SALEM LAKES, Wis. — The internal situation inside the Salem Lakes Fire Department has escalated, with a second high-ranking official now placed on leave as an ongoing investigation continues behind closed doors.
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Shady Lawn Apartments, 1615 60th St. Structure Fire Driday Evening(Photo by Incident Response) KENOSHA, Wis. — One resident was transported to a hospital for evaluation and a Kenosha firefighter suffered a very minor injury after a working fire broke out Friday night at Shady Lawn Apartments, 1615 60th St., prompting a large emergency response as residents fled the three-story apartment building. Scott Krueger
Twin Lakes Police Department(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye) TWIN LAKES, Wis. — A 24-year-old Beloit man has been charged in Kenosha County with two Class D felony counts of possession of child pornography after investigators say a Snapchat account tied to him uploaded two videos depicting child sexual abuse material while the account was being used in Twin Lakes. Jacob
Christina R. Amann, 41, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 41-year-old Kenosha woman accused of repeatedly stalking and harassing another woman, including allegedly threatening to kill and murder her, was ordered held Friday on $3,500 cash bail by Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release” Kellum. Christina R.
Matthew Phillipp Sass, 45, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 45-year-old Kenosha man accused of driving drunk, turning in front of another vehicle and repeatedly trying to drive away after the ensuing crash was charged Friday with felony operating while intoxicated causing injury as a second or
Melissa L. Rieman, 32, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 32-year-old Kenosha woman is facing two domestic abuse charges after police say she battered another woman, pulled a large kitchen knife and threatened to kill both the woman and a man during an alcohol-fueled disturbance inside a
Mario Moreno Jr., 27, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Officer) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 27-year-old Kenosha man accused of strangling his wife during two separate domestic violence incidents just one week apart was ordered held Friday on $7,500 cash bail. Mario Moreno Jr., 27, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Officer) You must
Ethan J. Sellno, 18, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — An 18-year-old Kenosha man is facing four felony charges after prosecutors say he led Pleasant Prairie Police on a high-speed chase that reached approximately 97 mph, drove into oncoming lanes and ignored a passenger who repeatedly told him
Jacob M. Johnson, 33, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A high-risk sex offender who was arrested just one day after being released from prison is now facing two new felony charges after prosecutors say he strangled and repeatedly bit another inmate inside the Kenosha County Detention Center.
Shady Lawn Apartments, 1615 60th St. Structure Fire Driday Evening(Photo by Incident Response) KENOSHA, Wis. — One resident was transported to a hospital for evaluation and a Kenosha firefighter suffered a very minor injury after a working fire broke out Friday night at Shady Lawn Apartments, 1615 60th St., prompting a large emergency response as residents fled the three-story apartment building. Scott Krueger
Twin Lakes Police Department(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye) TWIN LAKES, Wis. — A 24-year-old Beloit man has been charged in Kenosha County with two Class D felony counts of possession of child pornography after investigators say a Snapchat account tied to him uploaded two videos depicting child sexual abuse material while the account was being used in Twin Lakes. Jacob
Christina R. Amann, 41, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 41-year-old Kenosha woman accused of repeatedly stalking and harassing another woman, including allegedly threatening to kill and murder her, was ordered held Friday on $3,500 cash bail by Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release” Kellum. Christina R. Amann is charged with felony stalking, misdemeanor computer message-threaten injury or harm and
Matthew Phillipp Sass, 45, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 45-year-old Kenosha man accused of driving drunk, turning in front of another vehicle and repeatedly trying to drive away after the ensuing crash was charged Friday with felony operating while intoxicated causing injury as a second or subsequent offense. Matthew Phillipp Sass, 45, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) You must
Melissa L. Rieman, 32, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 32-year-old Kenosha woman is facing two domestic abuse charges after police say she battered another woman, pulled a large kitchen knife and threatened to kill both the woman and a man during an alcohol-fueled disturbance inside a Kenosha home. Melissa L. Rieman, 32, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) You must
Mario Moreno Jr., 27, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Officer) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 27-year-old Kenosha man accused of strangling his wife during two separate domestic violence incidents just one week apart was ordered held Friday on $7,500 cash bail. Mario Moreno Jr., 27, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Officer) You must be logged in to view the rest of this article.
