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Volunteers and station staff speak in support of Crescent City fire chief
Summary
Several volunteers and fire department members attended the special meeting to back the chief, describing his leadership and saying they were surprised by the administrative leave and subsequent removal action.
Multiple volunteers and station personnel came to the commission to give character testimony for the chief. Cassandra Bailey identified herself as a volunteer and said department staff asked colleagues to come to the meeting to support the chief and testify to his character and leadership. "We were coming down here to support him," Bailey said, explaining why volunteers left a class to attend the meeting.
A second volunteer who said she had known the chief since February described him as "always on top of everything" and urged the commission to consider the human impact of the action. Commissioners acknowledged the public support while noting they had to weigh personnel procedures and the accuracy of operational information.
Why it matters: community and volunteer testimony informed the commission's context for the personnel decision and highlighted the chief's standing with station staff. The public testimony was part of the record commissioners considered when accepting the resignation.
