But union officers and the firefighter, Chris Patterson, dispute the administration's version of events, saying it's a matter of interpretation.
"I've tried to quit the Warren Fire Department, I want to break all ties with the city," Patterson said.
According to figures provided by the mayor's office, Patterson has missed 62 days of work and has only been on duty 16 days in the past nine months. Since October, he's only worked six days, the figures show.
Still, Patterson received an annual salary of about $60,000 along with his full medical coverage and other benefits.
In a prepared statement, Mayor Mark Steenbergh called the episode "a disgrace."
"At a time when our city is facing layoffs because of state revenue sharing cuts, this firefighter is taking our residents for a ride," the mayor's statement said.
Deputy Mayor Michael Greiner said Fire Commissioner Robert Vought discovered the scam and predicted there are similar situations yet to be exposed. Vought could not be reached for comment.
A spokesman for the Knoxville Fire Department said Patterson was hired this past October.
"I'd like to know how he's supposed to be working in two different places at the same time," said Charles Barker, a public information officer in Knoxville.
Patterson will be fired from Warren and a retroactive payment of $20,000 stemming from a contract settlement has been withheld pending the results of an audit, officials said.
Last week, administrators in the fire department seized all records of the buddy relief system and said the practice has been suspended. Under the system, a firefighter would pay another firefighter $200 to cover his shift while the original firefighter still collected his full pay.
Greiner said a firefighter who was involved in the system felt uncomfortable with it and informed the fire commissioner.
"We've started an audit to go through all of the records to look for any irregularities and if we find more, they will be dealt with," Greiner said. "The public has a right to know what is going on with taxpayers' dollars."
The Warren Professional Firefighters Union Local 1383 said the buddy relief system
