Weaverville – Long time Weaverville Fire Chief Ted Williams resigned as the head of the department last week. Williams’ resignation, along with his deputy fire chief, Jason Harwood, is merely the latest in a series of terminations and personnel exits, totaling 11 since May 2021.
Not since Weaverville Fire Chief Jeff Hooper was leading the department has the town’s Fire Department seen so many of its personnel leave in such a short period. The difference with Hooper was that the department had been able to fill the vacancies; not this time.
The Tribune asked Town Manager Selena Coffey for a copy of Williams’ resignation letter to the town, to which she replied she, “cannot share Chief Williams’ letter as it is not permitted under personnel laws.”
While unable to get a copy of the resignation letter, the *Tribune* was able to obtain a copy of an email to the department. Its contents, indicate that employee pay is part of the problem for the mass exodus from the department. In the email, Williams says:
”Gentlemen,
I just want to make everyone aware that as of today I have submitted my notice to Town Manager Coffey. I will be here through the end of May and will continue to try and advocate for competitive pay so our open spots can hopefully be filled sooner rather than later. Manager Coffey continues to advocate for that as well and she continues to be an advocate even during these times where support from council seems limited. I love each of you and I love my department so I hope nothing but the best for each of you and to see our department back to its spot as one of the best departments in Western North Carolina.
Respectfully
Ted Williams
Weaverville Fire Chief
The Tribune has also been informed that a termination of at least one firefighter, who is suing the town over the firing in federal court, is due to a pay dispute.
Money Causing the Exodus
Chief Williams told the *Tribune* the problems at the station were indeed about pay during his interviewed about his resignation. “I’ve been working with town management for some time trying to improve firefighter pay in Weaverville…We’re behind,” Williams explained. “Basically, we’ve been working with town management to help close the pay disparity as best we can, and town management is definitely engaged in that conversation and understands it the same way we do.” Williams claims the lack of support from the town council, and the pay dispute, is the “…single largest item I can attribute the bad morale to.”
Williams said the problem is made worse because their pay is that much lower than everyone else, making it exceedingly difficult to fill the job vacancies. Those remaining workers at Weaverville’s Fire Department have to work more overtime, aggravating further the already low morale.
According to Williams, there are more firefighter jobs in Buncombe County than there are firefighters to fill them. When one learns that an uncertified firefighter can go work for the Asheville Fire Department with higher starting pay than a certified one starting at Weaverville, one begins to see the essence of the problem the department faces.
What’s Up with the Pay
A compensation study conducted by a firm for the town last year had the Weaverville Fire station in the top third of area fire departments, Williams said. However, that has changed. Now, he says, the department is in the bottom third of the area’s fire departments. With firefighters already being hard to find, it puts the Weaverville station at a disadvantage in attracting and hiring.
“That study didn’t show an issue, but other Buncombe County departments had already implemented plans to improve pay and others continue to do so,” said Williams.
It takes 800 hours of training or about six months for a firefighter to become certified. A new hire for Weaverville is required those hours before even considering them for a position. That certification does not equate to experience. The department’s mass exits have already equated to decades worth of experience lost in just the last year, said Williams, who himself has 30 plus years of experience. Now, multiply that by 10 more firefighters with veteran experience, and that could easily combine to over 100 years of accrued fire fighting competence lost to the town in one fell swoop, Williams said.
According to the compensation study commissioned by the town, the lowest town employee is being paid in the range of $15 an hour plus. However, current and former firefighters, wishing to remain anonymous, elucidate that when you add the more than 800-1,000 extra hours away from their families due to unsustainable 24-hour long shifts, the pay depreciates to a ballpark of $13 and change per hour. Highly trained firefighters, wages stooping lower than for untrained workers flipping fast food burgers.
Currently, about 62 percent of the fire department’s budget comes from Buncombe County fire tax, with only 38 percent coming from the town. In the proposed budget for next year, that changes to 68% from the Buncombe County fire tax and 32% from the town. If the new budget passes, Williams said, it would be a good first step in making the town competitive again.
The McKinney lawsuit
Based on information sent to the Tribune by Coffey, the fire fighting personnel who were either let go by the town or quit the department consist of: one lieutenant, three were firefighters, five fire engineers, one was an assistant chief and the chief as well.
The lieutenant who was terminated and catalyzed this past year’s string of personnel departures was Austin McKinney. He currently has a federal lawsuit against the town for “depriving” McKinney of “his rights and privileges secured by the United States Constitution and North Carolina state law.” The suit names Coffey as the defendant.
According to the complaint, McKinney, while employed at the Weaverville Fire Station and while also serving as the secretary/treasurer for his local union, the International Association of Fire Fighters – Local 4593 posted on May 7th, 2021 while off duty to the union’s Instagram account stating:
*“After a few weeks of uncertainty yesterday your #local4593 Weaverville Firefighters were provided a welcomed update from the administration and Town Hall.*
*“Effective immediately adjustments have been made to response levels to provide safety to our crews and better protection for our community members.”*
*”More training opportunities are opening up where previously lifted, so firefighters can continue to provide you the best protection.”*
*“A better option for holiday and vacation accruals is being looked into to make sure your firefighters are getting the needed rest they deserve to serve you best while at work.*
*“The Weaverville firefighters appreciate the word from both sides of the table and hope to keep a open line of communication between the administration, the firefighters and the community. The future is bright.”*
It should be noted that according to the suit, the post did not sit well with Chief Williams. He asked Battalion Chief David Privette on Saturday, May 15, 2021, who was responsible for the post to which Privette said McKinney. Privette relayed to McKinney about Williams’ displeasure, prompting him to immediately take down the post and deactivated the union’s Instagram account. He texted Williams to apologize for the post and asked if he’d like to talk about it. Williams responded that “…we will definitely be talking, but I am challenged by what I read to believe it wasn’t intended to be harmful, and that I will say that I am as hurt as I am angry…”
Two days later, McKinney tried to approach Williams at work about the matter. Williams once again was not ready to talk but said he would let him know when he was ready. McKinney asked if he should bring his Union rep to any future meetings? “You bring back whoever you think you need to bring,” was Williams’ response in a “raised voice,” states the complaint.
According to the suit, at 1 p.m. Williams called McKinney into his office. Williams served him with pre-dismissal paperwork and walked him out of the building to his car. After a couple of meetings with Coffey and Town Human Resource Officer Tonya Dozier, on May 20th McKinney was dismissed.
McKinney is asking for his job back, according to the civil suit, including but not limited to rank, position and pay along with back pay, front pay, benefits, harm to McKinney’s reputation, humiliation, emotional and mental suffering, and for other financial and consequential injuries he suffered. Furthermore, he is also asking for punitive damages and attorney’s fees. Town Attorney Jennifer Jackson is not representing Coffey in this suit, but rather Patrick Flanagan of Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog, LLP. A firm based out of Charlotte. The case is currently in mediation.