N.C. Chief Fired After Using Racial Slur

SANFORD — The Carolina Trace Fire Department's board of directors removed its fire chief Wednesday afternoon after a number of firefighters alleged the chief used a racial slur in the presence of a group of firefighters and a civilian last month.

"It was the evening right after the [Lee County Firefighters Association] dinner [on Jan. 21]," said Lt. Russell Ingram, a volunteer member of the department who is black and was present during the incident. "We were getting ready for a storm the next day; it was going to snow. We were sitting around the table talking. ... [Fire Chief Todd McNeill] refers to the [L. Horton Community Funeral Home] being the n----- funeral home. ... I felt hurt. I felt embarrassed and humiliated."

Ingram later told firefighter Robert Dufresne and others about the incident, and Dufresne joined Ingram in creating a petition asking McNeill to step down.

"We go up there, we pursue training, we attend classes, we respond to emergency calls all out of our own pocket," Dufresne said. "We get absolutely no pay for this. I mean, who wants to work under somebody who’s going to drop racial insults like that? It's really divisive, and it's not representative of the character of our fire department."

When asked for comment on the issue Wednesday afternoon, Frank Layton, president of the department's board of directors, said he couldn't go into details about personnel issues.

"We are aware of it," Layton said, "and we are dealing with it."

A few minutes later, McNeill told The Herald that he was no longer the fire chief.

"I’m no longer employed with the Carolina Trace Fire Department," McNeill said. "Refer all your comments to the board."

Leading up to McNeill's removal Wednesday, at least three firefighters — including the paid deputy fire chief — had resigned in protest, and Dufresne said at least eight others had signed the petition saying they were ready to resign should McNeill remain chief. Carolina Trace is a combination department that consists of a handful of paid employees and about 25 volunteers.

Capt. Brian McLean, a volunteer with Carolina Trace's Fire Department, said he attended the department's board of directors' meeting on Tuesday and was disappointed that no action was taken. He submitted his resignation during the meeting.

"I said to myself, 'They've had three weeks to decide on a matter that is this big after we’ve already asked them to please remove Chief McNeill,'" McLean said Wednesday. "Last night was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. It tore my heart out."

After learning that the board had removed McNeill, McLean said he would gladly return to the department.

"He did the wrong thing, and now he’s punished," McLean said of McNeill. " ... Now he’s been held accountable for it. ... I'll go back to my community, serving it proudly as I have for years."

Ingram said he has never dealt with discrimination from Carolina Trace firefighters before, and that he thought of the department as his family.

"It’s separated the department," Ingram said of the incident. "It created a very hostile work environment. Some individuals looked at [the] chief in a different light."

Ingram added that all the firefighters who resigned were white.

"The reason why I resigned was ... I do not stand for racism," McLean said. "It was wrong in the first place for [McNeill] to even say it, because he’s the face to the public. He’s our fire chief, and the fire department, the fire service is a brotherhood."

Dufresne said McNeill had been fire chief for about eight years, and that CTFD Assistant Chief Michael Beal was the only chief officer left at the station. He added that a decision on who would fill in as interim fire chief would come from the board of directors.

"I am happy to hear that Todd McNeill is no longer the fire chief," Dufresne said. "I am saddened that it has come to this. In the end, we’re looking forward to rebuilding the trust and the camaraderie that has got to exist in a fire department."

The Carolina Trace Fire Department is controlled by its board of directors, but it receives funding from taxes and the Lee County government's general funds.

The department is supported by $383,422 in tax revenues and an additional $19,900 from the county's fund balance for the fiscal year 2015-2016. Residents in the department's fire district pay 9.1 cents per $100 in taxes.

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