ROGERSVILLE, Mo. — A longtime fire chief could lose his job after a fire board decided to make his job full-time and salaried.
KY3.com reported that Richard Stirts, part-time chief with the Logan-Rogersville Fire Department, has been with the department for more than two decades and is responsible for expanding the department as the community continues to grow.
“Where we’re at today, I’m going to carry on. I’m still working on collective bargaining. I’m still working on putting a new station in Rogersville. We’re still doing everyday operations here, so that’s a confusing message,” Chief Stirts said.
Stirts was told this week, after a closed board meeting, that he would have to reapply for his job. The board voted 2-3 to hire a full-time chief. They also voted to open his job up to other candidates.
“For all these years, I’ve been doing the work of a full-time chief, just not getting the pay, so, when all this passed, it just made sense I would roll right into becoming the chief,” Chief Stirts said.
Chief Stirts, who also works for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said it’s his goal to be at the department full-time and is planning to apply for the job.
“Firefighting is a young man’s job, and it takes wise people to look after those people with experience and education to make sure people are not put in harm’s way. I’ve been a part of the Joplin tornado, the 2007 ice storm. I’ve managed some of the biggest incidents in the state of Missouri and feel I’m more than qualified to handle those situations,” he said.