Claiborne fire chief warns of thin staffing, aging truck; personnel actions moved to closed session
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Summary
Fire Chief Kevin Schafer told supervisors the department is short‑staffed, with one aging apparatus out of service and only five firefighters covering a large area; personnel terminations and hires were referred to executive session.
Kevin Schafer, chief of the Claiborne County Fire Department, told the board Feb. 18 that the department was operating with thin staffing, limited apparatus and a backlog of personnel actions that the board moved to closed session.
Schafer told supervisors the department has five firefighters covering about 501 miles of county roads, and that the department currently had “one truck running” while a newer truck was out of service. Schafer said some employees had been terminated or had submitted resignations, naming Kierstin White, Chauncey Walker and Robert Byrd; he also said one of the employees who turned in a resignation had not signed it and had been absent since Jan. 8. He asked the board to approve hiring new firefighters and to formalize promotions the department had made in practice.
The board agreed to hear the personnel determinations in executive session. The president said the determinations of employees would be moved to closed session and that hiring matters would also be discussed in closed session because they involve potential litigation and personnel matters.
Why it matters: Chief Schafer emphasized immediate operational risks: limited on‑duty staffing for concurrent calls and an apparatus fleet that includes an older truck (Schafer referred to a 1998 model) while another vehicle was being repaired. Schafer said it would take nearly a year to fully train new firefighters, underscoring urgency for the board to act on hiring and promotions.
What’s next: The board moved the termination and hiring items to executive session for confidential handling. Additional personnel approvals and formal disciplinary or hiring actions will be recorded in the closed-session minutes and returned to open session as required by law.
Quotes from the meeting
“We have five firefighters covering 501 miles,” Chief Schafer said, describing current department staffing.
“It’s important that we get these people hired and trained. It’s gonna take almost a year to get them trained, so we need to get them in as quick as possible,” Schafer said.
Ending
The board did not take open-session action on individual hires or terminations; it moved those items to executive session for personnel and possible litigation discussion.
