A volunteer fire chief was terminated from his post by the borough council over the use of an aerial ladder.
A 6-1 vote Monday ended Slatington Fire Chief Keith Weaver's 13 years run of serving his community.
Councilman Jon Rinker said the termination was "for insubordination for Weaver taking the ladder truck out of town when he was not supposed to,” the Times News reported.
Weaver received a request from the Fountain Hill Fire Department to supply a ladder truck to hang an American flag at a Sept. 24 funeral. Fountain Hill was honoring former fire police officer and firefighter Matthew Kuhns, 35.
Weaver asked the council for permission to take the apparatus to the funeral, but the request was denied.
“It’s about taking a firetruck out of town. You just don’t do that stuff," Rinker said. "I told him you can take your men and go."
“No matter what, he did volunteer for many years. He donated a lot of his time to the borough and he was always there," Councilman Bryon Reed said during the meeting. Reed was the only council member to vote against the termination.
“We should send him a letter to thank him for his service and get his gear and keys," “We didn’t throw him out as a fireman. He can be a part of the department, but that is up to them."
Acting chief Nicholas recommended the council call Weaver about the decisions.
Council President Gwyneth Jones said she would make the call after the meeting.
“(Weaver has) done a lot. He has always been here," longtime volunteer Jeffrey Hausman said. "My theory is it’s not fair, but the council did what they had to do. You’ve got to follow orders,” he said.
The following letter was sent to the residents of Slatington by a group of firefighters following Monday's council meeting.
An Open Letter to the Residents of Slatington,
During the Borough Council Meeting on Monday, October 10th, the Council made the decision to remove Keith Weaver as Fire Chief. This decision was made during executive session behind closed doors, but is due in part because of the fire department's collective decision to take the ladder truck out of town 2 weeks ago in order to attend the funeral of a firefighter from Fountain Hill.
We as a department decided to take the ladder truck in order to pay our respects, as well as provide an American Flag archway for this fallen hero to pass through one last time. While the truck was out of town, the town was not left unprotected, another department was on automatic dispatch to keep our residents protected.
During this meeting, Chief Weaver was not afforded the opportunity to defend his actions; and on top of that Borough Council members verbally attacked firefighters who were in attendance at the meeting. The Council Members believe that all of the firefighters who volunteer their time to keep your community safe and secure are replaceable. Their comments also call into question our ability and knowledge to fight fire. Slatington Fire Department deeply values education, and we are encouraged to gain education and knowledge through classes and life experience.
In closing, the actions of the Borough Council have left the fire department which serves your community in shambles. The firefighters stand behind Chief Weaver, and would like to see him reinstated as 2401. On behalf of the Slatington Fire Department, we would like to encourage each and every member of the community to contact the members of the Borough Council, so that our voices may be heard and we can continue to protect our community without fear of being replaced.
