Robbie Phelps Speaks Out; Chief, Trustee Share Opinions, Information
The Colchester Fire Department has had more fires smoldering in their own house lately than they've been putting out after contentions were brought forward to fire department trustees last month by firefighter Jared Dixon, who was recently appointed chief.
At a special meeting of the Colchester Fire Department (CFD) Thursday evening, trustees adjourned into executive session for roughly 10 minutes to discuss allegations of misuse of money, tools and fuel, as well as personnel matters.
At the heart of the controversy are brothers Robert (Robbie) and Michael Phelps. Robbie, who is the chief deputy for the McDonough County Sheriff's Office (MSCO), had been with the fire department for 26 years, and had served as chief for 10 years. Michael served as the assistant Emergency Medical Services (EMS) chief for nine years. Both men resigned in late June from the department. Newly- appointed Chief Jared Dixon brought forward allegations, reportedly from other members of the department, to the Board last month. Neither individual, nor any other member, has been charged with any wrongdoing.
According to Robbie Phelps, they plan on bringing a civil lawsuit against the department and the members of the department.
'Based on everything that has occurred, I believe this entire situation became a personal attack against myself and Assistant Chief Michael Phelps for reasons that remain unknown to me,' said Phelps, who shared more with The Community News Brief below. 'From my perspective, the manner in which these allegations were handled appeared to be intended to damage our reputations, end our service with the Colchester Fire Protection District and potentially jeopardize our full-time careers and professional standing within our respective professions.'
At the July 23 meeting, following the closed session, action included accepting Board Secretary Kory Nichols' resignation, and voting to move forward with an external audit. McDonough County Board Chair Eric Blakeley said he would be appointing a new trustee to fill the vacancy left by Nichols.
Acting Board Chair Mike Weaver said the trustees and members have been going through files, with the understanding that an external audit would be recommended if the job was too unwieldy and/or discrepancies were found.
'We said we would do our part, but if the magnitude of this or if a few discrepancies were found, we'd do an audit. At the advice of our attorney, Dustin Clark (of Bougher, Krisher & Clark of Macomb), he is going to hire, and work with, an external auditor on our behalf,' Weaver told the roughly 20 people present at Thursday's meeting. 'There were some discrepancies, but it could simply be the result of sloppy bookkeeping. That's why we need a professional to review everything.'
Weaver added he is also going to push for an audit on an annual basis.
Allegations Explained: A CFD Trustee's Perspective
According to Weaver, who has been serving as a Colchester Fire Protection District trustee since April, Dixon was serving as the spokesperson for others amongst a divided department, Weaver added.
'I believe, and this is just my opinion, members approached him (Dixon) with different allegations. One question was over the memorial fund, another member was questioning the fuel and someone else was questioning missing tools,' Weaver explained. 'I don't know if he was questioning any of it until he was approached by others. He compiled the list of allegations and brought it to the trustees. All I know is some of the members elected Jared to bring these accusations forward. And I have no idea where they were getting this information.'
When asked if there was any proof of wrongdoing by the Phelpses or any other member, Weaver said 'no.'
'How did they know that Robbie and Michael were responsible? That was my question. What was brought forward to us was month-to-month reports that indicated more fuel being used. But the 500-gallon bulk tanks, which are in an alley, had no meters and no locks. Therefore, I didn't understand where they were coming up with the fact that the chief and assistant chief were taking the fuel. There was no proof in that,' Weaver shared. 'Anyone could have rolled up to the tanks and taken fuel. There was no meter, no lock, no fence. Now; however, there is a meter on the tanks, they're locked, the power is shut off when not in use and there is a log book.'
As for the allegation of small hand tools that were missing from the department, Weaver said he's never seen an inventory list, and he has no idea where the members were getting their information that the tools were being used by the two men for their personal use. Weaver also recommended an inventory list for tools, which will be in place soon.
