Officials praise progress to help FD5 move past recent turmoil: ‘It no longer feels like we are trying to recover alone’; contract to take effect Jan. 1

By Buffy Pollock, Rogue Valley Times

Jackson County Fire District No. 3 board members unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement Oct. 17 that will render much-needed aid — by way of administrative support — to Jackson County Fire District No. 5.

Finalization of the IGA comes after months of discussion over how District 3 could provide assistance to its embattled sister district, which serves nearly 23,000 patrons on the south end of the Rogue Valley in Talent, Phoenix and unincorporated Ashland.

Turmoil for District 5 began in February when members of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2596 stated a loss of confidence in former District 5 Fire Chief Charles Hanley over a slew of personnel concerns.

In the months that followed, three board members resigned en masse, the Jackson County commissioners appointed their replacements, and the newly reassembled board placed Chief Hanely on administrative leave in May, and officially terminated his contract in August.

Since Hanley’s exit in August, the board has grappled with everything from a pair of investigations against past employees to a looming financial crisis.

Interim District 5 Chief Aaron Bustard informed board members and the community in August that, despite cutbacks to overtime and other spending, including canceling a needed new fire truck and browning out one of the district fire stations, the district was at risk of running out of money before year’s end.

District 5 board members reached out to neighboring fire districts, including those in Medford and Ashland, for outside help, ultimately directing Bustard to negotiate an IGA with District 3.

The pact was approved by District 5 board members the week before. The IGA between the two districts will free up administrative costs, allowing District 5 resources to be focused on personnel shortages and other needs. The IGA will cost District 5 just $15,000 per month and eliminate a number of expenses and paid positions that would otherwise be duplicated.

Approval by District 3 on Oct. 17 solidifies the IGA, which goes into effect Jan. 1. District 3 Fire Chief Mike Hussey, who will serve as chief for both districts, said the agreement calls for his district providing “executive level management only, including financial service, IT and shared training.”

While his district won’t help fill staffing shortfalls, Hussey said freeing up of administrative resources will allow District 5 to focus resources on issues such as the staffing shortage. 

“We’re not providing support from an operational standpoint. Fire District 3 responders will remain in Fire District 3, and Fire District 5 firefighters will remain in Fire District 5,” Hussey told the Rogue Valley Times on Friday.

“Outside of a large event … our personnel will stay in Fire District 3.”

District 3 board member Steve Shafer, a retired Medford fire captain, said the agreement “in the long term, is gonna be good for everybody.”

Board member John Dimick said he felt the IGA would be “a great experience for both departments and the communities they serve … to not only bring experience and expertise together, but to learn and grow from all of this.

“In the end, both departments will be stronger,” he said.

“This is a huge deal for us. After everything we’ve gone through, from unlawful promotions and possibly facing layoffs to possible financial malfeasance to being told we don’t even know if we’re going to have a fire district, it’s overwhelming to think about everything our people have been through,” Graham said Friday.

“It’s nice to finally feel that weight being lifted a little bit,” he said. “District 5 isn’t entirely fixed — we’ve got a long way to go — but there is finally a plan in place and there is competent leadership willing to step in and take over and take charge and drive us in a good direction.

“After everything we’ve done for 10 months now, there’s finally some excitement for the future and for what the fire service for District 5 will look like moving forward,” Graham said.

Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 458-488-2029 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.