On occasion I am compelled to comment on statements I read. I feel these particular statements are meant to be disrespectful to the former leadership of the fire department in Kasson. I can only guess that previous leaders and their families are deeply insulted by the insinuations made. I am referring to the remark made recently about getting the fire department “back on track.”
We, the taxpayers, paid big bucks for an investigation that yielded no information to support the filing of any formal charges. In my opinion it was a waste of money and created even more discord in the department. There were accusations of threats and bullying. It was pure he said/he said. And yes, I did read that report. I expect that it will be said that since I never attended a meeting I am also part of the he said/he said…and that would be true. It’s a good thing the new “code of ethics” wasn’t in place then, some might be in violation of the concept of “honesty. ”
So now the department is free of the “riff-raff”. (Oh, that’s a statement overheard made by a KFD spouse in public.) I hear the meetings have changed. Don’t speak out at the meetings or you’ll get written up and sent to the city administrator’s office. Gee, this sounds familiar… bullying? Our way or no way? What makes this new “track” any different than the accused “good ‘ole” way of doing things? It sounds the same to me, just different names. The names the city administrator wanted, the city administrator who does not live in our community, the city administrator that has an interesting history with the fire department in the town he does live in, the town he no longer works for. I do not oppose change. It happens constantly and is necessary in the natural progression of things. This is not about change, it’s about respect. This whole situation can be traced back to a lack of respect by many.
We continue to be friends with current and former firefighters. Recently we were contacted by multiple members who relayed the following incident to us because they absolutely thought it was wrong. Did they voice their disapproval? No. Why? They want to continue to be firefighters. There is a plaque that hangs in the fire hall. It has brass plates engraved with the names/years of service for each firefighter who has served 20 years or more. The current chief’s father retired this past November. His name is on the plaque. There were four other name plates finally engraved, one of which is my husband’s. He retired in April. When given to the current leadership at a recent meeting the chief said that two of them will never go on the plaque. Each one of our volunteer firefighters deserves respect and recognition for the job they perform and the risks taken to protect you and your families. Who do these “leaders” think they are?
Georgiann Musolf
Well said Georgian! I am not married to a fireman but do have a significant other that was ousted by our lovely administrator, mayor, and the current "chief". After 20 years of service he is black balled and now the Department is to respect there "chief" after a few years of service... If they want to talk about "Code of Ethics" and "Rules" they should follow the bi-laws as well, it states that after the age of 35 you can not apply to the fire department. The Kasson Fire Department had a member after creating all this tension and disrespect retire, he was paid in full and then just a couple months ago guess who is back on at the age of 57... Who exactly do these rules apply to? It is sad that "volunteers' that risk there lives for our community are no longer aloud to voice there opinion on anything, or they will be wrote up. After 20 years of service and plans of going 10 more he is told by current fireman that his name will not go on the plaque because he "disrespected" our current chief... Really, I think if you run for chief after 7 years of being on the department and have your dad help you get it, that is disrespect to your elders that have been on for years, that have a hell of allot more experience than him!
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