Springfield fire chief's boast demands trustees' response

When a fire chief is accused of engineering a false 911 call to cover up a prearranged fire, the last words you would expect to hear from him are " ... it would take a lot more than this to get rid of me."
But that's what Chief Brian Hughes of Springfield Township said to a Vindicator reporter in commenting on the accusation stemming from a barn fire in April 2005. Hughes' pretrial is scheduled for March 7.
The chief contends he did nothing illegal, but acknowledges mistakes were made.
"If a certain entity would have made a phone call and talked to me, we could have had the whole thing resolved in 15 minutes," he said. Hughes added that he is not worried about losing his job over the charges because he has job protection. He did not elaborate.
But given the public boast about his job security, the chief's bosses, the three trustees of Springfield Township, have a responsibility to the residents to react to this specific claim.
Chairman Jim Holleran said the board had been instructed by the Mahoning County prosecutor's office not to comment about the Hughes case, but the issue of job protection isn't the basis of the charges that have been filed against the chief.
Beaver police
Indeed, the charges were brought by Beaver Township police, who dispatch for Springfield Township. Police Chief Carl N. Frost of Beaver Township said a fire captain, at Hughes' direction, had the owner of the barn report a structure fire when the fire was actually a controlled burn.
Frost said that no permits had been secured from the EPA as required for a controlled burn. He added that because the barn contained asbestos and tires, a permit would not have been issued.
Using the 911 emergency telephone system for a purpose other than obtaining emergency service is a crime. Because the charge is a misdemeanor -- it carries a penalty of 30 days in jail and a 250 fine -- there may be a willingness by some to shrug off what the fire chief is accused of doing.
But allegations of misuse of public property, especially against individuals in high public positions, cannot be taken lightly.
It is necessary that the case against Hughes be prosecuted to the fullest.
But that does not mean the comments he made with regard to his future job prospects are off limits. Indeed, the chief opened the door to the issue when he talked about it with a Vindicator reporter.
The trustees have a responsibility to tell the taxpayers whether the fire chief has the kind of sweetheart deal that he alluded to in the interview.
And if so, why they were so willing to give him what amounts to a no-fault contract.
Fire Capt. Charles Goddard was charged with making false alarms, a misdemeanor. If convicted he faces six months in jail and a 1,000 fine.