The fire department is composed of 15-19 volunteer firefighters, and is led by a volunteer board whose members are appointed by the McDonough County Board. Besides Weaver, other trustees include Joe Campbell, chair; Debbie Cale, treasurer; Nichols, secretary – until his resignation at Monday night's meeting, and Steve Altenbern.
The final – and most serious - assertion was that money was purportedly missing from the memorial fund account. Weaver said $2,500 was reported to have been missing, but since that initial report it has now been accounted for. Weaver added that the trustees have no idea who has had access to the account over the years as there were no checks-and-balances in place. He's working to change that and move the sole responsibility of department funds under the Board versus department members.
'There is no real undeniable proof that two people are responsible. There is no proof of wrongdoing pointed to any one or two people. There are only allegations or hearsay, and to me this isn't tangible proof,' Weaver stressed. 'However, as trustees, we must do our due diligence, and do our part to review files and receipts. Our fire department attorney and the McDonough County Board have provided guidance, and they're in support of the measures we've taken thus far.'
At this point, the trustees have been the only ones investigating the allegations, and Weaver pointed out, it appears to be a 'divided camp.'
'While I can't say there is any validity to any of the accusations at this point, it has raised questions, so we have to investigate this,' Weaver stressed. 'These are serious allegations against two people who have been a part of this department for many years, and my genuine concern is that we have lost a lot of experience there. My hope is that when all files are pulled and finances are gone through, everyone has receipts for everything and people move forward.
'My goal as a trustee from the get-go was transparency and I don't think there has been a lot of that between members and trustees,' he concluded. 'In a small department like this, that's ridiculous. We need to work together for a common cause. I just don't understand this split.'
Sharing His Side of the Story: Robbie Phelps Speaks Out
Phelps told the CND the alleged discrepancies involving department funds, fuel and tools were brought to light following an accidental personal Amazon purchase on May 25 for a pair of sunglasses and a sunglasses holder was mistakenly made using the fire department's account instead of a personal account. He said the purchase was immediately returned, documented and was going to be disclosed to the Board of Trustees at its June 10 meeting.
'Before that could occur, while we were on vacation, several department members initiated an unauthorized internal investigation into the leadership without Board approval, despite department policy assigning such investigations to the Board. A department member who had authorized access to the department email account received the Amazon receipt and became aware of the transaction. There was no unauthorized access to the account, nor was there any attempt to conceal the purchase. The matter was immediately brought to my attention, and I had intended to disclose the mistake to the Board of Trustees during the next regularly scheduled trustee meeting on June 10 so the Trustees would be aware of the accidental purchase and the corrective action that had already been taken,' Robbie stated. 'I was never provided the opportunity to present the matter to the Board, and at no time did a Board member or the Board secretary reach out to me to ask about this when Jared Dixon brought this forward.'
According to Phelps, the timing of these events is noteworthy. On May 18, one week before the accidental Amazon purchase, the department held its annual nominations and elections for the positions of chief and assistant chief. The members present were given the opportunity to voice concerns, nominate other candidates and express dissatisfaction with the current leadership.
'No member voiced concerns regarding either myself or Michael, and no one nominated another individual to replace them. Jared had expressed interest in the vacant fire assistant chief position and was elected to that office,' he noted. 'I also encouraged another individual to consider serving as chief because of the demands of my fulltime employment.'
Following the election of the chief, assistant chief, and two new captains, the department purchased various pieces of equipment for the officers, including helmets, helmet shields, accountability tags and other necessary items, he shared. Several of the vendors did not offer invoicing, and because the department did not possess a department-issued credit or debit card, the purchases were made using a personal credit card.
