AFTER THE CHIEF -- WHO
WAS THE LAST FIREFIGHTER
LEFT IN THE DEPARTMENT
--
UP AND QUIT.
HIS RESIGNATION CAME IN
THE WAKE OF AN
INSPECTION OF THE
SEVERELY
UNDERSTAFFED DEPARTMENT.
ON SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT --
NEWS 13 )S LYSEE MITRI
EXPOSES THE PROBLEMS THE
TOWN LEADERS, DON )T WANT
TO TALK ABOUT.
... John Kondratick,
interim State Fire
Marshal "Uh, it is
concerning"... ...Bill
Fulginiti, Executive
Director of NM Municipal
League "For 42 years,
I )ve never seen it
happen"... ...Peggy
Price, resident "I
wasn )t even aware of it
and I live right across
the street, so that )s
pretty alarming"...
IT )S A PUBLIC SAFETY
CONCERN THAT THE
GOVERNMENT
LEADERS IN THIS TOWN,
DON )T WANT TO ANSWER
QUESTIONS ABOUT.
REFUSING...
...No comment. No
comment...
OR JUST TURNING A BLIND
EYE.
...Mayor, I )m Lysee with
KRQE. We spoke over the
phone. Okay, we )re gonna
call this meeting to
order You don )t want to
talk about the fire
department?"...
THAT )S BOE
LOPEZ -- MAYOR OF
SPRINGER, IN
NORTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO.
THE TOWN OF
ABOUT A THOUSAND, GETS
MONEY FROM THE STATE TO
HELP RUN ITS VOLUNTEER
FIRE DEPARTMENT -- TO
KEEP PEOPLE SAFE...
(AND TO KEEP INSURANCE
RATES FOR RESIDENTS,
FROM
SKYROCKETING.
BUT, OVER THE LAST FEW
MONTHS, THE DEPARTMENT )S
HAD PROBLEMS...
(CULMINATING LAST MONTH
WITH THE RESIGNATION OF
THE FIRE CHIEF.
THAT LEFT SPRINGER WITH
A FIRE STATION... AND
(NO FIREFIGHTERS.
...Bill Fulginiti,
Executive Director of NM
Municipal League "It )s a
small village and the
number of
volunteers available is
really limited. So to
lose the ones they had,
I mean I never expected
to see them lose the
whole group"...
BILL FULGINITI IS THE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF
THE NEW MEXICO
MUNICIPAL LEAGUE.
THE NONPROFIT ADVISES
CITIES
AROUND THE STATE ON
GOVERNMENT ISSUES.
...Bill Fulginiti,
Executive Director of NM
Municipal League "I
think you will find that
it is unusual that you
would have all of your
volunteers go away. I )ve
been at this 42 years,
and I )ve never seen that
before"...
THE FIRST RED FLAG
POPPED UP IN AUGUST.
A STATE FIRE MARSHAL )S
OFFICE INSPECTION
FOUND 25 DEFICIENCIES
WITH THE SPRINGER FIRE
DEPARTMENT...
INCLUDING PROBLEMS WITH
RECORDKEEPING...
EQUIPMENT... AND
TRAINING.
ON TOP OF THAT... A
REPORT
FROM THEN-FIRE CHIEF
RICHARD WHITED NOTED HE
WAS THE (ONLY RESPONDER
IN THE DEPARTMENT --
THAT IS UNTIL HE
RESIGNED,
AT THE BEGINNING OF
needs to have enough
firefighters to make
sure at least four
trained members can
respond at any given
time.
( ( (SUPER/LYSEE ( ( (
It suggests having 12
volunteers total to meet
that minimum response
requirement."...
...John Kondratick,
interim State Fire
Marshal "We take fire
protection seriously. I
think the community of
Springer takes their
fire protection
seriously.
Unfortunately, um, you
know there )s a time
where um staffing levels
have dropped"...
WE SPOKE WITH INTERIM
STATE FIRE MARSHAL JOHN
KONDRATICK TWO
DAYS AFTER THE
RESIGNATION OF
SPRINGER )S CHIEF.
HE SAID THE TOWN WAS
WORKING ON AN AGREEMENT
WITH OTHER
VOLUNTEER DEPARTMENTS
IN THE AREA TO RESPOND
TO EMERGENCIES IN THE
MEANTIME,
BUT...
...John Kondratick,
interim State Fire
Marshal "It )s a
temporary measure. We
would like to see that a
community utilizing our
fire protection funds
and available funds be
able to obtain the
resources
necessary to provide
quality fire protection
to their community"...
