Fire company elects new officers

Two weeks after several board members resigned from the Berkeley Springs Volunteer Fire Company over an internal policy dispute, new officers have been elected to run the department.

During the regular business meeting on Monday, August 22, more than 40 members of the volunteer fire company voted to fill the open board positions. The board of directors manages the financial and organiza-tional side of the fire company.

Members chose Danny Clark as their new president, Eddie Fox as vice president, Dennis Kesecker as secretary and Allen Truax as member-at-large.

The officers will serve until the next regular election in January 2012, Kesecker said.

Spots left open
On August 8, then-board president Dennis Kesecker, vice president Jay McCarty, board member Marshall Younker and secretary Scott Lemon resigned their posts.

All but Lemon said they left the board because of friction with the line officers – those who run the firefighting operations — over use of the company’s non-emergency vehicles.

The former board
members said they had received complaints fromthe public and other fire
volunteers that the company’s two Suburbans appeared to be used for personal business or transportation by Chief J.J. Steiner and his son, Asst. Chief James Steiner.

Chief Steiner has defended his use of the Suburban, saying he often uses the vehicle during the work day to perform official business for the fire company, pick up supplies and assist the community with fire-related education or drills.

Board members and line officers have been unable to work together
to create or agree on a policy about acceptable vehicle use for company members.