This Saturday (6/15/2013), a lot of you were privy to the following message posted by LVFD Chief Jerry Walters: Well, I just got off the phone with County Fire Coordinator and he told me to shut the department down, not to respond to issue of any call, fire or medical, because of liability issues. The issue at hand is not something that just happened, so i'm not going to call anybody out without proof. This non-profit organization started 1999 by then Chief Johnnie Grant. When I took over 4 years ago, a lot of paperwork and equipment went missing. So, with that being said, I think the ball was dropped back then. I just found out about it Friday. I know some of you think this is funny, but I don't! I've got to find some way to protect the citizens. This bars me from going on any medical call and we aren't allowed to respond to any house fire. All I have heard is bad mouthing the fire department every since I got here. This fire department is shown disrespect at every scene. Ya'll have let me know, more or less, that you really don't want a fire department. Well, you are about to get what you want and trust me, you never know what you've got till it's gone.
Well, this message led to a lot of calls to the aldermen and of course, a lot of finger pointing towards Mayor Miriam R. Holder. The day prior to this announcement, the Mayor and Board of Aldermen had a meeting to go over the budget and expenditures report. Most of the department heads were in attendance. However, the fire chief was not. During this meeting, Merlene Walls, city clerk, outlined the bills that were paid and informed the aldermen of the arrangements that were made to bring all the accounts current; including liability insurance payments. Wall stated that all liability insurance has been paid. That's one of the reason why the message posted on facebook was so upsetting.
At some point, the aldermen grew tired of the phone calls and a special called meeting was held Monday (6/17/2013)to discuss the Lumberton Fire Department Personnel. It is unclear what has been paid or what hasn't been paid. It's also unclear if the LVFD had liability coverage or not. Walters said the fire trucks are covered but the volunteer firefighter are not. However, Walter's says the fire fighters do have worker's compensation coverage; which is paid by the City of Lumberton. So, I'm still not certain what is covered. It was noted that the contract the LVFD has with the City of Lumberton has expired. The board granted a 30 day extension on the contract so the new board can address the issues regarding the fire department.
I for one agree that the contract needs to be reviewed and the fire department needs to be revamped. Last night was proof that we are in need of a fire department because they had to respond to a medical call prior to the meeting. Walters said the support group was established while Johnnie Grant was in office, but not long after the group was established and the contract with the $1,000/month professional services was in place, Grant was voted out as LVFD Chief. At one time, we had a diverse group working at the fire department, but after Grant was voted out of the organization, the accusations of theft and other issues, the diversity of the department quickly dissipated.
I am calling on each of the new board of aldermen to find and encourage at least 7 people from their wards to volunteer for the fire department. I for one am tired of having certain communities labeled as lazy drug users. We have the opportunity to rebuild and take our department to another level. I will pick up a copy of the fire contract and the budget and expenditures reports. I will post more when I get a better understanding of what's going on. After the meeting, Walters' posted the following: I want to sincerely apologize for the statements I made on Saturday. There was a lack of understanding with what I was being told, even tho we aren't covered under the cities liability insurance. This should change JULY 1ST.This Fire Department will continue to operate to serve the Citizens of Lumberton. We will respond by any mean possible. Once again, I apologize to those who were concerned about their safety. We will always be there when you call. That's who we are and that's what we do..
Personally, I think it was irresponsible to post the closing of the fire department if you were not certain of the details. But that's neither here nor there. Rest assured, the City of Lumberton is about to take a giant leap forward, in every department. No longer will we have departments that will try to blame other administrators for their shortcomings. If you can't run with the big dogs, then it's time to stay on the porch. Kudos to the LVFD for all they have done; they have taken on challenges that others resist. But it's time to get a department that is more accountable and more inclusive.
Very good blog Jon!!
ReplyDeleteWe welcome ALL that wants to com join us.
ReplyDeleteNow THAT'S what I'm talking about!!! Good job Jon! Posted by Penny Temples
ReplyDeleteThis new administration will make brave, new changes. We have already asked a local firefighter to submit a proposal for a new fire department. The days of the walters klan have come to an end. LVFD desperately needs a new Chief cuz the one we have now ain't sh**. Only reason his dumb ass is still Chief is because his family runs the department. It's a Joke. He don't know how to run no department and I don't know who he paid to take his emt test for him. He gotta go!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for once again showing the absolute ignorance that is plaguing this city. You seriously expect anyone to take your opinion seriously with the use of "cuz"? Really? And I don't know if your horrible grammer was the reason behind spelling the word clan as klan but if you are are in any way insinuating racism you better step the hell back. I was asked to volunteer for the LVFD and I refused simply because the work and dedication involved for serving the unappreciative and self righteous idiots that compose the citizenry of Lumberton is nowhere near worth it. Y'all feel free to continue with disputing the credibility of the chief. He's the only person I know of that is dedicated enough to this dying city to deal with this bullshit. Good luck fighting fires or getting medical assistance from many other people. Go ahead.
DeleteWhy do you say Walters Klan instead of Walters clan? It's not an organized group for crying out loud. The only reason there are 3 Walters names on there is because one is the Chief and his wife, and the other is his sister. There are more than 3 people on that department but the only people talked about are the Walters. Really? What, exactly, is your problem with the Walters'? Have they done something to you or some of your family members? The LVFD is open to anyone willing to apply and accept the terms of the volunteer job. I don't think there's anywhere on the application that says your last name has to be Walters. Stop putting down on people who are trying to better the city, who are responding to medical and emergency calls. People who risk their lives when need be...I'm sure if you were dying and someone had to call them to you you wouldn't ask "What's their last name"...grow up
ReplyDeletehow do you run a fire department?
ReplyDeleteDear Fire Starter. My name is Jeremy Headley. I have served on the LVFD for about 4 years. Since I joined the LVFD there has been a LOT of discrimination toward the fire department. How can people sit behind a computer and start bashing things which they themselves do not fully understand and not reveal who they are? To me that is something a coward would do. As you can see I have let you know who I am because I do not consider myself a coward. The fire department has been put down time after time by someone who chooses to remain anonymous. However after all the bashing that Chief Jerry Walters has had to deal with he still continues to love and serve the city of Lumberton and ALL who live here. Mr. Walters has had to put up with so much BS from people who post BS about the LVFD. Yet he still does everything that he can possibly do to serve the citizens of Lumberton. Mr. Walters has brought the LVFD a long way from 4 years ago. After he took over as chief of the LVFD he had to clean up the mess that the previous chief left behind. Since then he has built this fire department up and continues to build it up and all you can do is try to tear him down. The way I see it if you don't fully know what your talking about, then you might want to wait until you have all the facts before you start your bashing. Mr. Walters spends hours at a time trying to make sure that the LVFD runs as smoothly as possible. Taking calls on his personal phone to deal with LVFD business. We as a fire department put our lives on the line to protect people we don't even know. That is our passion. That is what we do and what we love doing. Day or night we respond to those who need our help. For those who choose to hide behind their computers and bash the LVFD and continue to remain anonymous, that is an act of a coward. Man up and get your facts straight for crying out loud.
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