Firefighters say they have come up with a unanimous vote of "no confidence" for Chief Tim Tilton after they say he ordered six firefighters to remove asbestos from a house to be used for fire practice.
They were told to do so with no breathing equipment and no protective gear available.
"I mean this is a man we trust with our lives," local firefighter union president Mike Mason said of Chief Tilton. "And his decision, we should never have to second guess."
"And he's forgot the cardinal rule of firefighting and the fact that you protect your men," Mason said.
Before the house could be burned, it had to be inspected for asbestos. A company hired by the city found asbestos in vinyl floor tiles.
"When you deliberately burn a structure for fire training, our rules stipulate that all asbestos has to be out of the building," explained Pat Fribley of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
It would have cost $1,500 to have it removed. The union president says the chief wanted to save the money, so he told six firefighters to scrape up the tiles with shovels and double bag them, using no protective gear. The firefighters say their chief gave them an order and they followed it.
"So he, in a sense, has jeopardized the health of six men for a mere $1,500, which is totally unacceptable." Mason said.
Those six men have been tested for exposure to asbestos and all have checked out okay.
Some firefighters say they want Chief Tilton fired. For now, the mayor has put him on paid administrative leave.
