Bruce Vaughan has 10 days to appeal the decision.
Chillicothe Fire Chief Bruce Vaughan has been officially terminated. On Tuesday, Mayor Jack Everson made the decision, which goes into effect on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Vaughan was suspended on allegations that the department was using expired air bottles. The mayor said that Vaughan was guilty of "incompetence, gross neglect of duty, and lack of leadership."
A report from the Loudermill Hearing on April 13th indicated that Vaughan said that, as chief, he was responsible for everything that happens in the department; however, he added that the firefighters' job description includes preventative maintenance and inspection of fire/EMS equipment. He also said that the firefighters were to report any issues up the chain of command, and that he would have taken action had he known about the issues with the air bottles.
In a letter to Vaughan, Everson wrote that, as chief, Vaughan was responsible for policies and procedures in the fire department: "Given Chief Vaughan's long career with the Chillicothe Fire Department, the implementation of a policy of routinely certifying safety equipment should be academic. Leaving this to chance and blaming the firefighters for the lapse merely reinforces these charges of incompetence, gross neglect of duty, and lack of leadership."
Vaughan has 10 days to appeal the termination to the Civil Service Commission. Jeff Creed has been appointed acting fire chief.
