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East Bethel council terminates fire chief after closed session; interim consultant named
Summary
After a closed-session performance review under Minnesota statute, the East Bethel City Council voted to terminate Fire Chief Rod Sano and authorized hiring retired chief Jerry Scribe as an interim adviser while a formal contract is prepared.
The East Bethel City Council voted on March 10 to terminate Fire Chief and emergency manager Rod Sano following a closed-session performance review and named retired fire chief and consultant Jerry Scribe as an interim adviser.
The move came after public comment and council discussion about the fire department's leadership and the city's emergency operations planning. During public forum, resident Cammy Gimple told the council the city's emergency plan “urgently needs an update” and said the chief “is not an EMT,” remarks that highlighted concerns some speakers expressed about medical-call leadership and training.
The council closed part of its meeting under Minnesota Statute section 13D.05, subdivision 3(a) to evaluate Sano’s performance. Mayor (name not specified) announced on the record that the council would “evaluate the performance of the fire chief” in closed session. After deliberation following a 60-day improvement plan, the council voted to terminate Sano’s employment. The council then moved to hire Scribe as an interim adviser “until we have a new fire chief,” and instructed staff to prepare a formal contract for review at the next meeting.
Council members also directed immediate administrative steps: the council ordered that Sano’s city accounts and operational access be disabled “immediately,” including computers, the 911 application, and pagers, and that department keys and vehicle access be secured. The council requested the city attorney draft an interim contract specifying the terms of Scribe’s appointment for consideration at the next meeting.
What happened - Public comment: Resident Cammy Gimple told the council she had reviewed a Capstone LLC review of East Bethel’s emergency operations plan and said the document stated the plan “urgently needs an update” and that training must start “as soon as possible.” She also said the fire chief “is not an EMT,” and noted a high proportion of recent calls were medical in nature. - Closed session: The council entered a closed meeting under Minnesota Statute section 13D.05, subdivision 3(a) to evaluate the fire chief’s performance after a 60-day improvement plan was implemented. - Formal action: After deliberation, the council voted to terminate Rod Sano’s employment as fire chief. The council then approved hiring retired fire chief and consultant Jerry Scribe as an interim adviser, with the interim hire to be paid “the same pay as we were paying our previous fire chief,” and to assist with recruitment of a permanent replacement.
Context and next steps City staff and the council said the termination followed a follow-up review tied to a previously established 60-day improvement plan; the council did not release additional personnel findings in the public session. Council members asked the city attorney to prepare a written interim contract for Scribe outlining appointment terms and pay to be presented at the next council meeting. The council also ordered that Sano’s access to department technology and hardware be cut off immediately.
The action affects East Bethel’s emergency services and ongoing efforts to update the city’s emergency operations plan. Scribe, described by the city as a retired chief who has worked as a fire-department consultant and who founded Capstone LLC, will serve in an interim capacity and help recruit a permanent chief.
No additional disciplinary findings were released at the public meeting. The council announced the contract terms and any further personnel details will be reviewed at a future meeting.
