By FireRescue1 Staff
WILSON, Wis. — Officials are debating whether or not to keep a fire chief who does not meet the town’s firefighting certification requirements.
Town of Wilson/Black River Fire Department Chief Brian Schmitt said he went through the certification classes, but never took the final exam. Due to a set of bylaws for the fire department, fire officers must have a certain certification, reported the Sheboygan Press.
During a board meeting Monday night, officials weighed whether a “letter of equivalency” from the Wisconsin Technical College System would suffice.
“This equivalency is something you can do in place of taking all the classes over and passing them,” Nancy DesJardins, a board member, said.
Board members also expressed concern over whether allowing Chief Schmitt to avoid taking the exam would be fair to other department members.
“We’re just trying to learn more about it at this point,” John Ehmann, the board chairman, said. “What does equivalency mean? Does it meet the standards that we want it to meet? And what’s all involved with that?”
Chief Schmitt was given until the end of the year to bring forward a letter of equivalency or meet the town’s certification requirements.