The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Representatives of the east Franklin Volunteer Fire Department and the Fire District 3 Commissioners will meet before the end of July to try to iron out a fire service contract that has been in dispute for months.
That was the decision July 9 after the Commissioners held a closed meeting, following their regular monthly meeting, to discuss EFVFD Chief Dan Krushinski’s challenge that they sign what amounts to be the same annual contract that was in effect in 2023.
Commission Chairman Sherrod Middleton, who appears to be feuding with Krushinsky, did not attend the regular or closed meetings. Board Vice-Chairman Ken Reid led the meeting.
The fire service contract expired in April but was given an extension to August 31 by the Commissioners in June after Krushinski objected to several additions to the contract and said his command team would not sign it.
Krushinski told the Commissioners at the July 9 meeting that the disputed elements of the proposed contract – removing a provision giving fire chiefs input into proposed policy changes, installing new video and audio recording devices in department vehicles and apparatus that would allow Commissioners to listen in on coversations, and ending reimbursement for fire fighters’ personal property damaged or lost while responding to calls – were not allowed by state law.
“Basically, everything you took out of the contract has to go right back in,” he said. “So you might as well sign the contract tonight and we can move on to better things.”
The Commissioners have threatened to remove all fire fighting gear and apparatus from the EFVFD station if the contract is not signed. Such a move would affect fire service for about 30,000 township residents in the department’s roughly 5-square-mile service area.
Krushinski scoffed at the assertion.
“You’re never going to take our fire trucks away, the townspeople aren’t going to let you take our fire trucks away,” he said. “We’re not checking out. You can’t take the fire trucks.”
The Fire District owns all of the fire trucks, gear and other apparatus, and the fire department owns the building in which all of that is stored.
The Fire Districts also pay for members’ life insurance and other financial considerations.
After several more requests that the Board sign the contract as presented by EFVFD, Reid called for an executive session to discuss the matter. Krushinski was granted five minutes to present his case.
When the regular meeting resumed, Reid said that the decision had been made to hold an emergency meeting within the next two weeks. During that time, he said, He and Board Clerk Janet Natal would meet with EFVFD command to try to iron out the differences and reach a resolution on the contract.
“And hopefully, we can make everybody happy,” Reid said.
“Ok, but we’re not changing our stance,” Krushinski said.
The other fire company in District 3, Community Fire Department, has signed the contract.
Krushinski also asked about the status of investigation into a handful of what he called policy violations that he reported several weeks ago.
He was told that nothing was done because the Commission does not have an attorney. Commission attorney George Morris resigned at the end of the June Board meeting.
“Realistically, you are getting $685 a month and there’s nothing happening with anything,” Krushinski said. “Everybody’s time is being wasted, and nothing’s happening that benefiting anybody.”
Commissioners are paid a stipend of about $8,000 per year.
There was some fireworks early in the meeting when Board Secretary Patricia Ferretti objected to an attempt by Reid to dispense of the meeting agenda, save for the payment of bills.
Middleton told the Franklin Reporter & Advocate in a July 9 email that “due to an absence of legal counsel, we will be postponing this meeting until next month. We will only be meeting tonight to pay the monthly bills.”
The FR&A asked for a copy of the required 48-hour notice for public meeting changes, but none was forthcoming.
Ferretti strenuously objected to the abridged meeting format.
“No,” she said. “This can’t be changed. Where was the change posted? We have an agenda that was given. You cannot just arbitrarily change this meeting.”
“And then he (Middleton) changes it and he doesn’t bother to show up? Absolutely not,” Ferretti said.
“Why does Sherrod get to change the meeting?” she asked. “Why is there no vote to change this meeting? No, I’m not accepting this and I’m not going to stop You can’t just change this meeting.”
“You do not get to make that decision, I’m sorry,” she said.
Board Administrative Secretary Chantel Orphanos told Ferretti of Middleton’s desire to not take any action while the Commission does not have an attorney.
“We might not have an attorney for a year,” she said.
Krushinski pointed out that in the past, the Board did not have an attorney for six months and conducted regular business.
“Let’s move on with the presentation of bills,” Reid said.
“What about the Chiefs’ reports and all that stuff?”, Ferretti said. “No, you cannot change the meeting. We have an agenda. This was done today; this is not the meeting’s agenda. You can’t.”
Reid then relented and allowed for the regular agenda to be followed.
The Board’s next meeting is 7 p.m. August 13, in the District headquarters on Shevchenko Avenue.
Following is a video of teh July 9 meeting:
