a fire call.
The review also claimed that Lacey and the department had a continuing discrepancies with training hours and fire call attendance. This has led to revocation of creditable service for some firefighters.
Lacey appealed his firing at a personnel committee meeting on April 20. No decision has been made concerning the appeal, but if the firing isn't overturned, Lacey could still fill an appeal with the county commission.
In the past, the Polk County Commission has explored the possibility of creating a career fire department. That effort, however, has not got much traction, according to the Standard Journal.
“I hope it opens their eyes up, and they see that we're backing Lacey 100 percent,” Shuman said.
