OLA, Idaho β A Gem County Fire District #2 meeting on Wednesday night put the spotlight on ongoing community concerns after two longtime volunteer firefighters were terminated last month without explanation.
The meeting in Ola drew community members seeking answers about the dismissals of former volunteer firefighter Paul Anderson and former Assistant Chief Kevin Jaillett, but commissioners maintained that personnel issues would remain confidential.
Just hours before the fire commissioners' meeting, Gem County Fire District #2 posted a public statement online that read:
"Please be aware that the Gem County Fire Protection District #2 Board will not be discussing any personnel matters at their meeting this evening. The Board will also not be allowing any public comment on personnel issues, as these are confidential matters not appropriate for public discussion."
The statement was also announced in person at the meeting.
Some in the room mumbled curse words in disagreement, showing their support for the former volunteer firefighter and assistant chief, who said they were terminated last month without cause or explanation.
Watch the community speak out with concerns and comments.
The meeting initially moved forward with the board discussing impact fees to address growth in the area.
Community members eventually spoke up during the meeting, with some trying to tie the discussion back to the role of volunteers. However, that effort led to heated exchanges.
Bradley Reaveley, a Sweet resident whose children attend school in Ola, attempted to connect the impact fee discussion to the volunteer firefighter situation, leading to a tense exchange with board members.
Reaveley explained his connection to the terminated firefighters and why he attended the meeting.
"So I've actually worked side by side with Kevin on our everyday job. I'm an electrician. We're working at the mill together, just doing different tasks, whatever," Reaveley said.
He said both Anderson and Jaillett had encouraged him to join the volunteer fire department. However, the terminations made him reconsider volunteering.
"I thought to myself, 'Why would I join a volunteer fire department, you know, if all this is going on,' and I saw firsthand tonight, you know, why I would not want to join up with these guys," Reaveley explained.
"I feel like they were railroaded. They're just pushed out for no reason. It's too small of a community," added Reaveley. "I don't think that it should be a hush-hush deal. You know what? If he did something wrong, tell him what his wrong is."
"So I wouldn't want to work for an employer like that. Why would I want to join a volunteer fire department like that? So that's what brought me up here tonight," Reaveley said.
During the meeting, Reaveley attempted to speak about the volunteer situation during the impact fee discussion.
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When board members tried to redirect him to stay on the topic of impact fees, Reaveley became more animated.
"Let me just speak for a second, 'cause it kind of makes me upset to find out like, there's good people here, right? So why would I volunteer for somebody that wants to excuse somebody, you know?" Reaveley said.
The exchange grew more heated as Reaveley was repeatedly interrupted.
"Let me say my piece. Yeah, I got two minutes," Reaveley said.
When told to stay on the subject of impact fees, Reaveley responded: "Impact fees goes alongside with volunteers, people that operate that equipment, people that go in and save lives."
A board member replied: "It has nothing to do with that."
Reaveley disputed that conclusion and demanded that the previous statement be put down in the record. Despite the heated exchange, Reaveley expressed hope for a resolution.
"I'm just hoping that everybody can come to terms and have some answers, you know, and just be the tight-knit community and get along. It's that simple," Reaveley said.
Not everyone agreed with the criticism directed at the commissioners. Some community members, who didn't want to go on camera, defended the board's position.
"It's their meeting, that's just it," one person said.
Another stated, "When you have a meeting, you follow the agenda."
Later in the meeting, former volunteer firefighter Paul Anderson asked the board to place him on a future agenda to review the district's bylaws and policies for hiring and firing volunteers.
Board members told him they would provide a public records request and go from there.
The exchange grew tense when a board member responded: "I don't think we can put you on an agenda to discuss something that doesn't exist."
Anderson replied: "It exists. I mean, there's a problem. So it definitely exists."
The exchange grew more heated, ending with Anderson and former Assistant Chief Kevin Jaillett being asked to leave the meeting by another community member.
"We didn't get many answers tonight. Around every corner that we would ask a question, it got met with hostility of we're not talking about personnel issues," Anderson said after being asked to leave.
Anderson explained his motivation for attending the meeting: "We came to the fire commission meeting here in Ola tonight still searching for answers as to why Kevin and I were terminated without cause or without at least an explanation."
He expressed frustration with the board's response to their requests for information.
"And even when we brought it up that we would like to review policies and procedures when it comes to hiring and firing volunteers, we got pushed off once again," Anderson said. "There's no reason we got terminated, and we'd like to be on a truck serving our community."
He emphasized his concerns about trust and reliability in the fire department.
"I think firefighters should have a department that they can trust in, and I think the community should have a fire department they can count on when they call 911," Anderson said.
Despite their removal from the fire district, Anderson said they plan to continue their work through the Firefighters of Gem County Foundation.
"We are here and we're still trying to understand why we're not part of the Gem County District Fire Department," said Anderson. "We're still moving forward with our foundation for Firefighters of Gem County."
Anderson was uncertain about his next steps regarding the fire district.
"Well, I don't think I got added to the agenda for the next meeting based on tonight, so I'm not sure what the next step is," Anderson said.
As previously reported, Anderson and Jaillett say they were terminated from Gem County Fire District #2 after launching the Firefighters of Gem County Foundation, a nonprofit they created to raise money for new wildfire trucks, gear, and training at no cost to taxpayers.
Both men say their removal began last month with brief phone calls placing them on administrative leave, followed by termination letters that provided no explanation for their dismissal.
The next Gem County Fire District #2 meeting is set for October 8 in Sweet. Community members are welcome to attend.s To be put on the agenda for a meeting, you can use their contact page at www.gemfire2.org.
Requests must be submitted at least two weeks before the meeting.
