MILLERSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Sumner County EMS now says increased response times are inevitable after Millersville terminated their fire chief and all but one firefighter walked off in protest.
Bill Mounts will now serve as Millersville’s interim fire chief and the only firefighter in the city.
City attorney Bryant Kroll told NewsChannel 5 Investigates that the decision to terminate fire chief Brandon Head was not made lightly.
“These terminations are within the discretion of the city manager. Those decisions aren’t just made without serious thought as to the effects,” Kroll said.
We know of 17 firefighters who walked off the job on Tuesday. Many of them returned the following day to turn in their letters of resignation and equipment.
Kroll said while he understands concerns by the public, they may have more coverage now because of an already existing mutual aid agreement with the White House and Goodlettsville fire departments.
“Millersville right now has more coverage in the city than they did before. There may even be less lag time from calls because White House and Goodlettsville are both full-time fire departments,” Kroll said.
Sumner County EMS, however, sent a statement saying:
“In light of the recent events surrounding the Millersville Fire Department. Sumner County EMS (EMS) wants to reassure residents in the area that the EMS ambulance stationed at the Millersville Fire Station 2 will continue normal operation in the City of Millersville.
It is our understanding that the City of Millersville will have a decreased Fire and First Responder response for an unforeseeable amount of time. This could lead to an increased amount of time before citizens in Millersville receive emergent first responder care, especially if the EMS ambulance stationed in Millersville is on another call for service.
Sumner County EMS has heard the raising concerns of citizens and is working to continue to have EMS care on the scene as soon as possible. Due to the decreased number of responders in the City of Millersville, EMS has put specific stand-by protocols in place to help cover the void. With the loss of Millersville’s first responders, this will inevitably lead to increased response times and a lack of resources. However, please rest assured that Sumner County EMS will still be expeditiously responding to citizens’ EMS needs.”
NewsChannel 5 Investigates also obtained a statement from the city of Goodlettsville saying:
“The City of Goodlettsville became aware of this situation simultaneously as the public learned about it. We are determining what level of assistance we can provide moving forward based on the pre-existing Mutual Aid Agreement. City of Millersville residents are currently receiving the same level of service from the Goodlettsville Fire Department as they were before the changes in the Millersville Fire Department. The Goodlettsville Fire Department cannot, however, be the sole Fire Department for Millersville.”
Jamie Brown lives between Millersville and Goodlettsville and says she has no idea who will respond in an emergency.
“I’m concerned now. I mean I had no idea. If I had to dial 911, I really don’t know where I’m calling. I don’t know if it’s the volunteer fire department and I have to wait on another fire department before they get to my house,” Brown said.
Brown says when she first moved to Sumner County, there wasn’t much in Millersville other than the fire department.
Years later and the garage doors outside the fire department are now closed, with no long-term solution in sight.
Kroll says the city is in the process of hiring more firefighters but has no timeline on when the department can once again run its own calls.
Cristina Templet, Millersville City Commissioner, has spoken out against recent changes and says it’s simply too much power for an interim city manager to change the face of a city in a month.
“I think it’s really irresponsible for us to rely on other communities and take from their communities because of the decision that Tina made,” Templet said.
Tobin has fired the city attorney, police chief, and now fire chief since she took office in January.
That’s when she replaced former city manager Scott Avery on the same night commissioners voted to fire him.
“It’s just hard. It’s taken a toll on our citizens and it’s caused our citizens to ask what’s going on. So, I think this was the straw that broke the camel’s back for our community. I have a lot of citizens that have reached out to me and I see a lot more involvement now than ever. Citizens need to speak out and call on their commissioners. I think that unless we have more community support, this will happen again,” Templet said.
Kroll says Tobin fired Head because they say he wasn’t being transparent about why he had a police commission card and why he deleted everything from his city-issued phone.
Head told NewsChannel 5 Investigates it felt more like an interrogation to see if he was loyal to Tobin’s cause.
“I don’t know what the rules are with that and I’m not going to sit here and act like I do. However, do I think that Brandon maliciously did anything or tried to hide the truth? Absolutely not,” Templet said.
Kroll says they will continue their investigation to find anyone who may have a Millersville Police Commission card that hasn’t been verified by police chief Bryan Morris. Kroll went on to say anyone in possession of a commission card who shouldn’t have one, has 48 hours to turn it in without facing legal action.
Millersville's Board of Commissioners will meet next Tuesday at 5:30, and Templet says she will request a vote on whether to fire interim city manager Tina Tobin.
