Polk County fire battalion chief fired after payment dispute, review in the works
POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A battalion chief lost his job over pay he and his crews received, documents obtained by News Channel 8 show.
As the firefighter union appeals the termination, county commissioners are demanding a full review of the department.
“I think we have a management problem in our fire department and Mr. Beasley that starts with you,” County Commissioner Bill Braswell told County Manager Bill Beasley at Tuesday’s commission meeting.
Braswell said he learned about the firing of Battalion Chief Charles True this week on social media, days after his termination and months after an investigation was launched.
“You can blame the rank and file up until a point and then you gotta start looking at management and that’s where we’re at,” said Braswell.
In August, Polk Fire Rescue crews joined the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to help with Hurricane Idalia relief efforts in Levy County.
According to a Polk County Fire Rescue investigative report, Battalion Chief True was told to split crews into 12-hour shifts.
Instead, members told investigators, there was so much to do, they kept working past their shift.
According to True’s termination memo, all but one crew member worked 24-hour shifts from Aug. 31 until Sept. 7, costing the county $60,000.
Battalion Chief True told investigators he was told to document the hours worked and the members would be paid for what they worked, the investigative report said.
On Jan. 5, True was fired for failure to supervise, compliance of orders and insubordination, and untruthfulness. He had served with the department since 2006.
In the most recent performance review from his personnel file, True was called a “respected team leader.” It was noted that he “knows how important it is to document his work and that of his team.”
In a statement over the phone, True said he was thankful for the support he has received but declined to comment further at the advice of his attorney.
The Polk County Professional Firefighters – IAFF Local 3531 is appealing True’s firing.
“Polk County Professional Firefighters is actively appealing the unjust termination of Battalion Chief True. By all measures, he was an outstanding employee and leader of Polk County Fire Rescue. We will continue to aggressively defend our members rights and appreciate the support from the community which we serve,” wrote union Vice President Jon Hall.
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County officials declined to comment, pending the appeal.
Braswell said he was in touch with the Florida Association of Counties Wednesday to find a firm to do the review.
“In the next three months, we should have some pretty good answers, have a good idea of where our fire department is, where they stand,” he said.
At Tuesday’s meeting, other commissioners expressed support for the review.
“There’s certainly no loss of confidence on my part by leadership of the organization or the manager’s office but a fresh look to affirm that, I’m not opposed it,” said Commissioner George Lindsey.
“You have to have your policies in writing. You can’t make them up on the fly. You can’t make them up from situation to situation. It’s up to the people at the top to make sure those policies are in place, that they’re equally enforced, that they’re published for all to see,” said Commissioner Neil Combee.
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