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Vol. 10, No. 7, Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Andrew Fire Chief ousted by village council Michelle Pinon Editor
After eight years at the helm of the Andrew Fire Department, Fire Chief Barry Goertz was dismissed from the position. In a written notice issued via email by Goertz, he stated, “that as of Monday, 9 a.m., I received a registered letter informing me that the Village of Andrew Council has decided to restructure the Andrew Fire Dept.” That information was corroborated by Randy Siemens, Lamont County Fire Chief and Emergency Services Coordinator on Friday, December 5th. Seimens also said he had received notification “as of 11:59 p.m.” Thursday, Dec. 4th from members of the Andrew Fire Department that it would no longer be providing services to local residents. Subsequently, Seimens received a phone call from Pat Skoreyko, Chief Administrative Officer for the Village of Andrew, inquiring as to how to proceed in regards to fire services. The Lamont Leader contacted the Village of Andrew Friday morning around 9 a.m. to speak with Skoreyko, but was told she was unavailable at the moment. In the interim, Siemens said Mundare, Lamont and Bruderheim Fire Departments would be picking up fire services in the area. Siemens said that to his knowledge no one at the Village of Andrew had spoke to him or the county about restructuring of the fire department or council’s decision to dismiss Fire Chief Barry Goertz. Siemens went on to say that he found out about the restructuring “after the fact” during a phone call from Barry Goertz. “As far as I know there was no contingency plan,” added Seimens. That same sentiment was also expressed by Goertz in his written notice that stated, “The restructuring includes the rescinding or firing of me (Barry Goertz) from the position of Fire Chief. This direction comes with no prior communication from the village management or village council to me or any other member of our department. To my knowledge, they did this without having a contingency plan in place to ensure that our area would continue without any issues.” Goertz also indicated in his notice that if residents had any questions or concerns to not hesitate and to call the village office or attend the next council meeting on Dec. 10th. A press release was issued by members of the Andrew Fire Department on Dec. 5th at 10 a.m. It states: [Andrew, Alberta] As of 11:59 pm on December 04, 2014, we, the Andrew Fire Department notified the Village of Andrew, Lamont County and
MICHELLE PINON FILE PHOTO
Andrew Fire Chief Barry Goertz was removed from his position by village council on Nov. 26th. Strathcona Emergency Services Dispatch that we are not in a position to respond to any emergency calls at this time. This has been due to the “restructuring” of the Andrew Fire Department by the Village of Andrew council. The members of the AFD have met twice and attempted to meet with the Village of Andrew CAO and Village Council with an emergency meeting but to no avail since the fire chief’s dismissal on Monday December 1, 2014. The unanimous decision of the fire department members was not made lightly and was based on the following; 1. Due to the lack of leadership and the question of liability in the fire chief position. 2. No clear path forward for the AFD by the Village of Andrew council. 3. Failure to provide the restructuring plan in a timely manner to ensure the safety of the members of the AFD. 4. Members not feeling confident to provide the fastest and highest quality service possible. 5. Question why a decision was made to remove the current fire chief without having a contingency plan or a replacement in place. We have, via email sent a request to be put on the agenda for the next village council meeting on December 10, 2014 at 1930 hours to address these concerns so that we can work with the council to pro-
vide the quality of service that the village and county residents deserve and have come to expect under the direction of former Fire Chief Barry Goertz. The following day the Andrew Fire Department released an update in regards to fire coverage. "Lamont County Fire Chief Randy Siemens met with members of the Andrew Fire Department at noon today (Friday, Dec. 5,'14) to discuss the situation of coverage. After the brief discussion a plan of action was implemented and as of now there is coverage for Village of Andrew and county residents and the Andrew Fire Department will be reporting to the county regional fire chief. Brent Matiaszow, one of five councillors with the Village of Andrew was the lone voice against the dismissal of Fire Chief Barry Goertz. The vote to “unappoint” Goertz was made following an in-camera session on Wednesday, Nov. 26th. As to the exact reason(s) for the dismissal, Matiaszow said he could not disclose that information due to regulations in the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act. Matiaszow also said that once a decision has been made by council as a whole, there is a policy in place which prohibits individual councillors from speaking out publicly. All Matiaszow would say is that he voted nay, and would do so again. Matiaszow did say there was a complete review of the fire department over the past few months, and the catalyst behind the review was limited communication between the village and the fire department. All of council was invited to meet with members of the fire department Thursday evening, and Matiaszow said he was the only councillor in attendance at that meeting. Matiaszow says council’s decision seems to already had a negative effect on firefighters, who play a “crucial part in the community” and he assumes residents will also be negatively affected by the decision. Jacquie Fenske, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville MLA, said that: “Upon receiving notice that the firefighters of Andrew had stepped down I contact municipal affairs. “My two main concerns through the past few days were to insure that fire service would be continued in the Andrew area and that the firefighters were supported...I am also concerned that the highly trained men and women who serve the community on the department know that they are appreciated and supported through the upcoming weeks as decisions how the service will proceed in the future are decided.” As of press time, the Lamont Leader did not receive a response from CAO Pat Skoreyko. A request via email for Mayor Heather Tait to respond or comment was not forthcoming at press time.