'This method of purchasing equipment had been routinely used for approximately three years with the knowledge and approval of the Board of Trustees. Rather than waiting until the next trustee meeting for reimbursement, the credit card balance was initially paid from the department's Memorial Account,' Phelps pointed out. 'The Memorial Account was then reimbursed from the department's primary operating account, consistent with the process that had previously been approved by the Board of Trustees. During that payment process, a personal charge was inadvertently included because the Memorial Account remained designated as the default payment method on the credit card account. Once the mistake was discovered, the funds associated with the personal charge were immediately repaid to the Memorial Account. At no time was there any intent to misuse department funds or deprive the department or the Memorial Account of money for personal benefit.'
As for the fuel, this also stemmed from long-standing department practices that were common among the membership, with numerous members routinely obtaining fuel from the department fuel barrel for legitimate department purposes, including traveling in personal vehicles to training, picking up department parts or equipment and performing other department-related business.
'This practice was not unique to me or to Michael, and had been routinely utilized by multiple members for years, including individuals who later participated in making these allegations. As shared by Trustee Weaver, the department's fuel barrel is not equipped with a metering system or any other accountability mechanism capable of identifying who dispensed fuel, when it was dispensed or how much was removed,' Robbie further went on to say. 'The fuel storage area is also accessible to numerous department members and, at times, members of the public. Consequently, there is no reliable method of determining who may have obtained fuel or when it was used, making it impossible to attribute any alleged discrepancy to any particular individual.'
The final allegation was that members alleged that they (he and Michael) were purchasing tools for personal use, Phelps said. However, all tools purchased during their administration, he stressed, were purchased for department business and had been approved by the Board of Trustees before acquisition.
'The department does not maintain a formal inventory of its tools, and many members are not aware of equipment purchases because they do not regularly attend Board of Trustee meetings where such purchases are reviewed and approved,' he added. 'It has also been common practice for many years for department members to borrow department-owned tools for personal or department-related projects and return those tools upon completion. This practice has been followed by numerous members and was not exclusive to us.'
Phelps said he doesn't know what happened between the members to lead to this investigation because, to his knowledge, there were no underlying conflicts or concerns involving the department's leadership before these events occurred. He said when he and his brother departed for vacation, things within the department appeared to be positive, and no concerns had been raised during the recent officer nomination and election process. Upon his return from vacation, he learned of the allegations, and as a result, he chose to resign from his position as fire chief because he no longer believed he could effectively lead the department under the circumstances that had developed.
'The actions taken by certain members of the department, including what I perceived as backstabbing, acts of insubordination and a complete breakdown of trust within the membership, left me without confidence that I could safely and effectively perform the duties of fire chief,' he said. 'The position of fire chief requires mutual trust and confidence between the chief and the members who are expected to follow his direction, particularly during emergency incidents where decisions must be made quickly and without hesitation. Once it became apparent that certain members no longer trusted my leadership or judgment, I concluded that I could not, in good conscience, continue serving in that role.
'Likewise, because of the manner in which these events unfolded, I no longer had the level of trust in certain members that I believed was necessary to safely lead the department,' Phelps said. 'In my opinion, a lack of mutual trust between a fire chief and the membership creates an unnecessary safety risk that could place firefighters and members of the public in danger. Those circumstances ultimately led to my decision to resign. I did not remain in the position to publicly challenge the allegations because, by that point, the working relationship necessary to effectively lead the department had been irreparably damaged. My decision to resign was not an admission that the allegations were true or that I agreed with the manner in which they were handled. Rather, I believed that without the confidence and trust of the membership, I could no longer fulfill my responsibilities as fire chief in a manner that ensured the safety of everyone involved. After careful consideration, I determined that resigning was the most appropriate course of action under the circumstances.'
Phelps said resigning was one of the hardest decisions he's ever had to make, particularly after devoting 26 years of his life to the department.
'Throughout my tenure, I always attempted to act in what I believed to be the best interests of the department, its members and the community we served,' he said. 'The mistakes that have been discussed were inadvertent, were corrected immediately upon discovery and were never made with any intent to obtain personal financial gain or deprive the department of its funds or property. Actions taken by certain members of the department undermined the fairness and integrity of the process. My understanding is that private meetings were held at a department member's residence, where only selected members were invited to participate, while others were intentionally excluded.
