New Hope Firefighters Resign and Say Mayor is Undermining them
NEW HOPE, Tenn. (WDEF) – A group of firefighters in Marion County have had enough of what they say is mismanagement by their town’s mayor.
New Hope is a community of under a thousand people just across the Tennessee River from South Pittsburg.
Like many other small communities in our area, they have relied on a volunteer fire department for aid.
However, a group of eight firefighters resigned Monday as they say New Hope’s Mayor, Mark Myers, is actively interfering in their attempts to serve the community.
Robert Kortz, an ex-firefighter for the New Hope Volunteer Fire Department, said, “Less than a month ago, we got paged out to a fire out on the interstate. We got on the interstate, our truck got there first… We got called back and told we were all fired if we didn’t get back over here. We could’ve put the fire on the interstate.”
They say the request was not polite.
Another former firefighter, Brandon Gilliam, said, “The mayor called the Chief, and excuse my language, he said. “You need to bring my (expletive) equipment back and my (expletive) truck back or you’re fired!”
In addition to complaints about abusive treatment, the firefighters also allege that Mayor Myers has not provided the department with upgraded equipment, and that he is failing to insure both the department’s vehicles and providing workman’s compensation.
Kortz said, “They don’t have the gear for you! I had to take my own gear from South Pittsburg Mountain to respond. They don’t have no new gear whatsoever.”
They say that without them there, the New Hope area will not have any immediate first responders and will need mutual aid from other areas of the county.
However, only a chief or an officer can call in that aid, and the chief resigned with his company, meaning response times are likely to skyrocket in the area.
Former chief Jimmy Haley said, “We tried, we tried, and I want to apologize to them for not being able to carry on what we started. “
Others had a different message for New Hope citizens.
Kortz said, “They need to get rid of the mayor and get somebody who will help the people out.”
We reached out to Mayor Myers for comment but have not heard back.
He was not at City Hall when we went by Monday afternoon.
