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Resident asks council to invite fire chief to address staffing, finances and Confederate flag display; former chief responds
Summary
A resident asked the council to invite the fire chief to answer questions about department diversity, finances and the status of an American Legion ambulance; a former fire chief corrected an apparent conflation of the Georgetown Fire Company and the American Legion and said the company accepts members of all backgrounds.
Georgetown — During public comment at the Aug. 25 Georgetown Town Council meeting, resident John Peterson asked the council to invite the Georgetown fire chief to respond publicly to four questions about department diversity, financial reporting, the future of an ambulance service and the presence of a Confederate flag at a local historical society.
Peterson, of 304 North Bedford, asked the council to invite the fire chief and requested responses to these questions: whether current staffing reflects the town's racial, ethnic and gender diversity; whether the department will publish its previous fiscal-year financial statement; what the future is for the American Legion ambulance service; and whether the fire chief will publicly denounce the Confederate flag displayed at the Georgetown Historical Society.
Former Georgetown Fire Company Chief Mark Rogers, who identified himself as past fire chief and assistant fire chief, responded from the audience and urged accuracy about organizational names. "You stood up here about 9 months ago, and you told 2 of the council people they ought to do their homework before they talk. ... You referred to the Georgetown Fire Company as the Georgetown American Legion. I can't answer what the Georgetown American Legion is," Rogers said. He added that the Georgetown Fire Company accepts members regardless of sex or race and said the company's finances are published and submitted to the state annually.
The council did not take formal action during public comment to summon the fire chief or require public financial disclosure. Rogers invited potential recruits to contact the fire company.
Peterson's request raised transparency and community-relations questions for local emergency services; the council did not schedule a follow-up at the Aug. 25 meeting.
