Two Boardman firefighters disciplined

Staff report

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Two Boardman firefighters were each given 48 hours of suspension for working the shifts of another firefighter — who paid them to do so.

Harry Wolfe, president of the Boardman Firefighters Local 1176 International Association of Firefighters, and Tod Terlecki received discipline for receiving payment from Clifford Phillips, a former Boardman firefighter who was charged with complicity to compensation, a first-degree misdemeanor.

As part of a plea agreement, Phillips had to pay $52,416.40 in restitution to Boardman Township and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which he did Tuesday. Boardman’s share of $50,411.15 will go back into the general fund.

“It was costing the township money in the respect that we were paying for someone [Phillips] to be here and [he] was collecting benefits,” township Administrator Jason Loree said.

The long-term investigation was done by Boardman police with Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul Gains representing the township.

“We are working with the fire department right now to come up with language to prevent this in the future,” Loree said.

Due to collective bargaining, Loree would not comment further on how this will be prevented.

Firefighters are allowed to trade shifts, but in this case, there was a firefighter on “injured duty leave” who still agreed to work Phillips’ shift.

Phillips was paying the other firefighter to work his shift, “and injured duty occurred, [and] no one showed up,” Loree said.

Phillips resigned from the department before he was charged.

Wolfe will be suspended without pay four hours at a time up to 48 hours.

Terlecki will have two vacation days taken. Terlecki has been absent from work for a while because of an injury.

Loree said Terlecki “has exhausted all of the time made available to him,” so he is no longer receiving compensation for his injury.