Fire district leaders tell commission of leadership resignations; commission urges review

Members of the Blount County Fire Protection District urged the county commission on Nov. 20 to examine leadership and operational issues in the district, and the commission later unanimously adopted a resolution requesting review and corrective action.

James Gaddis, speaking on behalf of the Blount County Fire Commission, said the district faces leadership, training and equipment issues and asked the commission "to look and see if there's anything that y'all can do to help us." Assistant Chief Butch Campbell said recent resignations had left the district’s board with a single remaining member serving operational and governance roles. "Within the last 2 days, interim commissioner Tom Daffron has once again resigned. Shortly after, commissioner Gerald Kirby has resigned as well," Campbell told the commission, describing the resulting uncertainty.

Commissioner Bowers later introduced Resolution 2511019 "urging review and corrective action regarding the Blount County Fire Protection District." The measure was adopted by unanimous voice vote, and the chair announced the motion carried with 20 yes votes.

What it means: The resolution directs the commission to seek review and corrective steps regarding governance of the fire protection district. The transcript does not specify a timeline or the exact steps the commission will take to carry out the review; those appear to be next steps for county leadership.