Ethan J. Sellno, 18, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — An 18-year-old Kenosha man is facing four felony charges after prosecutors say he led Pleasant Prairie Police on a high-speed chase that reached approximately 97 mph, drove into oncoming lanes and ignored a passenger who repeatedly told him to stop. Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release” Kellum set Ethan J. Sellno’s
Jacob M. Johnson, 33, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A high-risk sex offender who was arrested just one day after being released from prison is now facing two new felony charges after prosecutors say he strangled and repeatedly bit another inmate inside the Kenosha County Detention Center. Jacob M. Johnson, 33, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) You must be logged
Richard J. Vannucci, 50, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 50-year-old homeless Kenosha man accused of starting a three-foot-high fire outside the Kenosha Public Library Southwest so he could cook a steak — and later being caught with a concealed knife despite a prior felony conviction — was released Friday on no-cash bail by Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release”
KENOSHA, Wis. — The Kenosha County Food Bank announced it will dissolve and cease operations by the end of 2026, a surprising development that comes just months after the organization touted a new strategic partnership designed to strengthen its operations — and after its most recent federal tax filing showed more than $281,000 in net assets, no liabilities and a financial surplus. The
KENOSHA, Wis. — A Kenosha family is asking the community for help after Cole Tomassetti suffered a catastrophic medical emergency that nearly took his life and required emergency open-heart surgery. Tomassetti’s wife, Ashley Tomassetti, said her husband was rushed into surgery after suffering an aortic dissection — a dangerous condition involving a tear in the body’s main artery carrying blood away from the
KENOSHA, Wis. — Downtown Kenosha will turn into a Halloween destination Saturday, Oct. 24, with a full day of family activities, trick-or-treating, live music and a new nighttime Zombie Bike Crawl and Block Party. The City of Kenosha and Lakeshore Business Improvement District are teaming up for the daylong celebration, beginning with the Fall Into Fun Fest from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Westosha Central High School Head baseball Coach and Physical Education Teacher Jacob “Jake” Morman SALEM, Wis. — Complaints about Westosha Central High School head baseball coach and physical education teacher Jacob “Jake” Morman stretch back nearly seven years, according to hundreds of pages of school records obtained by the Kenosha County Eye. The records show parents repeatedly went to administrators with concerns about
WHEATLAND, Wis. — After encountering fierce local opposition and withdrawing its local applications, Robin Energy Storage LLC has now taken its controversial 200-megawatt battery storage project to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, seeking state approval for the massive facility proposed on agricultural land in the Town of Wheatland. The Sept. 30 filing marks a major new chapter in a fight that has played
Phenex Q. Toppel, 24, of Antioch, Illinois(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — Phenex Q. Toppel, 24, of Antioch, Illinois, was charged Thursday with 14 felony counts of possession of child pornography after investigators say he admitted viewing child sexual abuse material and showing an image to another person online. Kenosha County Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release” Kellum set Toppel’s bail at
Stevie Lorraine Bass, 39, of Zion, Illinois(Lake County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — ClearSky Rehabilitation Hospital of Kenosha CEO Josh Luke fired employee Stevie Lorraine Bass, 39, of Zion, Illinois, after she allegedly spent about $5,000 on a company credit card, including at least $2,500 to pay her own personal bills and additional money at a local tavern, according to information obtained by
Timothy M. Bilger, 47, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 47-year-old Kenosha man whose child pornography jury trial was canceled last month after his attorney told a judge he underwent emergency surgery and was hospitalized was hit with 11 additional felony child pornography charges Thursday after investigators said a deeper examination of his electronic devices uncovered numerous additional images and
Alan B. Chavours Jr., 31, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 31-year-old Kenosha man accused of choking his wife, repeatedly attacking her and slapping his 13-year-old stepdaughter after the girl called 911 was charged Thursday with 10 criminal counts, including five felonies. Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release” Kellum set Alan B. Chavours Jr.’s cash bail at $2,000 during his
