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Friday, January 11, 2013

Berlin Seeking Fire Company’s ‘Actual Financial Status’

BERLIN -- In what could be the first tentative step towards what many in town will hope will be a peaceful reconciliation, the Mayor and Council recently directed Town Attorney Dave Gaskill to begin a dialogue with the Berlin Fire Company’s (BFC) legal representation.

However, Gaskill’s job, according to Mayor Gee Williams, is only to request “specific financial documents” from the BFC so that the town can determine where the institution stands financially. Whether or not that will eventually result in Berlin restoring any or all of the approximately $600,000 in funding it yanked from the company over the summer is unknown at this point, according to officials.

The town severed all of the funding it was giving the BFC, causing a huge stir at the time and resulting in accusations of mismanagement by both sides.

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it interesting that both Berlin and Salisbury have had major blow ups with fire departments?

What is it with fire departments?

Anonymous said...

Oh, look at the latest story, where the vollies wouldn't work with the paid provider that filed charges .............. and someone died

Anonymous said...

2:40 try the truth .....

Two paid EMT's respond in the ambulance to a reported serious accident. Due to the seriousness, and the initial reports of the police on the scene, additional volunteers respond. The patient, in very serious condition, was extricated from his vehicle, and while being transferred to the ambulance one of the EMT's (also the same employee that filed discriminatory accusations against the volunteers) asked for a driver as he needed his partner in the rear compartment (patient was not pronounced until hospital arrival, ie: answer to why was the orininal driver not availiable, because both both medics were working on the patient), in the absence of willing volunteers, an off duty officer drove. Did these actions make a difference in the outcome, probably not. Was this a complete disgrace to the fire service, and volunteers everywhere, YES! Has there been a DOCUMENTED reduction of service to the community by the volunteers not assisting on calls that this particular EMT is on, YES! Just get their call reports through the public information act. Mayor Williams has known of this childish behavior, and after this incident, chose to report it. Now, Mayor Williams is just as responsible in the end, why?, he has the authority to work this out with the BFC, and has chose to take the "low road" and continue a smear campaign, instead of getting everyone to the table for resolution. Bottom line, now maybe the State will see, the service to the residents of Berlin has and will continue to be compromised without outside intervention. The BFC volunteers will not participate when this EMT that filed charges is working.The "good ole boys club", and "politics" don't make good bed fellows. Shame, real shame.

Anonymous said...

Opps, someone got some splaining to do! Lets see, we put our little childish, redneck, have it our way or else logic above the public..... oh boy, gonna get interesting. 7:42 is clearly on the inside, and isn't very proud of it.