By Dan O’Brien
The Union Leader Correspondent
WEARE, N.H. — Just days after serious allegations were made against the police department by a former sergeant, a fire department lieutenant is asking for the fire chief and two top firefighters to resign amid concerns about safety, certification and morale.
Fire Lt. Harold Lamb, 64, of Weare, announced his retirement at last night’s Board of Fire Wards meeting before calling on Acting Chief Raymond Eaton, Deputy Chief Robert Richards and Captain Scott Dinsmore to resign.
“There’s nothing I’d like better than continue to be an EMT,” Lamb said. “But somebody needs to take a stand and stop what’s going on.”
Lamb expressed concern about whether some emergency medical technicians are properly certified after they received training from a former Weare firefighter currently under investigation for falsifying EMT certifications.
After the meeting, Fire Lt. Dan Gorman identified the person under investigation as Leo Nault, a former local firefighter and EMT.
According to published reports, Nault and Mark Cullerton had their certifications permanently revoked in Massachusetts for falsifying EMT records and in some cases accepting money to do so, and are under investigation in New Hampshire as well.
Lamb said “probably 50 percent” of Weare’s EMTs were trained by Nault and asked the Board of Fire Wards if those EMTs posed a safety risk.
“Most of us have to testify Aug. 24, which is not a long time to prepare,” Lamb said.
Gorman disputed Lamb’s comments, saying the people who were trained by Nault are scheduled to be interviewed by authorities, not to testify in court.
“They were legitimate classes,” Gorman said. “They all went the required hours.”
Lamb also expressed worry over a call for a structure fire that occurred June or July, saying he could not recall the date, when a deputy chief changed the person in command of the situation without telling Lamb, who originally took command. Lamb said that created a safety hazard because firefighters were already in the building.
“A cardinal sin,” Lamb said. “Command is always transferred face to face.” Luckily, it turned out the building was not actually on fire.
Lamb also criticized Eaton for allegedly speaking down to firefighters wearing full equipment, saying he was “old school.” He also criticized Eaton for not being at the scene of two structure fires that occurred in the evening hours since May.
After the meeting, Eaton said he’s 79 years old and due to his age does not put on gear at fires and respond to fires at night. He’s currently serving his third term as fire chief. The town has switched chiefs numerous times over the past few years and Eaton serves as “acting chief.”
“I don’t even want this job,” Eaton said. “I’m holding the department together until they make up their mind about what they’re going to do.”
Lamb also said a sexual harassment complaint he filed over four years ago wasn’t handled properly by Eaton or the Board of Fire Wards. Eaton did not directly address the sexual harassment claim.
Meanwhile, in another room of the Town Office Building, Weare selectmen held a non-public meeting with Police Chief Gregory Begin last night. After a brief public meeting where selectmen signed bills and voted to promote a police officer from part-time to full-time, Selectmen Chair Tom Clow motioned to go into non-public session with Begin citing a personnel issue.
On Saturday, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported former police Sgt. Lou Chatel filed a complaint under a state whistle-blower law with the Department of Labor, alleging Lt. James Carney subjected him to harassment after Chatel resisted altering a police report and told authorities some officers were falsifying time cards while working paid details.
Chatel said Carney and Begin retaliated by launching a bogus child porn investigation into him after he took home pornographic materials in the midst of an child porn investigation.
Copyright 2010 Union Leader Corp.