Courtney E. Lewis, 41, and Dionte A. Holmes, 43, both of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — Two repeat offenders accused of engaging in oral sex inside the Kenosha Metra Station were released Thursday on no-cash bail by Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release” Kellum. Courtney E. Lewis, 41, and Dionte A. Holmes, 43, both of Kenosha, are each charged with lewd
KENOSHA, Wis. — A Pleasant Prairie woman who admitted to having her husband’s dog euthanized behind his back was sharply rebuked by a Kenosha County judge Wednesday, with the judge saying she believed the killing was done to punish the woman’s then-husband — but the tongue-lashing didn’t translate into jail time or probation. Maura A. Atwood, 33, pleaded guilty Wednesday to intentionally mistreating
Alison Ann Kraft, 44, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 44-year-old Kenosha woman accused of biting a police officer hard enough to break his skin and send him to the hospital, resisting arrest and trying to escape from a squad car was given only a $500 cash bail Wednesday by Kenosha County Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release” Kellum. Alison
Tiwana Shunelle Morrison, 46, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) Tiwana Shunelle Morrison, 46, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 46-year-old Kenosha woman accused of kicking a Kenosha County Sheriff’s deputy in the groin and repeatedly threatening that officers would die was released Wednesday on no-cash bail by Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release” Kellum. The decision underscores what has become
Qushawn L. Hawkins, 31, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 31-year-old Kenosha man accused of repeatedly strangling the mother of his child, threatening to kill her and then taking off in a vehicle without permission was charged Wednesday with seven crimes, including three felonies. Kenosha County Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release” Kellum set Qushawn L. Hawkins’ cash bail at
Shawn Michael Boone, 45, of South Milwaukee(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 45-year-old South Milwaukee man accused of threatening to kill Kenosha police officers was arrested Tuesday on a “BODY ONLY” warrant — an order specifically requiring that he be taken into physical custody and brought before the court rather than simply being given another court date. One day later, Wednesday,
Shady Lawn Apartments, 1615 60th St. Structure Fire Driday Evening(Photo by Incident Response) KENOSHA, Wis. — One resident was transported to a hospital for evaluation and a Kenosha firefighter suffered a very minor injury after a working fire broke out Friday night at Shady Lawn Apartments, 1615 60th St., prompting a large emergency response as residents fled the three-story apartment building. Scott Krueger
Twin Lakes Police Department(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye) TWIN LAKES, Wis. — A 24-year-old Beloit man has been charged in Kenosha County with two Class D felony counts of possession of child pornography after investigators say a Snapchat account tied to him uploaded two videos depicting child sexual abuse material while the account was being used in Twin Lakes. Jacob
Christina R. Amann, 41, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 41-year-old Kenosha woman accused of repeatedly stalking and harassing another woman, including allegedly threatening to kill and murder her, was ordered held Friday on $3,500 cash bail by Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release” Kellum. Christina R. Amann is charged with felony stalking, misdemeanor computer message-threaten injury or harm and
Matthew Phillipp Sass, 45, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 45-year-old Kenosha man accused of driving drunk, turning in front of another vehicle and repeatedly trying to drive away after the ensuing crash was charged Friday with felony operating while intoxicated causing injury as a second or subsequent offense. Matthew Phillipp Sass, 45, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) You must
Melissa L. Rieman, 32, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 32-year-old Kenosha woman is facing two domestic abuse charges after police say she battered another woman, pulled a large kitchen knife and threatened to kill both the woman and a man during an alcohol-fueled disturbance inside a Kenosha home. Melissa L. Rieman, 32, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) You must
Mario Moreno Jr., 27, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Officer) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 27-year-old Kenosha man accused of strangling his wife during two separate domestic violence incidents just one week apart was ordered held Friday on $7,500 cash bail. Mario Moreno Jr., 27, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Officer) You must be logged in to view the rest of this article.
