My notes on the GHFPD Board Meeting February 2, 2023 from Gretchen Diefenderfer

Chair Rich Lopez called the meeting to order.  Nine people attended: board members Rich, Boyd Brown, Jessica Brookhart, Chris Dirolf, and Kent Coghill, plus community members Val Crist, Steffi Wilson, Max Yeager and Gretchen Diefenderfer.

The agenda had been published and the first order of business was to review performance concerns of Chief Finn.  This issue had been ongoing for some time with the primary goal being the safety of our town and those that live here. Concerns included: failure of the District to act expeditiously in response to major events in the past few years, concerns about our preparedness and willingness to engage in these significant events, vehicle and equipment failures.  The Board met with Chief Finn on multiple occasions to address these concerns but felt the needed change had not occurred.  The Board  acknowledges the many years of service and dedication Chief Finn has provided, but decided that action is now necessary.  In preparation for this change, the Board consulted with their attorney as well as the chiefs of Fourmile and Lefthand and drafted the following MOU

MOU

 As the meeting opened, Chief Finn arrived and handed in 2 copies of his resignation letter and left.  Boyd then read the letter:

Finn resignation

The resignation was accepted and a motion was made to adopt the MOU, which was unanimously adopted.

Val asked about the vision of how this will work.  On smaller incidents, Whitey DeBroux, our Assistant Chief, or another officer will be in charge.  Chief O’Brien and Chief Gibson will be available to consult and advise and provide any support needed.  Medical calls will proceed as usual.  They will be meeting with firefighters and Whitey will also attend the Town Meeting on February to provide information.

ELECTION this year – May 2, 2023.  Jessica Brookhart, William Kent Coghill, and Boyd Brown are up for election this year.  The Transparency Notice and Call for Self-Nominations will be sent out soon and due on Feb. 24.  Liz Wiig has agreed to be the DEO (Designated Election Official).

As the meeting was closing, Boyd suggested we can take the momentum of the upcoming election to renew our focus on improving our emergency response and protection for our district.  He expressed that this process has been painful, and thanked Chris Finn for a good letter.

Notes by Gretchen Diefenderfer