ANDOVER — Fifty residents attending town meeting on Saturday morning heard from Town Clerk Melinda Averill that up to four volunteer firefighters suddenly lost their positions this week with Andover Volunteer Fire and Rescue.
Fire Chief Rob Dixon, who was absent and working a shift with the Rumford Fire Department, would only confirm Saturday afternoon that one male firefighter was asked to turn in his gear and leave the department.
At town meeting after Bob Duplessie was elected moderator, Averill spoke not as town clerk and tax collector but as a resident.
Speaking emotionally with raised voice, Averill said two firefighters had quit on Tuesday and another two were asked to turn in their gear and leave the department.
“This was left on a message with a few expletives,” Averill said. “One of these (firefighters) asked to turn in their gear was my daughter, (Kelsey), who has spent the past year or so going to training, fire calls, etc.
“If you read the Town Report, she was even mentioned as going on her own accord to get her EMT license,” Averill said. “Why was she told to get done? She did not have an (operating under the influence charge). She didn’t burn down the fire (department) building. She wasn’t staying in town. She simply is a strong young lady with a different political view. Please consider this when voting for a fire chief on Tuesday.”
Andover Fire Chief Dixon is employed as a lieutenant with the Rumford Fire Department.
Dixon said early Saturday afternoon in Rumford that as far as he knew, only one male Andover firefighter had been let go. He reacted with surprise when told of Averill’s statements.
“I can confirm that one firefighter was contacted and asked to turn in his gear,” Dixon said. He said the man wasn’t a junior firefighter.
Dixon declined further comment.
He is seeking re-election on Tuesday, March 24. Secret ballot voting is from noon to 8 p.m. . Outside Town Hall was a red sign on a post by the stairs telling people to write in and vote for Justin Tibbetts.
A photocopied message left on the information handouts table beside the meeting room door listed Tibbetts’ qualifications and asked for votes for him as a write-in candidate.
It listed his qualifications as an emergency medical technician, a firefighter for 10 years who has his Firefighter 1 and 2 certificates, and noted that he will “continue to encourage young people to be active in the Fire Department” and that he is currently serving as one of only three certified EMTs in Andover.
Angst over whatever happened Tuesday at the Fire Department was raised again on the Fire Department budget in Article 18, and Article 19, which sought to raise and appropriate $57,093 for protection services. Included in the protection services amount was $3,000 for fire and rescue personnel.
Averill said four young firefighters were no longer with the Fire Department and that everything had happened in the past few days.
Firefighter Jim Adler, who is also an Andover selectman, looked bewildered by Averill’s accusations. He said he didn’t know “what was going on” with Fire Department personnel, but he urged residents to approve the Fire Department budget of $31,780, which was down from last year’s budget of $32,010.
Averill said her daughter “was asked to leave for no reason.”
Dixon reiterated in Rumford that only a male firefighter was asked to leave and declined further comment.
Residents approved the Fire Department budget. In Article 19, a resident asked that the $3,000 budget for fire and rescue personnel be amended to zero, but it was left intact and approved by voters.
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