Hannibal Fire Chief Tim Carter has been placed on administrative leave by the Fire Board. Councilman Jason Janes, who is a member of that three-person administrative body, confirmed Friday the action was taken during a special meeting of the board Thursday night.
“The chief is on administrative leave for an unspecified amount of time,” said Janes.
In late January, Carter served a three-day suspension. Details regarding the nature of the suspension were not made public.
As was the case earlier this year, Janes declined to provide any specifics regarding Thursday night’s action.
“It’s a closed personnel record. Out of respect for the employee it’s obviously confidential in nature,” he said.
Unlike earlier this year, when Carter was allowed to return to duty following the suspension, Janes would not address if Carter will be out as head of the fire department once the administrative leave concludes.
“I can’t confirm or deny any of that,” he said.
Janes reported that in Carter’s absence, Deputy Chief Bill Madore will serve as acting fire chief “until further notice when other decisions have been made.” Assistant Chief Mike Benjamin will be acting deputy chief.
Janes said the board’s action was not done lightly.
“It’s never an easy decision to make to put someone on leave, no matter what it’s for,” he said. “It’s never easy losing a guy - period. Any time you’re a man down it hurts everybody.”
A member of the HFD for almost 17 years, Carter was promoted to chief in September 2006. He had served as senior assistant fire chief for one year before being promoted to chief following the retirement of Gene Dryden.
City Manager Jeff LaGarce and Mayor Roy Hark, who is a former HFD chief, declined comment on the matter. LaGarce pointed out that the department answers to the Fire Board and not the city manager. That point was echoed by Janes.
“The overall management of the fire department falls on the fire chief, but as far as the legislative body goes, the buck pretty much stops with the Fire Board,” he said.
The Fire Board had just met last week. According to Janes, the decision was made at that gathering to have Thursday’s special meeting behind closed doors.
In recent months, Janes acknowledged that he has been meeting with various firefighters.
“Has that played a part in what’s gone on in the last 24 hours? I can’t say one way or the other. It’s a personnel issue and I can’t divulge any details,” he said. “Mainly my reason for visiting with the guys was to get the overall feel for how the department is going, how it’s being run, to see what their needs are and what they desire to see done over the future of the department.”
Despite the move involving Carter, Janes is upbeat about the department as a whole.
“The heartbeat of the department is strong. It’s alive and well. Those guys are trained professionals and I trust my life in their hands, that’s for sure,” he said. “I appreciate the time that they spend in their careers, not only training but getting the certifications that they need. I think they do a wonderful job from the chief on down. I think they’ve done some fantastic things.”
