UPDATE: Freeport terminates Fire Chief Ben Greenslait September 21, 2012 3:16 PM ShareThis| Print Story | E-Mail Story LAUREN SAGE REINLIE / Daily News FREEPORT — The City Council voted unanimously Friday to terminate Fire Chief Ben Greenslait after it was revealed that he had failed his recertification test. On Friday, the state Bureau of Fire Standards and Training confirmed that Greenslait failed the rigorous physical test he took in Ocala on Monday, meaning he still is not certified to go to a fire scene. He had been on administrative duty since June, when the state told Freeport officials that his certification had lapsed long before he was hired as chief in 2008. According to the test results Greenslait received an 85 on one section and a 0 on three sections of the test. He exceeded the maximum time for the ladder and the hose procedures, the results said. “I do not see any way that this city can keep him on staff in any shape, form or fashion to go take another round of tests,” Councilman Earl King said before the vote. Certification lapses when a firefighter is not active for more than three years. During an investigation into Greenslait’s certification, he could not produce a document verifying that he worked as a firefighter from 1995 to 2004, according to a report from the Bureau of Fire Standards and Training. That means his certification had lapsed before he was accepted as a volunteer with Freeport’s Fire Department in 2004, and still was lapsed when he took over as chief, according to the report. Greenslait’s application for fire chief also said he started working as a volunteer with the Fire Department in 1999, but no records exist and none of the sources interviewed could recall him being there at the time, according to the report. “He fudged his time on his application to try to close those gaps up,” Wayne Charles, who filed the complaint with the state, said after the meeting. Charles was Freeport’s fire chief from 1993 to 2002. He said he had his eye on Greenslait since he took over as chief, but was really moved to action after he saw and heard complaints about him endangering his employees. Ted Brown, a firefighter who said he quit the department because of Greenslait’s abusive actions, said he was pleased with the council’s decision. “I feel he owes the taxpayers all the money he made as chief since he lied to get the job,” Brown said after the meeting. In addition to the complaint about Greenslait's certification, a criminal complaint about his actions as chief also was filed with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. The results of the investigation were turned over to the state attorney’s office last week to determine whether they warrant any criminal charges. [B]Greenslait continued to draw his $47,407 chief’s salary while on desk duty awaiting the recertification test. The council voted Friday to pay Greenslait for the 310 vacation and sick days he has accumulated.[/B] Interim Chief Al Ford, [B]on loan from Walton County’s Emergency Management Operations at no cost to the city[/B], will continue to head the department until a replacement can be found. [B]Mayor Mickey Marse and council members continued to bristle at residents’ efforts to uncover the lapse in certification. They said Friday's decision was a hard one and that Greenslait was a friend. They also cited his charity work in the community.[/B] “I feel bad for him,” said Councilman Charlie Simmons. “I truly believe he was the best we've ever had.” [B]After the meeting, Marse said he hated to see the “butt hole” who filed the complaint sitting in the front row pleased about the decision. He previously had called the efforts to uncover the certification status a “witch hunt.”[/B] During the meeting, Marse said he wanted council members to think about disbanding the fire department in the future. [B]“We either need to sell this thing to the county or privatize and turn this into a volunteer thing because this is unreal,” he said. “It’s put every one of you through a lot with all this crap that's been going on with it. You have a lot more to do here than run a fire department.”[/B] Read more: [URL="http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/freeport-52464-firefighter-certification.html#ixzz27D2e3yK1"]http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/fr ... z27D2e3yK1[/URL]