'Despite everything that has occurred, I remain proud of the years I dedicated to the Colchester Fire Protection District and the service that I provided to the community,' Phelps concluded. 'I stand by my record of service and maintain that I always acted in good faith and in what I believed to be the best interests of the department.'
Newly-Appointed Chief Jared Dixon Explains Circumstances, Goals Moving Forward According to Dixon, who is a full-time deputy with the MSCO, multiple members of the department approached him shortly after his promotion to assistant chief with concerns related to an abnormally high volume of fuel and diesel fluid usage, as well as equipment that had been previously purchased that could not be accounted for and unusual purchases on the department’s Amazon account. As those concerns grew, Dixon told The Community News Brief that he helped organize the information and presented it to the Board of Trustees so it could be reviewed.
'My goal was not to accuse anyone publicly, but to ensure the trustees were aware of the concerns and could investigate them appropriately,' he explained. 'I also worked to develop methods of accountability moving forward so these issues did not happen in the future. Once the concerns were formally presented, the Board began looking into the issues and I began developing means to ensure the discrepancies could never happen again.'
Dixon stated that members had made observations, along with discrepancies in financial records and documentation that he and others believed warranted review. The purpose of bringing these concerns to the trustees was to have them independently evaluated rather than ignored, he pointed out.
'Addressing these concerns were not intended to target anyone due to the lack of concrete information, but more so to address flaws in the system and how to fix them moving forward,' Dixon stressed. 'It wasn’t until the extent of the issues that were uncovered and documentation present that concerns on certain individuals came to light.
'The information provided to the Board included documentation and records that we believed justified further investigation. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the trustees, auditors, attorneys and law enforcement, if involved, to determine what the evidence establishes,' he noted. 'I believe it is important to allow those processes to run their course rather than to make personal speculations.'
While some believe the department wanted a change in leadership, Dixon said that while members did not want a change in leadership at the outset, they simply wanted changes to happen within the fire department operations for greater accountability and transparency. Members had recently voted Robbie Phelps to a five-year term as chief, and Michael Phelps to a three-year term for assistant Emergency Medical Services (EMS) chief. Dixon claimed it was only after the allegations were brought forward that the former chief refused to speak with him and other members on how to move forward, and then resigned from the position. His brother followed soon after with his resignation.
Dixon has been a member of the Colchester Fire Protection District since October 2018. He served as a captain under the Phelpses for several years before being promoted to the assistant fire chief. He was recently elected chief by the membership, which was approved by the Board of Trustees.
'My focus is on rebuilding trust, improving communication, strengthening training, supporting our firefighters and EMTs and ensuring accountability and transparency in every aspect of the department. I want our members to feel supported and our community to have confidence that we are serving them with professionalism and integrity,' he said. 'My command staff and I have been working to completely rebuild our training schedule to improve on fire and EMS training to better serve the community. We have reorganized our fire department meetings to allow all of the members to have an opinion and to be involved with and informed on the direction and future of the department. We are also working to improve communication and relations with the Board of Trustees so they are familiar with our operations and are in the know on what is truly going on inside the department.
'Transparency begins with strong policies, accurate recordkeeping, proper oversight, open communication with the Board of Trustees and compliance with applicable laws and department policies,' Dixon added. 'My goal is to foster a culture where questions can be raised without fear, concerns are addressed promptly and decisions are made appropriately and are well-documented.'
Final Thoughts: County Board Chair Eric Blakeley
'This has been a very one-sided situation from the start. There were lots of discussions about various allegations brought forward by the public and members of the FD, but none of the allegations have been 100% proven against either party involved, to date,' Blakeley said.
'I give the trustees a lot of credit,' he added. 'This is a volunteer group of five people. They are working through a large amount of paperwork, trying to prove, or disprove, if these allegations are real or false, and it's a large undertaking.'
