By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

            Longtime Bronson Fire Chief Dennis Russell was ordered by the town council Monday to continue on administrative desk duty until a doctor gives him official notice that he can return to fighting fires.

            Russell suffered a serious injury when a spider bit him on the foot while he was on vacation in December, resulting in surgery that removed a portion of the bottom of his foot. He is using an electronic healing device to speed up recovery.

            Town Manager Susan Beaudet suspended his firefighting privileges in a Jan. 3 email due to the seriousness of the injury and the fact that he had not fully recovered use of the foot.

            Russell responded to two recent fires, one involving his neighbor’s house and another on State Road 24 that he happened to be near when he was driving in his personal vehicle, and worked as an incident commander on both occasions.

            The fire chief appeared before the council hoping to overturn Beaudet’s suspension, arguing a doctor’s notice gave him permission to return to normal job duties. His only restrictions were he couldn’t lift more than 10 pounds or use heavy equipment.

            “The issue I’m having is I am being told that I cannot respond to calls.  In my doctor’s release, I was given – I sent it to Councilman Jason Hunt – I’ve been released for everything in my job except for two things. I can’t lift more than 10 pounds and can’t lift heavy equipment, like the backhoe and rotors, that kind of stuff. They asked me not to drive the fire truck. I agreed to it. I haven’t taken a fire truck to the scene,” Russell said.

            Beaudet said the doctor’s notice didn’t apply to firefighting.

            “I got a copy of his release from the doctor today. This is specific to his duties with the county,” said Beaudet. “It’s not written with his firefighting in mind. I don’t know if your doctor would put something in writing for firefighting.”

            Russell works as the maintenance director at the Levy County Department of Public Safety.

            Beaudet wrote an email on Jan. 3 suspending Russell from firefighting due to the seriousness of his injury.  

            Russell said he is going back to his doctor and will ask for something in writing that would give him the right to work at fire scenes as an incident commander, not as a firefighter. He said an incident commander doesn’t have to lift or drive anything. He gives commands to the firefighters.

            Mayor Robert Partin said the liability is too great to allow Russell back on firefighting duties unless he receives a doctor’s note saying he is ready for that kind of work.

            “Bring back something to us concerning your job with us, not your job with the county,” Partin said. “We had issues because you were out. Now you’re back part-time and can do some stuff. We need to have it spelled out because it’s pure liability plain and simple.”

            Councilwoman Sherrie Schuler said she was concerned that instincts might kick in if Russell was on duty as an incident commander and suddenly something had to be done that might cause a problem.

            “If he’s on the scene and other people are on the scene and something happens, it’s going to be natural you want to react. I would rather be safe than sorry,” she said. “I’m a teacher, even when I’m not in the classroom. I understand what he’s saying he could do. In a situation where something happens and he’s needed, you’re not going to think about those limitations, you’re going to react to do what you think is necessary and we’re going to be liable. That’s my two cents.”

            Town Attorney Steven Warm said he could see both sides but he said it’s not really something a lawyer can decide.

            “It’s a policy decision,” he said.

            “What Ms. Schuler said is absolutely true. There is a possibility that someone’s instincts will take over there at a fire and that could be a problem under certain circumstances,” Warm said. “He’s there and he’s got limitations and there’s then another person who doesn’t have limitations who might have been there but isn’t, and then if there a problem there could be complaints and issues.”

            Warm said he wasn’t discounting anything Russell said and he believes the fire chief was completely sincere, but he said ultimately the town manager is his direct supervisor and she answers to the town council. The decision on whether he returns to firefighting rests with the council.

            For many years before the council hired a town manager, Russell answered primarily to Councilman Jason Hunt who oversees the fire department. With Beaudet on board, she runs the city with council approval, and generally makes most of the decisions on a daily basis or takes matters to the board for a decision.

            Russell said he felt there was a conflict because he answers directly to Hunt who would criticize him if he felt something was wrong with how he operates the fire department, but now Beaudet is forbidding him to fight fires. Councilman Aaron Edmondson corrected Russell. He said Hunt alone has no authority to make decisions about the fire department. If Hunt has an issue with the department, he must consult the full board for a decision.

            “He’s in charge of the fire department and you deal with him one on one on some things, but overall you got to deal with all five of us because he can’t make a decision by himself concerning what we’re talking about now. He’s got to take it back to all of us,” Edmondson said.

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Town of Bronson Regular Meeting March 7, 2022; Posted March 8, 2022