NORTH YARMOUTH, Maine — The North Yarmouth Town Hall meeting room was packed for Tuesday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting, largely by residents critical of the circumstances behind — and lack of action since — the abrupt departure last month of the town’s two fire-rescue department paramedics.
Jeff Toorish, a lieutenant medic with the department, resigned Dec. 11, 2014. Deputy Chief of Emergency Medical Services Bill Young was fired the same day. Both men claim town officials violated their civil rights.
Toorish said last month the departures came when disagreements escalated after the town prohibited firefighters from washing their private vehicles at the fire station.
Following an executive session before Tuesday’s meeting, board Chairman Steve Palmer read a statement addressing “a looming question as to what the board has done” in the matter.
The statement said the panel met with Town Manager Rosemary Roy and Fire-Rescue Chief Greg Payson on Jan. 13 “to discuss the circumstances that led to the separation of a member of the Fire-Rescue Department. The selectmen concluded that no action was warranted” by the board.
That conclusion drew fire from several members of the audience.
“It’s very discouraging to come to this meeting tonight and know that the Board of Selectmen has come out of an executive meeting and has decided to take no action when it’s an issue that could easily be solved through some kind of mediation,” Rob Haile of North Road, a lieutenant firefighter/EMT with the department, told the board.
He said he is embarrassed by what has happened to the town and its fire-rescue Department, noting “it’s not about car washes. What has been purported to be a personnel issue is quite obviously an issue of personalities.”
Palmer said “a lot of erroneous information (has) been circulated.”
“Anything we say is going to be criticized,” he said. “Anything we say is going to be regarded in some way as illegal. It is a personnel matter that started this whole issue, so we are bound to basically keep quiet. … I don’t know how best to reveal information without causing more insult or more trouble.”
Palmer said he believes “the truth will emerge, and it will prevail.”
Dixie Hayes of New Gloucester Road said she is glad Yarmouth is assisting North Yarmouth with paramedic services, “but given a choice of having highly competent, responsive people from my town coming to my home, or my mother’s home, as opposed to waiting an additional 15 or 20 minutes for Yarmouth to show up — for me, there’s no choice.”
She asked for “neutral mediation,” with everyone heard respectfully.
“What I really hope is that we model problem solving for our children,” Hayes said. “This is a problem, people. We all care about the town. Let’s get this straightened out.”
Last month, Roy said the car washes were prohibited until further review, after the town received complaints about the practice. Young emailed Roy on Nov. 30 about the situation, according to a Dec. 8 reprimand letter from Payson, who criticized Young for taking the dispute outside the department.
Palmer said Young sent him the email first, and that he forwarded it to Roy without notifying selectmen, because he considered the matter internal and selectmen are prohibited from having direct involvement with employees.
His reprimand letter to Young said employees cannot ignore the chain of command “unless authorized or an unexpected abnormal event occurs.”
It added that the “issue of employees going around their department head is not (taken) lightly,” noted a prior incident involving Young, and said a third would force “further action,” including demotion or firing.
Toorish said the letter was not signed, and questioned whether it was Payson who wrote it. Neither Payson, Palmer, nor Roy responded to that question.
A Dec. 11, 2014, meeting with firefighters and Roy failed to resolve anything, Toorish said, which is when he resigned and left the meeting. Soon after, Toorish said, Young told him Roy had fired him.
Since Young’s firing is a personnel matter, Roy and Palmer have said they cannot comment.
Young said Dec. 17, 2014, he was limited in what he could say under the advice of his lawyer, noting that “it’s not about the car washing. It never was about the car washing. It’s about respect, and our civil rights.”