The abrupt resignation of the embattled Evergreen fire chief may cool down a heated debate between the district board and volunteer firefighters, but controversy continues to smolder.
Joel Janov, who was the volunteer chief until he was hired in January 2006 as the first paid chief, turned in his resignation late Wednesday.
“I’ve been in this turmoil for four months now,” Janov said today. “Given the politics, it’s best to move on.”
Conflicts have been growing for more than two years within Evergreen Fire/Rescue, which serves 40,000 people spread over 120 square miles and is managed as two groups.
Operations such as fighting fires, rescues and emergency medical responses are performed by 85 members of the Evergreen Volunteer Fire Department, and finances are handled by 45 full- and part-time employees of the Evergreen Fire Protection District.
At the heart of the dispute is a “road map to reorganization” that shifts operational control to the district board.
Changes include: division chiefs will report to the paid chief through a chain of command, the district board has sole decision-making authority, creation of one set of rules, and volunteer leadership positions will be decided by the board.
Jim Licko, who works for a district-hired public relations firm, said the district has grown and needs a paid chief and tighter organization.
“Under the road map, we’ll be taking orders from people with no firefighting experience,” said Charlie Neppell, a six-year volunteer who has been suspended for talking with the media.
In November, “no-confidence” votes were cast against Janov and the board by a majority of the volunteers.
In December, the board asked Janov to resign and to stay in the post until a new chief was named.
Neppell said Janov’s resignation, which is effective Saturday, resolves some of the conflict, but the road map “significantly changes the relationship between the district and volunteers and will put the fire department out of business.”
Petitions asking for Janov’s resignation contain still-valid concerns, Neppell said, and will be presented tomorrow at a district board meeting along with petitions asking for reconsideration of “road map” items that conflict with an agreement reached last spring between the two groups.
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
