AVERY — Volunteer firefighters in the Northeastern Lincoln County Fire District said they will stop answering fire calls because of a dispute over board members.
County Commissioner Don Sporleder said the county has control over the board, and he won’t recommend board members who aren’t willing to comply with the law.
In the meantime, about 225 homes in a 49-square-mile radius normally served by Avery firefighters will get fire protection from the surrounding communities of Agra, Kendrick, Stroud and Cushing, Sporleder said.
About the dispute The dispute started about two weeks ago when Sporleder sought to replace two board members. Sporleder, who was elected in November, said when he inquired about the board members, he was given five names — three board members and the names of one board member’s wife and his daughter-in-law.
"That didn’t seem right to me, so I started looking into it,” Sporleder said. The commissioner said the board must follow rules governing public bodies and that he would replace board members who are unwilling to follow rules governing public bodies.
Assistant Fire Chief Kyle Wolff said the board only had three members, and the women’s names were put on the list to force Sporleder to appoint new members. The two women are not board members, Wolff said.
Since then, Sporleder and the firefighters have been at odds. Sporleder removed one board member, re-appointed him and removed another.
The firefighters said they don’t want to work for board members who don’t value safety and aren’t interested in helping the volunteer department grow. Sporleder said he’s talked to more than 40 people who live in the area about joining the board, but few are interested.
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