Ex-fire chief Howard removed from roster as a city volunteer firefighter

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Marlin Howard, former fire chief of the Bardstown Fire Department, told the council at its working session Tuesday that Chief Randy Walker had removed him as a volunteer with the department.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016, 11 p.m. — Former Bardstown Fire Chief Marlin Howard has been removed from the roster of volunteers who serve the Bardstown Fire Department by the department’s current Fire Chief Randy Walker.

Howard made the announcement at the end of the Bardstown City Council’s working session Tuesday evening.

“Chief Walker informed me Friday that he was removing me from the Bardstown Fire Department as a volunteer,” he told the council.

The reason for the removal was that Walker said he did not meet his expectations of a volunteer for run attendance. Howard said Walker cited two specific fire runs that Howard did not make.

Howard said he was unaware that the guidelines for volunteers the department had used for more than 20 years had changed. He said he understood that as chief, Walker could change those requirements.

Howard told the council that he asked Walker Friday to reconsider his decision and to let him know what his expectation were for a volunteer “so I could meet or exceed those expectations.”

“I met with him again on Monday, and he stayed with his decision to remove me from the department.”

Howard said he wasn’t seeking an appeal of Chief Walker’s decision, but was just there to inform the council.

“My desire to serve the residents of the City of Bardstown and the businesses is no less today than it was when I joined this department in 1991,” he said. “I want to live by the rules and I understand the rules, but I think this is unfortunate.”

Howard told the council  he had turned-in all of his city-owned property to the chief.

Mayor John Royalty said the decision wasn’t a city personnel action, but an administrative one by the fire chief.

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