City officials attended a monthly meeting of the Eufaula Volunteer Fire Department on Tuesday, May 13 to discuss issues that flared up days earlier when it was announced a full-time chief would be hired to replace volunteer Chief Chad French.

The announcement caught French and his department by surprise when it was made by then Interim City Manager Andrea Weckmueller-Behringer on her final day in office, May 9.

The announcement exposed long-festering complaints firefighters have be- yond the hiring of a fulltime fire chief.

But trying to catch someone in charge to express their complaints to has been difficult since City Hall has been in a turmoil for several months.

Following an executive session at the monthly city council meeting on March 3, City Manager Jeb Jones resigned effective April 12. He was in office for three years.

Weckmueller-Behringer, former city manager of Shawnee, was hired as interim city manager following an executive session held by the council on Tuesday, March 11.

She resigned effective May 9 after being offered a job as city manager in Ennis, Texas.

Larry Mitchell, who has decades of service in city management, was hired as interim city manager following a special council meeting held Wednesday, May 7. He took office on Monday, May 19.

The fire department will be among the issues he will have to deal with.

Mayor James Hickman, Ward 3 Councilwoman Evelyn Gulley and City Clerk/Treasurer Valerie Cox attended the fire department’s meeting held at the community center, sitting among about 20 firefighters, police officers and concerned civilians.

The officials faced an unhappy department, upset not only by the sudden decision to hire a fire chief but because of what they describe as years of neglect when it comes to city funding.

French listed a number of failings – includ-ing failure to complete the new fire station that stands vacant on the west side of town.

“We have a $500,000 storage shed,” French said.

He said he was told by Jeb Jones, the former city manager, that there wasn’t money in the budget to complete the interior of the building.

French listed an array of equipment that needed to be replaced and safety gear that needed to be purchased.

“But we’re always told there isn’t any money in the budget. We’re broke. But they come up with $60,000 to hire a fulltime fire chief, with benefits,” he said.

The firefighters aren’t opposed to a full-time chief, but about how it came about and that the chief will be hired in the face of dire budget needs.

“I went to Jeb last year and talked to him about hiring a full-time fire chief,” French said. “But he said we didn’t have the money.”

Jones could not be reached for comment.

Hickman and Gulley agreed there had been a lack of communication in the past, but that was going to change with the new administration.

Each side expressed their opinions and agreed that one of the main problems has been a lack of communication between the two.

Both Hickman and Gulley assured the irate firefighters that in the future there would be more open communications.

“I’m pretty open to talking to people,” Hickman said. “I try to do my best to respond to people. I want us to have better communications, I can promise you that.”

They assured the firefighters that the city is also concerned that the department doesn’t have a lot of safety equipment that it needs, and that issue will be addressed.

After the meeting, French said they were grateful that the officials attended the meeting and had a far-ranging discussion on various subjects.

But, he said, they are still not totally satisfied.

“We have a right to be upset, because we weren’t informed,” French said. “I feel like the way we were informed was a slap in the face.”

He said he was informed that Friday, July 1, would be his last day as chief.

“Andrea informed me at the (routine) Friday morning meeting (May 9) that the city is transitioning over to a full-time fire chief. It was a shock. You understand I didn’t know about it. Nobody from the city reached out to us. Nobody discussed it with us. So it was quite a shock and quite a surprise to find it out in that way. She just slid a folder across the table with my termination letter in it.”

Hickman and Gulley apologized for how things turned out but said the lack of forewarning was because of time constraints.

Interim City Manager Weckmueller-Berhinger had to put together a budget in two months, which normally takes four months.

Gulley said when Jones left, he had done nothing with the budget.

“So we’re behind the eight ball. We had a budget crisis, a budget that was out of kilter to start with…We had a budget that hadn’t been touched and she’s got less than eight weeks to put it together.”

Hickman said the city had a $26,000 deficit, so there was an emergency situation.

“Jeb told me that was normal. That’s when I said, ‘Hey man. We got to do an evaluation. I need to see your contract because you can’t be running in the red.’

“So that’s what he left us with. Andrea came in and in two months busted it out. We asked her if there was money in the budget, then we would like to have a full time fire department or start working towards that.

“So, you know she worked and she finished it up on Wednesday, May 7. One of the things that she likes to do is finish all of her projects. That’s just the way she runs. She is a high functioning individual. And so she finished up on Wednesday, and found money in the budget to bring on a full time fire chief.”

The press release and the discussion with French was made under pressure.

“I understand it was fast, it was furious. Chad, I’m sorry, I really am, the way it was handled. I don’t know what else to say. I do appreciate you and I want to tell you how much I do appreciate you,” Hickman said.

