Firemen quench flames, thirst

JOHN MOORHOUSE 2010-06-22 Kelowna Daily Courier:
A decision by some members of the Oliver Volunteer Fire Department to take six kegs of beer from the fire-ravaged Mesa Hotel last month and open at least one up for their own consumption has left bitter feelings on town council. Mayor Pat Hampson said Monday although the firefighters paid the hotel owners for the beer, council was "astounded and distressed" at their poor judgment. An RCMP and internal investigation has begun and two firefighters have been temporarily suspended. The 98-year-old downtown hotel was gutted in a spectacular blaze on May 23.

Hampson said rumours of the beer‘s removal soon started circulating and were confirmed on June 9. "The fire chief advised us that three people on the fire department said, ‘Yes, we did remove the beer, and that was a stupid thing to do. We know we‘re not supposed to remove things from the fire scene,‘" Hampson said.The kegs were apparently transported by a private pickup truck to the fire hall, where at least one keg was tapped into. He said the town intends to address what he terms a "serious breach of discipline.""Their actions are a breach of trust for our residents, who deserve to expect that the fire department will safeguard their property as they would their own," he said.The mayor said he has heard a number of reasons for the beer removal, including that they could have been damaged when a backhoe arrived on scene to demolish the hotel‘s blackened remains.

A meeting between council and the entire fire department is scheduled possibly as early as this Thursday. With a police investigation underway, Hampson said council is wary of ordering any further disciplinary action at this time. In the meantime, a ban on drinking alcohol in any town building has been issued. The fire hall‘s bar area in future can only be used for occasional licensed social events. Hampson said he has also written a letter of apology to Don and Lisa Kazakoff, owners of the Mesa Hotel. He said the incident reflects on the whole town. "It‘s a huge black eye, and that‘s why it had to be jumped on very quickly," he said. "It‘s going to cause tension and probably some hard feelings between some members of the department and council." Hampson acknowledged some fire department members would have preferred to have seen the whole issue settled internally. "Apparently, they felt they had resolved it with the owners, because the owners were paid for the beer," he said.

Fire chief Dave Janzen could not be reached for comment Monday. News of the beer scandal comes on the heels of a June 13 slide that destroyed five homes and ruined orchards and vineyards next to Testalinden Creek south of Oliver. Hampson said the last few weeks have taken on almost biblical connotations. First the fire, then the slide and flood, and now the "locusts" in the form of this current controversy.
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Fire chief on a leave of absence in Oliver
Penticton Herald Wednesday, June 23, 2010
OLIVER–Dan Skaros has been named interim chief of the Oliver Volunteer Fire Department one day after allegations were revealed some members of the department are alleged to have removed beer kegs from the former Sage Mesa Hotel. Mayor Pat Hampson said Skaros, the deputy chief, is assuming the position because Chief Dave Janzen has decided to take a leave of absence. The decision comes after it was revealed Monday that firefighters took away six beer kegs from the debris at the hotel which was destroyed by a fire a massive fire on May 23. Police from Oliver re currently investigating a number of firefighters in regards to the removal of several beer kegs from the fire site on May 24, said Cpl. Dan Moskaluk in a news release. Moskaluk said police have been asked to examine the incident to determine whether or not a criminal offence occurred. Several people including fire department members have been interviewed. Findings from the investigation will determine if there is sufficient evidence for charges to be laid. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Oliver detachment at 250-498-3422 or via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Hampson said that in spite of what‘s happened town council has faith in the fire department and the job it does. “I know we‘re going to work through this and they‘re going to continue to perform the same way that they‘ve always performed, which is providing what I consider to be excellent fire protection and vehicle incident and medical incident response,” he said.