WEST PARIS — Fire Chief Kevin Davis was terminated Jan. 9 for insubordination, not following clear orders and dishonesty. He was fired from both the fire and highway departments by Town Manager Joy Downing.
He said she had no supporting evidence and had given no warnings.
Davis had been in his role as chief for one and a half years.
On Thursday, Jan. 11, in town office, Selectman John Eli White gave his own statement, then allowed others to talk.
Deputy Fire Chief Scott Cassidy said their department morale, employee retention, skill sets, and relationships with other towns had all improved under Davis’ leadership. “He has been doing everything to make the town better because of this safer department,” said Cassidy.
Davis had pushed for new air packs for the department for safety reasons. Cassidy said, “We don’t trust those [air] packs. I don’t want to go into a burning building with those packs … we can’t buy a new set of packs in 30 years?”
“If he had trusted in the system we might be financing that. He didn’t trust the system or think it was moving fast enough,” said White to the 14 people in the room most who had come in support of the chief.
White said he questioned Davis’ urgent need for new air packs. He said he had asked around and discovered that Maine Bureau of Labor Safety “does not have the rule that there is a shelf life on air packs as long as they pass the flow test and are serviceable,” said White.
Davis’ wife Brianna was too choked up to read a statement her husband had written. Cassidy read it instead.
Kevin Davis did not come to the meeting, but earlier in the day said, “They have railroaded every fire chief they’ve had in the last 15 year right out the door – Mike Akers, Norm St. Pierre, Troy Billings, Mike Henderson and now me. “Every time a fire chief brings up anything about safety that’s going to cost money they find a way to ship him down the road.”
While White said the town manager made the decision on her own, Davis said he believes Selectman Wade Rainey had influenced her in her decision to fire him. He said during his recent administrative meeting with Downing, Rainey stood outside the partly closed door and listened. He believed Rainey had a part in the former chiefs being let go, too.
Specifics
The specific reasons for the firing were in a letter Davis received on Thursday, Jan. 11. Downing wrote, “insubordination against your immediate supervisor such as ordering the air packs after your immediate supervisor told you that two could be purchased at that time and waiting on the rest (after being directed several times, you did cancel the purchase however you stated that the company will be holding the air packs in question for the Town)”
The second reason for dismissal Downing wrote was for dishonesty, “by stating that you would like to give the fire department members a Christmas bonus out of the fire department wages that were appropriated for payroll and after being told you are not able to do that you stated you were going to have the fire department members put extra call hours on their payroll sheets.”
The third reason for dismissal was, “concerns regarding the gun fundraiser put on by the Fire Department and without first coming to your immediate supervisor, you returned money that should have been discussed with your immediate supervisor before a decision was made.”
Administrative Assistant Brianna Davis said she was immediately stepping down. Firefighter Annette Smith said she was undecided but likely would be stepping down, too.
Following the meeting Scott Cassidy, Doug Penley and Craig Martin told the board they would stay on as firefighters but would be stepping down as officers. “What you guys are doing is threatening us.” said Rainey.
Outside, they said their decision was not a threat or out of spite. They all have other commitments, two have full time jobs away from West Paris and wouldn’t be able to serve the way Davis has. “They [the administration] won’t have our backs if we make a call on a scene … I don’t trust them … you’ll be the next one out the door if something goes wrong,” they said.
“People are doing this out of the goodness of their heart,” said Firefighter Toby Whitman of the volunteer force. “Every chief has had headaches when one guy has been on the board.”
“Kevin made this fire department better and we are all following Kevin,” said Cassidy.
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