Saturday, March 13, 1999
Township removes firemen
Two refused to ID sources
BY CHRISTINE WOLFF
The Cincinnati Enquirer
UNION TOWNSHIP — Trustees voted unanimously Friday to remove two firefighters from their jobs for refusing to name sources in a misconduct complaint against a fire captain.
Trustees said Friday that Lt. James Watkins and firefighter Spencer Thomas were insubordinate and that their actions violated the Clermont County township's policies.
The men should not be fired, said their attorney, Terrell Snyder, because they were being asked to reveal confidential matters connected with their roles as union officials. She said the men likely will appeal.
“We are saddened by the decision. I don't think this decision is in accordance with evidence, and I'm disappointed,” Ms. Snyder said.
Trustees Mary Walker, Catherine Wuerdeman and Arthur Wiedenbein and Township Administrator Ken Geis met privately for about 30 minutes Friday afternoon before the vote. Friday's meeting was a continuation of a seven-hour disciplinary hearing Tuesday, in which testimony was heard from both sides.
The vote to fire the men upset most of the about 50 people awaiting the decision — a crowd of mostly firefighters from Union Township and other departments.
“What about the incident at Sam's? Is that being investigated?” one man shouted to trustees, who refused to comment after the vote.
The firings stem from alleged behavior last January by Fire Capt. Jay Turpin, who is said to have, while in uniform, berated an employee at the Union Township Sam's Club store. Other store employees who say they saw the incident told some Union Township firefighters, who relayed the information to Mr. Watkins and Mr. Thomas.
The two investigated the alleged incident. They determined that Capt. Turpin should be disciplined and took their report to Fire Chief Stan Deimling and Mr. Geis, who ordered Mr. Watkins and Mr. Thomas to name the firefighters who talked to the store employees.
Mr. Geis said the investigation was improper from the start because it had not been authorized by township officials.
Capt. Turpin, contacted Friday at the fire department after the meeting, would not comment.
Though disappointed in the outcome, Mr. Watkins and Mr. Thomas said Friday they would not change what they did. They still hope, Mr. Watkins said, that the incident at Sam's “gets addressed.”
“All along I felt we were doing the right thing,” said Mr. Thomas.
Union Township firefighters, who say department morale is in tatters, were hesitant to talk about the situation Friday, saying they feared retaliation.
“These two gentlemen spoke up about something wrong here, and they just got fired,” said Michelle Paraniuk, who resigned March 1 after 15 years as a part-time Union Township firefighter.
Chief Deimling could not be reached for comment Friday.
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