Ethan J. Sellno, 18, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — An 18-year-old Kenosha man is facing four felony charges after prosecutors say he led Pleasant Prairie Police on a high-speed chase that reached approximately 97 mph, drove into oncoming lanes and ignored a passenger who repeatedly told him to stop. Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release” Kellum set Ethan J. Sellno’s
Jacob M. Johnson, 33, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A high-risk sex offender who was arrested just one day after being released from prison is now facing two new felony charges after prosecutors say he strangled and repeatedly bit another inmate inside the Kenosha County Detention Center. Jacob M. Johnson, 33, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) You must be logged
Richard J. Vannucci, 50, of Kenosha(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — A 50-year-old homeless Kenosha man accused of starting a three-foot-high fire outside the Kenosha Public Library Southwest so he could cook a steak — and later being caught with a concealed knife despite a prior felony conviction — was released Friday on no-cash bail by Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release”
KENOSHA, Wis. — The Kenosha County Food Bank announced it will dissolve and cease operations by the end of 2026, a surprising development that comes just months after the organization touted a new strategic partnership designed to strengthen its operations — and after its most recent federal tax filing showed more than $281,000 in net assets, no liabilities and a financial surplus. The
KENOSHA, Wis. — A Kenosha family is asking the community for help after Cole Tomassetti suffered a catastrophic medical emergency that nearly took his life and required emergency open-heart surgery. Tomassetti’s wife, Ashley Tomassetti, said her husband was rushed into surgery after suffering an aortic dissection — a dangerous condition involving a tear in the body’s main artery carrying blood away from the
KENOSHA, Wis. — Downtown Kenosha will turn into a Halloween destination Saturday, Oct. 24, with a full day of family activities, trick-or-treating, live music and a new nighttime Zombie Bike Crawl and Block Party. The City of Kenosha and Lakeshore Business Improvement District are teaming up for the daylong celebration, beginning with the Fall Into Fun Fest from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Westosha Central High School Head baseball Coach and Physical Education Teacher Jacob “Jake” Morman SALEM, Wis. — Complaints about Westosha Central High School head baseball coach and physical education teacher Jacob “Jake” Morman stretch back nearly seven years, according to hundreds of pages of school records obtained by the Kenosha County Eye. The records show parents repeatedly went to administrators with concerns about
WHEATLAND, Wis. — After encountering fierce local opposition and withdrawing its local applications, Robin Energy Storage LLC has now taken its controversial 200-megawatt battery storage project to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, seeking state approval for the massive facility proposed on agricultural land in the Town of Wheatland. The Sept. 30 filing marks a major new chapter in a fight that has played
Phenex Q. Toppel, 24, of Antioch, Illinois(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — Phenex Q. Toppel, 24, of Antioch, Illinois, was charged Thursday with 14 felony counts of possession of child pornography after investigators say he admitted viewing child sexual abuse material and showing an image to another person online. Kenosha County Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release” Kellum set Toppel’s bail at
Stevie Lorraine Bass, 39, of Zion, Illinois(Lake County Sheriff’s Office) KENOSHA, Wis. — ClearSky Rehabilitation Hospital of Kenosha CEO Josh Luke fired employee Stevie Lorraine Bass, 39, of Zion, Illinois, after she allegedly spent about $5,000 on a company credit card, including at least $2,500 to pay her own personal bills and additional money at a local tavern, according to information obtained by
51 Responses
It’s almost like if you pay attention, there’s not 1 honest one anymore.
Follow the money.
Wipe the slate
To wipe the slate clean you would have to keep wiping until humanity is erased. Time to start over…
This is the worst kept story in SLFD. They were (pick your term) dating, a couple, bed buddies, friends with benefits. They showed up at night in a department vehicle together. They talked bad about the chief whenever he wasn’t around. They pushed out anyone who had experience, anyone who stood up for what was right, anyone who questioned them in any way, shape, or form. It was their way or the highway. More Torres than Keske but both covered for each other and looked out for each other so they could keep their jobs secure. They deserve everything they get out of this investigation, which I hope includes their jobs…for all the people who went through that department only to leave because of their bullshit.
If all you say is true, why people can’t keep it out of their jobs is beyond me !
Such a waste of for a few minutes of ….
Oh it wasn’t minutes. Their secret not so secret relationship has been going on for over a decade.