SPRINGER GETS ROUGHLY
61-THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM
THE STATE )S FIRE
PROTECTION FUND.
HOW MUCH THEY GET... AND
HOW MUCH RESIDENTS PAY
FOR FIRE
INSURANCE -- ALL COMES
DOWN TO HOW
THEY )RE RATED BY THE
INSURANCE SERVICES
OFFICE. 1 IS THE BEST...
10 IS THE WORST.
...Lysee Mitri "The
state fire marshal )s
office says springer got
a rating of 6 back in
2017"... ...Lysee: If
they were to be surveyed
today, what would their
rating be? 17:14
...Peggy Price, resident
"I don )t want my
insurance to know that
probably you know, but I
know there )s a
shortage of people that
would even be able to
volunteer or that would
be qualified"...
PEGGY PRICE LIVES ACROSS
THE STREET FROM THE
SPRINGER FIRE STATION...
AND SAYS SHE HAD NO IDEA
THE FIRE CHIEF RESIGNED.
THAT )S WHAT CONCERNS
ANNA PHILLIPS ON THE
TOWN COUNCIL. SHE SAYS
SHE WANTS TO MAKE SURE
PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF THE
SITUATION.
...Anna Phillips,
Springer Trustee "It )s
absolutely important
because, um, the people
in this town don )t
really know what )s going
on."...
OVER THE PHONE LAST
MONTH...
MAYOR BOE LOPEZ TOLD US
HE HIRED AN INTERIM FIRE
CHIEF...
AND HAD PEOPLE APPLYING
TO VOLUNTEER AS
FIREFIGHTERS,
BUT HE WOULDN )T MEET FOR
AN INTERVIEW TO DISCUSS
HOW ALL
THIS HAPPENED -- AND HOW
HE )S GOING TO KEEP IT
FROM HAPPENING
AGAIN.
BEFORE A PUBLIC MEETING
IN SPRINGER... OTHERS ON
THE TOWN COUNCIL REFUSED
TO TALK... ...No
comment. No comment...
AND THE
MAYOR JUST IGNORED
QUESTIONS.
...Mayor, I )m Lysee with
KRQE. We spoke over the
phone. Okay, we )re gonna
call this meeting to
order
You don )t want to talk
about the fire
department?"...
HE ONLY TALKED ABOUT IT
DURING THE MEETING...
WHERE -- AGAIN -- HE
DIDN )T HAVE TO ANSWER
ANY QUESTIONS.
..."So the concern is
addressed. um we )re well
aware of it. The issue,
it was just the chief
resigned and so we )re
reorganizing and putting
together a group"...
MAYOR LOPEZ SAID
THE TOWN HAD A GOOD
TURNOUT AT A MEETING FOR
INTERESTED VOLUNTEER
FIREFIGHTERS.
...We will get our
meeting schedule set up
and continue on with
training and further
meetings"...
THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL )S
OFFICE SAYS IT WILL
LIKELY VISIT
SPRINGER LATER THIS
MONTH TO SEE IF THE
DEPARTMENT HAS CORRECTED
THE
PROBLEMS IT FOUND DURING
THE LAST INSPECTION.
...Jenell Ross "The
equipment and everything
is very poorly
maintained over there,
so is the office.
everything. It )s gonna
be a big process to fix
it up"...
BUT VOLUNTEERS ARE
STEPPING UP, AND PEOPLE
ARE HOPEFUL. ...Jenell
Ross "Anybody else that
would like to volunteer,
we would love to have
you."...
THE MEETING ENDED...
...Motion passes,
meeting adjourned"...
AND THE MAYOR WAS THE
FIRST ONE OUT OF THE
ROOM.
...Mayor, why don )t you
want to sit down for an
interview?... ON SPECIAL
ASSIGNMENT, LYSEE MITRI,
KRQE NEWS 13.
THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL )S
OFFICE SAYS SPRINGER HAS
SINCE RECRUITED 8
FIREFIGHTERS.
TO GET A GOOD RATING
FROM THE INSURANCE
SERVICES OFFICE...
THEY )LL HAVE TO MAINTAIN
THOSE VOLUNTEER NUMBERS
FOR A
COUPLE OF YEARS... WHEN
THEY )RE EXPECTED TO BE
SURVEYED AGAIN.
ADLIB TOSS TO WEATHER