French said he isn’t opposed to hiring a fulltime chief.

“I spoke with Jeb last year about doing that, but he said there wasn’t any money for it,” French said.

Which is one of the reasons the fire department is upset. He said there never seems to be enough money in the budget to provide essential safety equipment for the department.

Gulley was sympathetic to the department’s plight and said she supports providing them with adequate funds for necessities.

Hickman said he wished things could have been handled differently, but he wouldn’t criticize the now former interim city manager because she did a fantastic job given the mess she had to deal with when she took over and the limited time she had to do it.

“A lot of loose ends had to be tied up,” he said.

Hickman said there has been a lot of disunity within the city government in recent years.

“I want us to be unified,” he said.

Another issue bothering the department is failure to have input into the budget process.

“We have never been invited to a budget meeting,” French said. “The city hasn’t reached out to us.

“We’re not against progress, so I don’t want anybody to think that. We want what is best for the city and we always have. We wouldn’t give our time for free if we didn’t. Having said that, my idea (for a paid chief) got shot down because, again, I was told the city is broke and we don’t have the money to do that.”

The fire department’s budget is about $90,000 a year.

“I’ve asked for the last two fiscal years for an increase in our budget but again we’re told there’s no money in the budget.

“We have dilapidated equipment that needs to be repaired or replaced. We need PPE (personal protective equipment) coveralls for us to be able to go into filthy houses. We got a body at Eagle Bluff so decomposed that flesh was coming off the body, but we didn’t have any PPEs for ourselves to help the funeral home remove the body,” French said.

He disputed the statement that the former interim city manager had encouraged him to apply for the position.

“I asked her if I could apply and she said ‘You can.’ Well to me that is not encouraging me to apply for this position. Encouraging someone to apply for a position is ‘ Chief French on behalf of the city council, there’s a letter of appreciation right there – we appreciate you for your years of service. We’re going to transition to a full time position and we would appreciate it if you would put in your application.’

That’s how it’s done. And that was not done.”

He said the letter to him was graciously written.

“It appreciated me for all the work that I’ve done, but there’s no encouragement,” he said.

Besides, he said, state law requires a full time fire chief to have three years of being a paid fire fighter. French has been a volunteer firefighter for 26 years.

He also disputed a statement in the letter that the hiring of a full-time fire chief would help lower the city’s ISO rating.

The letter by the former interim city manager states: “Transitioning to a full time fire chief, based on the growing needs of the city, the significant capital assets under the control of the fire department, and the positive impact on the city’s ISO (Insurance Services Office) rating, the city of Eufaula will be moving to a hybrid fire department with a full time chief and volunteer firefighters.”

The ISO is used by insurance companies to set rates. French said Eufaula’s ISO rating is about 4.4.

“Hiring a full time chief will not change that a bit,” he said. “The rating is based on a lot of factors, including training, equipment and other things.”

French said he was opposed to building the new fire station west of downtown because it could increase the ISO rating due to its distance from the center of town. He wanted to build it in the open field across from the community center, but the city didn’t have the money and opted to build it on city-owned land.

Another issue French has concerns whether the city, given its financial situation, will be able to pay the 14 percent contribution to the full-time chief ’s retirement fund, which is a state law.

Also, the former interim city manager took away three emergency vehicles the chief and his two assistants kept parked at home.

The vehicles carry emergency life-saving equipment that can be used in emergencies before fire trucks can arrive.

“Most of our calls aren’t fire calls, but medical and other calls,” French said.

She said the cars parked at private residences could be a liability.

“No more than police cars parked at home,” he said.

Police Chief David Bryning was among those who attended the meeting. He told French there were a lot of grants available for police and fire departments.

“I write grants, and if you need me to, I can help you,” he said.

Gulley said she understands the problems the fire department is experiencing.

“My (late) husband was a code enforcement officer for the city for several years, so I understand what you guys are going through.

“I want to make sure that you guys understand that your fastest possible answer for anything is inside city hall. Now, I know that people could argue that our past manager was not available to people. Or may think the manager wasn’t as available as you would have liked.

“But (City Clerk) Valerie (Cox) can attest that she had a good four weeks with her (the interim city manager) in almost sequestration trying to get a budget that was valid. So I do want to say that while the decision that I made might not sit well with everyone (but) we had such a mess to go through,” Gulley said.

She said they have not taken their decisions lightly.

“I want you guys to understand that we hear you,” she said. “We are going to get the fire department the things that they need. You just have to work this out with us. And I’m sorry that this has really hit you between the eyes.”