An investigator's report released Thursday blames a longtime East Valley volunteer firefighter for leading a miniature rebellion against the recently appointed chief.
Firefighter Kyle Jacobs, who served nearly 25 years before being fired earlier this year, blasts the report as part of a witch hunt to oust him from the department.
The report's public release by district attorneys on Thursday evening was the latest development in turmoil that has been swirling around the small, mostly volunteer department since last fall.
The dispute erupted after Chief Warren Gay in September issued a memo directing volunteer firefighters to stop going directly to most emergency scenes in their personal vehicles.
Jacobs, who has long ties to the department and has been recognized as the top volunteer several times, and four other firefighters were placed on leave last fall while the district reviewed claims that they stopped responding to calls.
Jacobs was eventually fired, his son and another firefighter are on probation, the fourth was quickly cleared, and the fifth hasn't been heard from since Gay told him he would be reduced in rank for not answering enough calls.
That charge was separate from the initial investigation, Gay said.
Jacobs said the drop in calls was nothing more than a seasonal blip due to hop harvest and said he's being targeted because he spoke out. The chief describes the case as the latest example of Jacobs' long-standing resistance to authority.
Jacobs said that the personal-vehicle policy increases response times, putting the public at risk. Gay counters that the liability risk to the district is too great and that the number of volunteer vehicles at scenes has created difficult congestion for emergency rigs.
Gay says response times have gone down since last year by about 30 seconds, although the figures are difficult to analyze in detail and appear to fluctuate within a six-minute range over the past few years.
The investigation of Jacobs and several other firefighters has led to a series of heated debates between commissioners and firefighters and their relatives at public meetings.
The chairman of the three-member commission resigned this month, and the district secretary also left.
Chief Gay, who was fired from his last job after what he describes as a political catfight with the mayor in Lynden, Wash.
, said he's just following through on orders commissioners gave him to clear up longstanding personnel problems within the department.
Supporters of the investigated firefighters say that Gay has ramrodded through his changes without listening to the volunteers.
Gay said he believes in a clear chain of command and wants the volunteers to stay focused on serving the public rather than their own interests.
Jacobs has said that he's still not clear on why he was fired, although the department presented a series of claims in a two-page letter.
The outside investigator lists instances in which unidentified firefighters reported hearing Jacobs say that he disagreed with the chief, among other examples of insubordination.
The investigation, which cost the district $22,000 for a 12-page final report, supported the insubordination charges against Jacobs.
The investigator said she could not find any information to settle the more serious allegation that Jacobs and several other firefighters stopped answering calls to protest the chief's policy change regarding private vehicle use.
Jacobs said he responded to fewer calls last September -- the period in question -- because he was tied up with hop harvest.
Gay said he believes the investigation was worth the cost to improve morale in the department.
Acting commission chairman Les Riel said recently that he wants an outside assessment of the department. Riel is the brother of East Valley Battalion Chief Mike Riel, who serves under Gay.
Riel and commissioner Dan McNulty, a former East Valley volunteer, have not agreed to the outside review.
Their next public meeting is Monday evening, when they are expected to discuss replacing Scott Kokenge, the commissioner who cited increasing job duties when he resigned this month.
The meeting starts at 7 p.m.
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