Thursday, December 02, 1999
Addyston fire dept. closed amid questions
BY RACHEL MELCER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
ADDYSTON — As council members ordered an independent investigation Tuesday night into alleged fumbles and failures at the fire department, Fire Chief Lonis Dunklin marched up to the mayor's house and resigned.
The department, closed by the Fire Committee on Nov. 18, remains shuttered and locked, with Addyston's emergency calls routed to Miami Township and Cleves.
And only village officials, attorney Bob Kelly and local Fire Marshal Dave Waters have keys.
“To me, we don't have a department. They closed it down and they haven't talked to the fire chief about it. What else could I say? I quit,” Mr. Dunklin said.
“If they were to talk to me about what's going on, I would have no problem coming back. But they're keeping me in the dark about everything, and it isn't right as far as I'm concerned.”
But Fire Committee Chairman Gary O'Connor said he and other committee members questioned Mr. Dunklin over and over again in the year and a half he has been chief.
They asked whether the department was following state law in filing reports and keeping records. They wanted to know who served in the department, and whether training was up to date. They sought a medical protocol and drug license.
But they got nowhere, Mr. O'Connor said.
“It's always been a tap-dance answer — just enough to stall you until the next time you asked them,” he said. “Well, we got tired of asking them and said we wanted proof.”
When none was provided, Mr. O'Connor and Fire Committee member Ralph Eggleston went into the fire department and looked around. They found piles of unkempt paperwork and little else.
So they shut down the department, fearing legal liability if there were to be questions about an emergency run with the village unable to provide answers.
On Tuesday, the committee ordered Mr. Kelly and Mr. Waters to look further into their own preliminary findings that the volunteer department:
• Has not filed fire investigation reports with the state since October 1990.
• Has no current list of firefighters and emergency medical technicians responding to calls, or records of their state certifications.
• Lacks a medical protocol, medical director, and proof of a current license to carry and administer prescription drugs.
• Has not kept records of equipment, maintenance, fire drills and training.
• Failed to give council copies of complaint letters filed by residents.
The Addyston Fire Association, a private volunteer auxiliary for fund-raising and awareness activities, is accused of using the village's tax-exempt status without council permission. It has no bylaws, Mr. O'Connor said, and it owes more than $1,000 in past due bills.
“Questions came into play about the legitimacy of where the money was going,” Mr.
O'Connor said.
Mr. Dunklin said the association met at the fire station, but he had no part in or knowledge of its activities.
And he said that in the two weeks since the fire department was closed, he compiled staff certification records and mailed past-due reports to state officials.
He said he didn't realize that the department, which provides only basic lifesaving care, needed a medical director. But when he found out last week, he applied to the state for one.
“(Council) is keeping everything like "this is our problem, you stay out of it,'” he said. “I didn't quit because of charges. I quit because there was no communication going on between the fire chief and the fire committee.”
The committee will wait until the investigation is done before taking any further action, Mr. O'Connor said. And he accepted Mr. Dunklin's resignation: “If his quitting means that we're going to get on the right path ... what do you do after that? If the guy says it's too much for me and I quit, that's honorable.
“We're taking it one step at a time,” he continued. “We want to ensure that the residents of the village are getting everything their tax dollars are paying for. And if we have to shut it down right now to make sure we're getting it right, I want to err on the side of caution.”
The liberating plastic world of Tupperware
Parents want 'real facts'
Consumers picky about 2000 mementos
Mrs. Clinton here collecting
'Coach' arrested for rape of boy
Luken: Council's 'plate is full'
Noted fathers on sidelines as sons, daughter take office
34-year-old memory lost, found in sewer
Area guardsmen headed to Kuwait
Hamilton takes cameras to streets
Plans for Hustler store gain momentum
Put yourself in historic photograph
Schools' zero tolerance debated
Teachers union complains about substitute hiring
Adamowski contract extension too early
ADD parents' challenge: Focus on practical ideas
Addressing ADD at home
What is attention deficit disorder?
Stenger's owner tosses in the towel
GET TO IT
Holiday TV schedule
Ex-mayor may be headed back to council
2 new schools would use up much of bond
Addyston fire dept. closed amid questions
Arts galore offered at Miami
Boone Co. commissioner to commute out of state for job
Campbell boosts tax cap
Don't cut local inspections of nursing homes, city told
Estate true to holidays of past
Holiday fun galore in Warren Co.
Industrial cleanup agency gets boost from chamber
Jury sorting out school case
Lebanon reaches deal to swap sites for complex
Man acquitted of murder charge
Mayor replaces state rep hopeful
McCurley new mayor of Mason
Murder-suicide suspected
N.Ky. museum tweaks, delays expansion
Sides at trial describe killing
Suspect who left hospital caught
TRISTATE DIGEST
