Richmond Fire Chief Resigns

by Greg Cryns

3/3/05

The Richmond Richmond Township Fire Protection District board of trustees voted 3-0 to sever the employment relationship with Fire Chief Dave Rudolph. According to Rudolph, the board gave him the choice to resign or be fired. He resigned on Tuesday, March 1. Paramedic Erin Arnold also resigned.

According to Board President Rich Jacobson the board offered Rudolph a two-month severance package with full benefits. Jacobson reported that the chief’s position would be temporarily filled by Assistant Chief Matt Amore.

The EMS board had suspended the paramedic licenses of both Rudolph and Arnold earlier this year. On January 12 at the regular board meeting, a letter was presented to the board from 14 firefighters that requested the resignations of Rudolph and Arnold. The board put any decision on hold at that meeting until the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was contacted about the issue. EMS directs the training for paramedics. Jacobson said that Rudolph completed forms later than required after ambulance runs. Arnold also signed the evaluation forms later than permitted. Later in January Arnold faced the board again for her participation in a medical response call in a second ambulance after her suspension.

Fire department trustee candidate Karla Thomas whose husband Kevin is a Richmond firefighter said, “It looks like the department will come back together now.”  According to Thomas, most or all of the members who threatened to quit will now come back to serve.