For the fourth time since Ben Zahn became mayor in late 2016, Kenner has a new fire chief.
Chief Keith Crimen Jr. resigned Thursday, said Deborah Foshee, Zahn's chief administrative officer.
Crimen was appointed in June after a judge ruled the city had to appoint someone from an existing list of qualified candidates rather than allow interim Chief Terence Morris to continue to serve in the role. With Crimen's resignation, Morris was reappointed to fill the job until a permanent chief can be named.
Crimen was the fifth chief to fill the office during Zahn's tenure. John Hellmers was the chief when Zahn was elected, but he was forced out in 2017 after an investigation into his management of the department.
His replacement, Ryan Bergeron, stepped down in April. Zahn then named Morris, a longtime New Orleans firefighter, as an interim appointment, even though the city had a list of qualified candidates from the last time the civil service test for fire chief had been given.
But Kenner's civil service rules dictate that an interim appointee can serve for only 60 days, and that since Morris did not fit the city's requirements to be the chief, he could not be appointed to the permanent post. Morris' 60-day term was up in June, and he moved to an administrative position within the department.
Crimen was appointed in June after the city's Fire and Police Civil Service Board refused an administration request to disqualify all the firefighters who had taken the chief's test and been deemed qualified for the position.
The list of qualified candidates expired earlier this month, meaning the city will have to administer a new test and select a candidate from a new list once that test has been graded.
City officials have argued that the job description and list of qualifications for fire chief are obsolete and need to be reformed. A new job description has been drafted, according to Assistant City Attorney Ed Rapier.
Despite the turmoil, the Property Industry Association of Louisiana in June awarded the department a "1" rating, making it one of only eight departments in the state to earn the association's highest ranking. Having it could help lower property insurance bills for residents of the city.
In addition to the turnover at the top of the department, the city and its firefighters have also battled in court over whether the city can force firefighters to work shifts at a different rank than the one they have obtained.
The practice, called working "out of class," is commonly used when shifts are short on operators or captains. But firefighter Brian Drumm argued that the practice violated his rights.
A state district judge agreed with Drumm and ordered the city to stop requiring firefighters to work out of class, unless they agree to do so. The city has appealed the ruling.
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