Recordpub.com - Atwater firefighters can't work until paperwork complete Fire chief has been suspended

By Deborah Guziak
Record-Courier staff writer
ATWATER " Fire Chief Lynn Whittlesey has been suspended and a probable cause hearing to remove him will be held Feb. 4, trustees said Monday.
Volunteer firefighters will not be allowed to work until the department is in compliance with the township's insurance needs, trustees said.
At a special meeting Monday, trustees agreed to have members of the Randolph Fire Department fulfill the station's needs, and Randolph Fire Chief Mike Lang will serve as interim fire chief in Atwater until a new one is selected, Trustee Dan Derreberry said.
Derreberry, who is the trustees' liaison with the fire department, said Whittlesey has not complied with their requests for information, such as a roster of members of the volunteer department or basic information for township insurance purposes. The needed information incluces firefighters names, addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers and a fire certificate.
"Why do you need my Social Security number?" one firefighter demanded. "You've got my driver's license number!"
After the meeting, Derreberry said he tried to work with Whittlesey to get the department and the trustees working as a team, but it didn't work.
"We asked for three months for a roster, and when we finally got one, it was two or three years old," Derreberry said. "If someone were to ask how many people we have on the department, I couldn't tell you because we don't have a roster."
A person answering the phone at Whittlesey's home after the meeting refused to call Whittlesey to the phone for comment.
Trustee Jim Conley said the locks at the station will be changed today, and Derreberry called the dispatching ceenter to inform them of the changes.
Lang, who volunteered to get the department in order, will bring six to eight firefighters/EMTs from the Randolph department.
"We have 30 people on staff," said his son, Mike Jr., who attended Monday's meeting with two other Randolph firefighters and Randolph Trustees Roger Klodt and Gary Horning.
Derreberry said the station will be staffed 24 hous per day and seven days per week by Randolph firefighters. The department also has mutual aid agreements with neighboring Deerfield and Edinburg.
About 50 people attended the meeting " about half of them firefighters. Members of the sheriff's department also attended the meeting.
"I hated to do this," Derreberry said. "But when I was running for trustee, I made a promise to the people to move the township forward."

15.	Posted by all4firefighters_inactive January 31, 2008
	To the people who like to bad mouth Chief Lang and the Randolph Fire Department, what are you going to do when you need help? Turn them away?? I'm sure not. All Firefighters/EMTs are there to help no matter where you are from, where they are from and what the political problems might be. These men and women dedicate there time and lives to help others. Whatever happened to them being "OUR AMERICAN HEROS". That's what they all are heros that deserve the best and Atwater Trustees are just looking out for their best interest. It seems plain and simple, attend your township meetings and then you will understand what is going on. Don't point fingers at others when you have done nothing in your community (like attend meetings)and now complain when someone is just trying to do a great job as a trustee in moving their town forward. GOD BLESS ALL FIREFIGHTERS AND EMT'S FOR ALL THEY DO EVERY SINGLE DAY WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT.

14.	Posted by jme2stx January 31, 2008
	Well, I do feel the need to respond... 1. Youngstown has plenty of places with no hydrants. Every pump operator is required to know how to "draft" and shuttle water. 2. We fight plenty of fire in Youngstown. Atleast one a day! Usually more. We INTENTIONALLY burn down houses that are confirmed vacant and usually we have gone in and put the fire out 4 or 5 time before. So, I hope for your sake you are not saying we don't fight interior fires! 3. I personally know of two Randolph Firemen that I would fight my way to the 7th ring of hell with! Jamie Youngstown, OH

13.	Posted by Jesse January 31, 2008
	One thing I would think both sides of this argument could agree on is that we do not need someone from Youngstown telling us how to run a volunteer operation. Y-town has a full time paid operation. I doubt anyone from Y-town fire dept would even know how to get water in a rural area because Y-town gets all theirs from a hydrant. Furthermore they have either burned down everything in Youngstown or closed and gone out of business. As a retired full time firefighter and former volunteer, I know that I sure would not want to go in a fire with Chief Lang or his people. If they got a call from the Trustees while in the fire with you, they might leave you there to burn. You can not put your life on the line and not trust the person behind you. Lang has demonstrated where his loyalty is and it is not with fellow firefighters. Atwater would have worked out their problem if they had no other choice. But they had a choice when Chief Lang offered to move in letting Atwater simply lock out all their volunteers. And, if you are reading between the lines here, Lang several times talked about being Waterloo, not Randolph or Atwater. Sure sounds like he is looking to push a fire district on the residents. Wow, that means a fulltime Fire Chief job for Lang with fulltime firefighters. Get ready to open your wallets people. This is the same thing that Palmyra Chief tried with the people in Edinburg.

12.	Posted by aqha_gal January 31, 2008
	I dunno about getting the department "in order", do you think the Chief didn't keep things in order for the last 20 years and all the sudden Mr. Derreberry to the rescue? As for the firemen, the citizens need to realize that you can only back a lion so far in the corner until he turns and defends itself. Jamie...this isn't youngstown and our department does very well on response times, my husband has donated over 18 years to that department for not one red cent, heck it actually costs us money, and look at all the nights without sleep the family functions interupted by the pager going off, but he loves it, but I have to say, he's fed up with all the crap, every other week at the "township meetings" its a new ordeal and then its really screwed up by the time it hits the newspaper and balloons from there. My husband loves the FD and the unity of the department, but you have to drawl the line somewhere, you can't make a volunteer, volunteer! Besides Paris Twp, Atwater is the only other "true volunteer" (unpaid) FD in the county. Hey, the fire burns just as hot in Atwater as it does in New York, support them for a change, or heck come down and join the department, all these people critisizing must have extra time on their hands, they should volunteer.

