Hoyt Haney, chairman of the Board of Fire Control for the Kelly-Kelton Fire District, announced this morning Mark Bailey, an officer with Jonesville Police Department who previously served as a Kelly-Kelton firefighter, was appointed by the board as acting chief Tuesday night. Haney added Randy Maness, a deputy with the sheriff’s office and long-time Kelly-Kelton firefighter, was appointed acting assistant chief. The appointments must now be confirmed by the Union County Council and Haney said the board will send council a letter recommending their confirmation.
Bailey and Maness replace Kim and Dennis Hill who were fired by the board last week. The Hills were dismissed after months of contention and controversy between them and the board over a variety of issues including the board’s administration of the district and maintenance of the department’s vehicles and the proper equipment for firefighters.
The dismissal of the Hills also led to the resignation of four other firefighters which left the district with only six firefighters.
That number jumped to 18 Tuesday when Haney said a number of former firefighters signed up to rejoin along with new members. He said more than half of these firefighters already have their certification from the state and the rest are in the process of being certified. Haney said certification is required for a firefighter to be allowed to enter a burning building but not to fight fires.
Board Members
The board also appointed two new members Tuesday.
One was James R. Garner who Haney said replaces Betty Jo Taylor who has moved out of the district. Also appointed to the board was Maness who Haney said succeeds Ned Garner who had asked to be replaced. The appointments bring the board up to its full strength of six members.
Interest in serving on the board was high. Haney said the board received a total of 17 applications from people in Union and Jonesville.
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