After delaying a vote on a proposed policy for county fire board appointments and continued discussion during their Jan. 28 meeting, County Commissioners unanimously voted to reject the policy that would have prohibited employees or volunteer firefighters from being appointed to the boards governing rural fire districts.

Commissioner Jim Larson again expressed concern with limiting the pool of possible board members for the districts which are largely in small communities.

Commissioners delay decision on fire board appointment policy based on opposition from most fire districts

Commissioner Jane Weber said there had been some issues with employees or volunteer firefighters serving on the boards, which govern budgets and oversee the chief, if those members work under the chief during normal operations.

That had been the impetus of the proposed policy as drafted by the county legal department, but a number of volunteer firefighters from departments across the county came to the meetings and spoke in opposition of the proposed policy.

County considering policy for fire board appointments to reduce conflicts of interest

Members of the Black Eagle volunteer fire department appeared to be the only ones in support of the proposed policy, citing issues in their department and retaliation problems.

Other volunteer firefighters said those issues would not be corrected by the proposed appointment policy and that they should be addressed internally through their bylaws and operating procedures.

Larson said during the Jan. 28 meeting that he “doesn’t like the possibility that this resolution does tie the hands of the commission.”

Commissioner Joe Briggs offered an amendment to the proposed policy stating that the preference of the commission was to appoint non employees or volunteers of the fire districts and to not appoint the rural fire chiefs to the board.

Commissioners said that would give them flexibility to appoint employees or firefighters when there were no other applicants, but make clear their acknowledgment of the potential for conflicts of interest.

But after continued public comment by rural volunteer firefighters and current board members, all three commissioners voted against the policy.

Positions on the fire boards are subject to election and if an employee or volunteer firefighter is elected, the policy would have no bearing on those members.

But in recent years, few if any people have filed to run for fire board positions, leaving them vacant and subject to commission appointment.

Several volunteer firefighters spoke during the Jan. 28 meeting and told commissioners that having firefighters serve on the board offered operational knowledge and expertise about a fire department’s needs.