WEST PARIS — Several West Paris firefighters spoke in defense of Fire Chief Kevin Davis at Thursday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting, two days after Town Manager Joy Downing had fired Davis.
Davis said earlier Thursday by telephone he was told Monday he would be put on administrative leave immediately and get a certified letter this week. The letter arrived Thursday and in it, Downing wrote Davis was fired as of Jan. 9 for insubordination, not following clear orders and dishonesty. The letter also said Davis was dismissed from the town’s Highway Department.
Davis said Downing had no supporting evidence and had given no warnings about his termination. He said he had been fire chief for 18 months.
At Thursday’s meeting, which Downing attended, Selectman John Eli White said he supported the town manager’s decision and townspeople need to come together.
Deputy Fire Chief Scott Cassidy said department morale, employee retention, skill sets and relationships with other towns had all improved under Davis’ leadership.
“He has been doing everything to make the town better because of this safer department,” Cassidy said.
Davis had pushed for new air packs for the Fire Department for safety reasons, according to Cassidy.
“We don’t trust those (air) packs,” Cassidy said. “I don’t want to go into a burning building with those packs.”
“If he had trusted in the system we might be financing that,” White said. “He didn’t trust the system or think it was moving fast enough.”
Most of the 14 people in the room came to support the former fire chief. Several spoke on his behalf.
Davis’ wife, Brianna, was too teary to read a statement her husband had written, so Cassidy read it.
Davis did not attend the meeting, but earlier in the day said: “They have railroaded every fire chief they’ve had in the last 15 years right out the door — Mike Akers, Norm St. Pierre, Troy Billings, Mike Henderson and now me. Every time a fire chief brings up anything about safety that’s going to cost money, they find a way to ship him down the road.”
While White said Downing made the decision on her own, Davis said he believes Selectman Wade Rainey had influenced her.
Administrative Assistant Brianna Davis said she was stepping down immediately.
Firefighter Annette Smith said she was undecided, but likely would be stepping down, too.
Selectman Shawn Boutilier was also at the meeting.
Following the meeting Cassidy, Doug Penley and Craig Martin told the board they would stay on as firefighters, but would be stepping down as officers.
“What you guys are doing is threatening us,” Rainey said.
Outside the meeting, they said their decision was not a threat or out of spite. They all said they have other commitments, and two have full-time jobs out of town and would not be able to serve as Davis has.
“People are doing this out of the goodness of their heart,” firefighter Toby Whitman said of the volunteer force.
Added Cassidy, “Kevin made this Fire Department better, and we are all following Kevin.”
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