Minutes each time
At least they didn’t add to the population.
Amen. Torres more than Keske. But they have torn apart morale piece by piece and bullied out the few experienced people left. The village paramedic service collapsed because of this.
Drive them out then beg for them to come back once they realized they were screwed and Carr was staying put and their bff administrator was being sent packing.
You are so correct girlfriend she is has been ever since she was on the SLFD the first time and she was forced to resign. You are correct in your statement without a doubt.
Oh wow it’s almost as if the only reason she got that job is because she is living with the assistant chief. Im glad to see the Village is finally taking all the complaints seriously.
Dumpster fire that has some of the top paid firefighter paramedics in area. Makes no sense
How is that possible ?
This department has said for a long time that they only get newbie’s to only loose them after they’re trained to other departments that pay lots more.
Which is it ?
Newest union contract finally put them on pace with the rest of the state/neighboring departments that are full-time for pay. That should hopefully help with retention. It was never that way before. They were the lowest paid full-time department in the entire state.
Shouldn’t be the highest, if you’re such a small municipality. How the hell can the tax payers afford for them to be at the top of the pay scale
Not small, cach up
Just ask Dennis Faber. One of the largest municipalities is the state
Just lost paddock lake contract. And by the way 15k people is pretty damn small.
The are small LMAO they can survive with a handful of fisties and don’t need the expensive UNION bullshit
Karma is a wonderful thing. Might have fooled some people but she proved to be the same spiteful hateful person she’s always been. There’s a reason she was fired from Salem before. The writing is on the walls. Everyone’s just waiting for the official ‘bye bye’ and there’s no coming back this time around.
Taking her shirt off and throwing it at the chief during a meeting should of been reason enough not to hire her back.
If only they would have listened to those who were trying to tell them it was a bad idea or that this behavior had happened.
If I’m losing my job, it’s not going to be an affair with a woman who looks like a miniature Chris Farley.
Lmao
Jill wasn’t always this way.
But I have seen the spiteful hateful ooze out of her.
Jill, loose the weight.
You know the rest
What was the old bumper sticker….FIREMEN ARE ALWAYS IN HEAT
Find em Hot Leave em Wet
I wouldn’t call these firemen.
She can’t even go into fires due to a medical condition. Not sure how she was even promoted (oh wait…..I do)
Chasing her around with a firehose, and this wasn’t “training “
Well that’s to no surprise…. its a well known fact that the two suspended chiefs were romantically seeing each other…. I have a inside source that says they would call on the way to a after hours emergency at separate timeframes, but show up in the same car. I have another inside source that says they would publicly defamate the character of their frontline People in front of other staff members and scream at people so hard they would change the color of their fire trucks. There have been numerous good members that have resigned from that department due to the treatment from both of the chiefs. Salem is better off without them.
They shouldn’t lose their jobs because of the sex. In the pictures neither wear a wedding ring. I don’t know.
But if their lack of leadership styles or bad leadership style makes them bad bosses then why is this ten years in the making ?
Or is this just Chief Carr finally dealing with it ?
Change is slow in government jobs.
They only got to those positions because they were able to convince someone that didn’t know anything about Salem or it’s history (Carr) that they were saviors and could fix the mess that was left by Steve and Lejcar. All they did was make things 100 times worse. Positions created for people that never existed before (Division chief) or shouldn’t have even gone to them to being with (assistant chief). Their relationship = not new. Their positions new to Chief Carr coming on board so only about 3 years.
It’s sad the amount of damage that has been done to this department at the hands of a few people who only cared about themselves and elevating their position/status.
Its not the first time an officer recently lost their job for sleeping with a subordinate!!
Salem Lakes is a continuous shit show.
Correct me if I’m wrong but Torres is married. I also believe that the relationship issue stems from the hierarchy of leadership: Assistant Chief and Lieutenant having a decades long affair. The chain of command has been impacted because if a firefighter or paramedic has an issue with the lieutenant, they can’t exactly go up a rung and complain to her boyfriend, right? And Carr turns a blind eye so issues don’t get dealt with and good employees leave. In fact he created two full time command positions specifically for Keske and Torres and bypassed the normal interviewing/hiring process or at least it was for show because they were already promised the positions. Where does the Fire Commission come in on this?
