Three months after she was dismissed from the training officer position at the Haines Borough Volunteer Fire Department, Jenn Walsh is returning as an EMT/firefighter.
Walsh, who has continued volunteering with the department since her dismissal in February, will start back on the job as a paid staff member Monday.
Interim manager Brad Ryan sent out a one-sentence email Wednesday about the hire. “The borough and (the Local 71 workers’) union agreed to reinstate Jenn Walsh as EMT/firefighter effective May 2, 2016,” Ryan wrote.
Ryan wouldn’t elaborate on why the borough decided to bring Walsh back. “We worked with the union, but I can’t really say anything other than that.”
The borough let Walsh go from the training officer position on Feb. 5 and has refused to provide a public explanation. Walsh was promoted from her EMT/firefighter job in August to replace longtime training officer Al Badgley. Her six-month probationary period was set to expire Feb. 24.
The move to dismiss Walsh provoked shock and anger from residents as well as volunteers on the fire and ambulance crews.
This week, department volunteers rejoiced over Walsh’s reinstatement.
“This is a win for our community,” said ambulance volunteer Meghan Elliott. “This decision only benefits everyone here.”
Volunteer Suzanne Vuillet-Smith, who has served on the ambulance crew for six years, said she “couldn’t be happier” about the decision to rehire Walsh.
“It’s inspiring for me because it’s been a very difficult time for all of us, not just me,” Vuillet-Smith said.
“Everyone knew her abrupt firing was wrong and that it was going to the union. She was told verbally (by former manager David Sosa) that if she took over the training officer position and if for some reason she didn’t make it through the probationary period, she would have her former position back.”
Kyle Fossman, who was hired to replace Walsh when Walsh moved into the training officer position, recently submitted his resignation with the borough, said interim manager Ryan.
“He has given notice. He is planning on being gone by the end of May,” Ryan said.
That leaves the borough with two EMT/firefighters until then, but no training officer. The borough hasn’t advertised for the training officer position. The municipality brought Badgley back as an “emergency fill-in,” Ryan said, but that is ending.
When asked why the borough hasn’t advertised for the job, Ryan replied, “We’re not ready to.” When pressed to say if the borough was intending to ever fill the position, he said, “We’re not sure right now what we are going to do with it.”
Volunteer Vuillet-Smith said the hire is tangled up in a labor law issue that needs to be fixed in borough code.
“There’s just been an enormous amount of, ‘We can’t advertise for any jobs at the fire department until they straighten out the code.’ And to straighten out the code, the assembly has to vote on it and discuss it, and that hasn’t happened,” Vuillet-Smith said.
Walsh declined comment for this story.
Local 71 union representative Tom Brice did not return a call for comment by press time Wednesday.