Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
A fire chief in Florida has resigned amidst an investigation into his having allowed two relatives and a family friend to serve as volunteer firefighters despite their having been convicted felons.
Fire Chief Brad Hall of the Mexico Beach Fire Department had been on administrative leave pending investigations by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
Chief Hall’s nephew, Levi Wilson,23, was convicted of aggravated battery in 2009; his sister-in-law Stephanie McDonald Wilson,41, was convicted of cocaine possession and organized fraud; and firefighter Michael Brunson,55, who is Stephanie McDonald Wilson’s boyfriend, was convicted of drug dealing and grand theft.
The members are also under investigation for having falsified run sheets and attendance records in order to receive compensation of incidents they did not respond to.
Mexico Beach City Administrator Chris Hubbard has been granted authority over the fire department and a new hiring policy with background checks has been made mandatory.
