By By GREG KATSKI
Community Editor
BELHAVEN — Up to 14 members of the Belhaven Volunteer Fire Department have resigned since former Chief Derrick Myers was fired during the Belhaven Town Council’s meeting Nov. 23, 2009.
Michael Allen, Jeremy Andrews, Paul Andrews, Chris Brock, Eric Clayton, David Council, Tommy Guthrie Jr., Steven Leighty, Richard Pugh, Justin Sullivan, Matthew and Nathan Van Nortwick, Wesley Waters and Scott Williams have stepped down in the wake of Myers’ dismissal, according to a department roster provided to the Washington Daily News.
At that Nov. 23 meeting, former Washington Fire-Rescue-EMS-Inspections Chief Jimmy Davis was hired by the council to take Myers’ place. Davis agreed to a contract with the town that pays him $5,000 a month for four months. When Davis’ contract expires, the council will appoint a new volunteer fire chief.
In a Dec. 14, 2009, memorandum to Belhaven Town Manager Guinn Leverett, Davis acknowledged that “some members” of the department had resigned, but that five applicants seeking to join the department had been approved and two more were awaiting approval.
A current department roster was asked for but not provided to the Daily News. Davis said the department has 34 members, with nine retired and 25 active.
“The day I became chief, we had 38 members. That’s a net loss of four members,” he said.
Davis said the membership number may change “once a complete review of the 2008 training records is complete.”
The department’s annual roster will be submitted to the town council at its Jan. 25 meeting for approval.
The Daily News confirmed that Ellen Allen, Felix Burgess, James Cleary Jr., Karen Lanier, Anthony North, Danielle Palmer, Ricky Radcliffe, Wilbert Smith, Jerry Spencer, Michael Spencer, Jesse Taylor, Gregory Waters, Paul Wood and Myers are members of the department.
Davis has appointed Wood as assistant chief, Taylor and Radcliffe as captains and Jerry Spencer as safety officer.
Waters, who is a member of the Pamlico Beach and Pantego fire departments, said, “The main reason I stayed on is to help the people in the community.”
“Somebody’s got to stay,” he said.
Waters, a native of Pinetown, said he has no political ties to Belhaven.
Waters said the department was in turmoil before Myers was relieved of his duties, citing a lack of communication between the council and the department.
“The ex-chief is a close friend of mine, but the fire department was getting into a bad situation,” Waters said. “I understand the town doing what it did, it just should have been done differently.”
Pugh said the council’s handling of the “situation” is the reason he left.
“The way they treated Derrick, I couldn’t in good faith stay on,” he said. “They wanted to interject politics into the fire department. I didn’t want to be a part of it.”
Pugh, a second-generation firefighter, said he weighed his decision for about two weeks before stepping down.
“It wasn’t a rash decision,” he said. “It tore me up inside. I’m still a little sore about it.”
Paul Andrews said the council’s actions swayed him to step down.
“Once they started bashing Derrick, (I decided) I didn’t want to be a part of that,” Andrews, a member of the Pantego Volunteer Fire Department, said. “Nothing against the guys on the department. I quit because of the council.”
Myers came under fire from the council for a number of allegations, all outlined in a press release issued by Mayor Adam O’Neal.
O’Neal’s allegations include threats by Myers and members of the volunteer fire department to “walk out,” or strike, over the location of a new fire station, efforts by Myers to undermine the restoration of the existing fire station (including having a mold inspection done without the town’s consent or notification), Myers’ failure to produce a roster of active department personnel for use by Councilman Mac Pigott, his stated refusal to fight fires at certain properties in town, his refusal to comply with the department’s purchase order policies and his efforts to set up a not-for-profit corporation in the department’s name without council approval or notification.
Considering the alleged infractions by Myers, the council was concerned about the possible outcome of an impending state inspection of the department, O’Neal said.
“Upcoming in the next 12 months will be the state fire inspection of the town fire department. This inspection will determine what fire insurance rates the citizens of Belhaven will pay over the next several years. The council will be held responsible if these ratings are compromised causing insurance premiums to rise,” O’Neal said in a release issued in mid-November of last year.
Johanna Royo, spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Insurance and Office of State Fire Marshal, said the Belhaven department’s next inspection won’t occur until 2011, at the earliest. The department’s last inspection was conducted in 2001, when Wood was in charge, she said.
“We never had a problem passing state inspections,” Pugh said. “That’s just an excuse the administration used to get rid of him (Myers).”
Waters said the department is heading in the “right direction,” and he expects it to be ready for the next inspection, whenever it occurs.
“When all is said and done, (the department) will be where it needs to be,” he said.
Karen Lanier, a department member for 15 years, said she would rather avoid the political drama.
“I try to remain neutral,” she said.
In the end, Lanier said, it’s all about saving lives.
“I love the people of Belhaven. I care about them,” she said.