Klamath County Fire District #3 Will Keep its Doors Open in the Wake of Fire Chief Termination Turmoil

KLAMATH COUNTY, Ore. — Budget shortfalls and the inappropriate use of grant money have led to the termination of the Klamath County Fire District #3 Fire Chief, Christine Friend.

Following her termination, four members of staff resigned. They included the former Fire Chief’s partner, Michael Shults, and her two sons who were also employed by the district.

Despite the turmoil created by the loss of staff and the termination of the Fire Chief, interim Fire Chief Nate Hussey says the fire station doors remain open to provide a fire and ambulance service to eastern Klamath County, adding that his crew is determined to continue operating.

Christine Friend’s position as Fire Chief ended on August 15 following concerns raised the previous month by staff members.

The Fire District is Trying to Resolve Various Problems

Meanwhile, Fire District #3 has been trying to sort out various problems since Friend’s departure.

A cellphone number used by other districts and emergency managers to contact the Klamath County fire station is disconnected. The newly appointed district board president, Dan Hudson, explained that the cell phone number was assigned to the fire chief and became disconnected for unknown reasons after she turned it in.

The other problem facing Klamath County Fire District #3 is the ‘loss’ of control of its Facebook page. On August 19, Board member Dennis Worden posted on the page, saying it ‘is not currently under the control’ of the fire district. He called for patience, adding that they were trying to resolve the problem.

Hudson says Friend, Worden, and himself were moderators of the page and that Friend had refused to relinquish her role when approached, adding that the page belonged to her.

Hudson says the fire district’s finances were under review by the board. The finances were previously controlled by the Fire Chief, and Hudson admitted the board is ‘struggling’ to decipher where funds have been spent, and ‘other issues.’

Public Complaints about Lack of Transparency

Hudson concedes that Fire District #3 has come under attack by the public for lack of transparency. He says Mike Shults, the previous president, and Christine Friend, as Fire Chief, never posted agendas. Budgets. Or minutes on the website.

Helen Petersen of Chiloquin has questioned how the board can operate without policies, bylaws, or dates of meetings. She says the board has refused to be accountable to the community that it serves.

Conclusion

Hudson has confirmed that the next board meeting will be at 5 p.m. on September 20.

He has confirmed that the former fire chief has called for a review of her termination and adds that the district attorney is assessing the review.