FREEPORT, Fla. — A letter ruling that a volunteer fire chief in Fla. was not a certified firefighter showed up at the mayor’s office about two weeks after he admitted it to investigators, a new report said Wednesday.
Chief Ben Greenslait was originally certified as a firefighter in 1989, but investigators believe his certification lapsed because he could not prove that he was a firefighter from 1995 to 2004, according to the Northwest Florida Daily News.
“I have come to the conclusion that... Greenslait’s minimum standards certification had probably expired before he was accepted as a volunteer by Freeport in March 2004,” investigator Tuffy Dixon wrote in the report.
Chief Greenslait has been chief of the Freeport Fire Department since 2008, and in his application for the position, he said he had been working with the department since 1999.
After the city received the letter, Chief Greenslait was assigned to administrative duties, the News said.
The Bureau of Fire Standards and Training began investigating Chief Greenslait when a former firefighter made a complaint, but Freeport city council members are defending him, questioning what evidence showed he was not a volunteer in 1999.
“We need to do everything we can to back him up,” said Councilman Charlie Simmons. “He’s the best chief we’ve ever had.”
In the report released by the bureau, Dixon described verbal and written testimonial supporting both claims.
Robin Haynes, Freeport’s city clerk, said the state’s process for verifying a firefighter’s certification seemed to be based on the “honor system.”
Chief Greenslait said he has not decided whether to appeal the state’s decision.
“I have a lot of unanswered questions,” he told the News.