10.	Posted by kidof2ffs January 30, 2008
	It is sad to see that this has gotten to this point. To all of us citizens, it shouldn't be about the Randolph FD. The ones that get to be upset about that are the VOLUNTEER firefighters on Atwater that have their reasons for feeling a lil betrayed. That betrayal stems from a problem that was there long before RFD was given a story by our trustees. The trustees brought this to the table. The administration that was in place this past year had personal opinions about Chief Whittlesey and they let them interfere with the job we elected them to do. SO ATWATER, WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE HAVE WE ELECTED? Well over a year ago, Chief W. found some numerical problems with the 4 elected positions in this town. And some took it to heart, instead of separating personal life from their job - It is a job - they get paid to do it! It was easier for these elected officials to bash and keep on bashing Whittlesey than it was to fix the legitimate problems that were found. From then on, this man has endured the wrath of "people out to get him". And please do not think I am letting our newest trustee off the hook. May I point out that he had been on the job (PAID job) a total of 28 days when all this happened. Chief W. has been on that FD 40 years (some paid, the majority unpaid). New-be is in such a hurry to prove that He is going to make a CHANGE. He didn't even give it time to work. He didn't come in working with unscathed volunteers. He came in needing to work with volunteers that feel burned and irritated b/c of the past treatment " you can't blame them! He had a chance to repair and instead he dismissed it and all of us citizens after less than a month! That FD is UNITED, with Chief Whittlesey or not - they back him and each other to the fullest extent-would you go into a burning building thinking anything else of the one who's got your back? So don't blame the ATWATER VOLUNTEERS or the RFD, and don't believe everything you read in the paper " we live in a small town where everyone knows someone..if you catch my drift. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion and this is just mine. I think ATWATER CITIZENS need to know who we're voting for before we hit the polls! Hopefully, we will learn from this fiasco!

9.	Posted by jjbrown1948 January 30, 2008
	Township Trustee Fire Chief Mike Lang is a Judas. Who would the Atwater Trustees go to for help in stabbing Whittlesey in the back? Mike Lang of course, another Township Trustee. The Randolph firefighters know Atwater Chief Whittlesey is a good Fire Chief and they should be ashamed to help crucify him. Lang and the Atwater Trustees must have worked this deal out at least a week ago. The Atwater firefighters responded to a fire call, and an hour after they returned they were locked out of their station with Lang and his boys washing Whittlesey's blood off their hands at the Atwater fire station.

8.	Posted by 4community1 January 30, 2008
	This is not about Deb Guziak or about the Randolph Fire department, its about running a department that is transparent. This information is obviously necessary and to involve the prosecutor would not just be an issue over nothing. Speaking about the good 'ol boys club, I think in saying that Mr. Derreberry is part of that, you can only be fair in saying the same for Mr. Whittlesey. Now that they have decided to plant their feet in the ground, it will never be the fire department who will win. The trustees job is to oversee the fire department. Its not the fire department meeting that you need attend, its the township meetings. Do your job as a citizen and attend your township trustee meetings. Mike Lang did not volunteer because it was "his idea", someone approached him and asked him and its disappointing to see Atwater pointing the finger at Randolph for their problems. Its not about you and its not about Atwater v. Randolph, its about doing right by the community. At least you have Randolph who has the resources available to provide you service. Otherwise....

7.	Posted by wilbur1 January 30, 2008
	It is unfortunate that the Atwater Township Trustees, Chief Whittlesey, and the members of the Atwater Fire Department cannot get along. I am sure there are two sides to this story. We may live in different townships but we are united by a common school. We live and work in close proximity to one another and our children attend school together. We may be Randolph and Atwater, but we are all Waterloo. It is a shame when you bad mouth the people that offered a helping hand. If Mike Lang and Randolph Fire had not stepped up when asked, the Atwater Trustees would have just gotten somebody else to cover the township. I am sure that the Randolph firefighters want nothing more than to do the job to the best of their ability. They were asked for help in a bad situation and offered to cover Atwater Township. I am sure they did not go to the trustees in Atwater and say "look at me look at me we can do it better. let us do it". It is not Randolph's fault that the Trustees and Fire Department in Atwater could not meet on common ground and resolve their issues. Shame on you for accusing Randolph firefighters of only doing this to pick up some overtime. Before you open your mouth on a public forum you should first get all the facts straight before you start to comment. The paper does not always get all of the facts and details before their print deadline. Another thing. In this day I can understand wanting to protect you social security number and other private information. However I cannot go to any insurance agency (life, auto, homeowners, medical, etc) and get a policy without giving them my social security number. You cannot even renew your driver's liscense or open a bank account without showing you social security card. Yes technically they are volunteers, but they are also employees of Atwater Township. The Atwater Township Trustees did not make this decision on a whim. They consulted the Portage County Prosicutors office, and this was obviously his recommendation. The solution seems pretty simple to me. Provide the information the Trustees have requested and you can go back to work. Learn that when your boss (Atwater Trustees) asks you to do something or for somethingDO IT!