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628 <br />resulting in the resignation and discharge of members and la ck of attendance at <br />drills. A detailed report xas read by Trustee Cartxright as to the Chief not <br />responding to some 17 fire runs in the past txo years, also regarding improper <br />entries in the log book covering absences of the Chief from the station. <br />Mayor Stenzinger said he opposed the removal of the Chief because of <br />the way it xas done by eliminating provisions of the ordinance calling for a <br />hearing. Trustee Cartxright read from a letter to the Fire Department's <br />Operational Board in which the council stated in brief (1) that the ordinance <br />adopted last spring xas not accomplishing the hoped for improvement within the <br />department, and (2) that the Volunteer department agreed to several recommendations <br />concerning the Fire Chief and operation of the department, xhich were to be <br />submitted to the council. That for some unexplained reason these were withdrawn, <br />and that the council's action in amending the ordinance was in part along the lines <br />of that recommendation. <br />Follv~ring a discussion of the letter received from the Volunteers as <br />to whether the signature was typewritten or not, John ft. Rysgaard, 17lil~ North <br />Pascal, a member of the volunteers, said the original letter carried the individual <br />signatures of the volunteers and that the letter was in his possession at the <br />present time. <br />George Swanson in ansxering the charges said that~$s not putting <br />the overlapping provision of the work schedule into effect on August 28, 1955 <br />as ordered was an oversight. Swanson also gave periods of service of each <br />paid fireman xho had resigned from the department (Imhoff, Grumke, Morse and <br />Loclt~b) and their reasons therefor. Swanson said he averaged 20 out of 2!t <br />hours every day for 365 days a year and that he considered he was on duty xhile <br />in the building. Asked if that included sleeping and eating time, he agreed. <br />As to the charge that he missed 17 fires.in twa_years, Swanson said Falcon Heights <br />had !jl fires in 1953, that he attended 23 on off-duty time. The_nine he missed, <br />he said, were accounted forb~5ff duty and vacation time and when he was on village <br />business. In 1951 there were 45 calls, he said, and that he attended 28 on off <br />duty time. <br />Stanley Schultz, one of the three paid firemen, said he would like to <br />testify under oath. Said he heard about the opening on the department for <br />a paid fireman and came up to the station and talked with Robert Locke who <br />was resigning and who tried to discourage Schultz from taking the Sob because <br />of what he said were unsatisfactory working conditions. But Schultz said he <br />came up to see the Fire Chief, took the fob and got along all right for a year <br />or a year and a half. Said he had to perform personal services for the Chief's <br />family and that there was no instruction in the department as far as making <br />better firemen. He recited a list of grievances which he said he finally had <br />to take to the council.. <br />James E. Desch, an officer of the International Association of Firefighters, <br />said that in the city the Fire Chief xas responsible to the council, but that <br />matters pertaining to the Fire Department are referred to the Chief for his <br />consideration. Said he felt politics xas wrecking our department, that the <br />charges against Swanson were "asinine," and asked that the council reconsider <br />their action in removing the Fire Chief. <br />Hal Nexell, a member of the volunteers, said he xas not Hour a resident <br />of Falcon Heights. He referred to the letter from the lea Department's <br />Operational Board, asking that the council inform the Board as to why the <br />council eliminated provisions from the ordinance calling for a hearing. <br />B.J. Slams, paid fireman, spoke for Swanson as to xhy the Chief <br />