By Leila Merrill
SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Summit County suspended the North Summit Fire District, KSL reported Monday.
Officials have made accusations of insubordination and dereliction of duty by the firefighters, and some describe their actions as a boycott.
“There is an organized effort by some of the firefighters to simply not take shifts,” said Summit County Manager Tom Fisher. “And they’re doing that because they have some level of grievance.”
A deputy chief serving as acting chief was dismissed last fall, and Fisher said that is related to the current issue. The latest acting chief stepped down after EMS providers responded to a shooting in Echo Canyon last week but the on-call firefighter did not respond. The shooting victim died.
The department is made up of volunteers who have other jobs and choose when they are on call. Some have firefighting jobs in other districts or cities, Fisher said.
The Park City Fire District is currently responding to calls in the North Summit Fire District. Both districts governing boards made an agreement Monday night for coverage to continue for 60 days, Fox 13 reported.