Only thing you can do is show up at a fire commission meeting and ask
Torres is married you are correct
Get rid of Carr, Jesse and Torres. This has been a toxic environment since Lejcar was put in charge. It went from bad to worse. No different than the Salem board. The village is at wa with eachother and it is crumbling. Pretty soon it will be where Silver Lake was. Who will come to Sakems Rescue? No one wants to deal with them now.
Keske, not Jesse. Damn auto correct.
So glad we paid all that money to find a new chief yet we kept the old one. Keeping the trash to rot.
Every single administrator involved with kenosha/kenosha county is pure shit. Line all of them up against a wall.
The real sad thing is the town wanted this the town push this idea of a town fire department and now can’t manage their way out of a shit house. The town keeps making the same bad decisions and never learns from it. That is the definition of insanity. These two employees of the town are just the aftermath of horrible decisions from leadership and leadership not willing to make the necessary adjustments. People don’t leave companies they leave leaders.
When the consolidation happened, there was a Chief who orchestrated that division into one. It became one of the best departments in the State of Wisconsin. It worked because the departments were willing to work together to make it successful. Yes, there were those who bucked the change and didnt want to conform. Those slowly went away. It became a departments that those that served, respected the leadership and were proud to wear the uniform. It was a family, a brotherhood. There is no longer any of that. Hardly any even live in the area. Its time for the Administrator and the board realize that they failed the citizens of our town. Time to discuss with the past retired Chief… Chief Slover, to see what will it take to fix this major failure, before anymore members get hurt or patients end up with delayed response or lower level of care than is needed. We in Salem need to speak up and demand a change. Where is our tax dollars going.
Best in the state? Doubtful, better than it is currently, very possible.
Oh, yes, best in state under Slover.
It’s easy to criticize a system that was badly broken under Lecar and Inspector Steve. Chief Carr is doing his best with what he has, and I think if he’s given the time and support, he hopefully can turn things around.
The support is the key factor!! Chief Carr will succeed if the board gives him the support!
First hand experience Torres didn’t care about her crews, safety of them, or the community. I was scheduled for a 48 hours shift (my choice and I was fine with that) the weekend of the fair. She sends out a shame email about people not signing up to staff the fair and includes me. I lived 1.5 hrs away so doing a 4 hour shift at the fair would not be logical and if I tied it to my weekend shift I would be putting in 52 hours in 3 days. I questioned why she felt it was professional so put me on list of not signing up for the fair when I was covering the staffed rigs for 48 hours. Instead of recognizing my contributions, she goes off on a I don’t respect her and she will be going to the Chief.
That is proof you can’t question her in any way, shape, or form. She was a total micromanaging, control freak. (And luckily this is all in email so a public records request can show it happened). Example two: calling crews to clean her office window. Then standing their inspecting and saying “make sure you get all the way to the top”.
I get called into the Chief’s office with Keske present. I get the whole why do you not respect Chief Torres speech. I against explain why I questioned her actions. Keske walked out and immediately went to Torres (I saw first hand).
The next month I was not scheduled for any hours…do you care to guess who does the schedule? Yup, Torres.
Seeing her clear game I resigned to Chief Carr in an email. No response from him or any leadership.
In October Torres emails me about picking up hours, signing a contract and such. Um…clearly no communication amongst leadership at all as she wasn’t even told I resigned. But when staffing was an issue not Torres was reaching out for me to take hours again.
I will say I am the utmost respect for Chief Carr. He really is doing the best with what he has to work with. It is unfortunate he believed in his Assistance, because when he wasn’t around they didnt’ have his back. They would trash him to crews just about every shift I worked. In my decades for fire service this was the most dysfunctional leadership team I have worked for. The crews are also great for the most part. But they are micromanaged to death. Not allowed to make decisions and never know when 2 assistant chiefs would just show up on a regular EMS call to critique your actions. That is not leadership. That is micromanaging and insecurity.