Columbia Falls fire chief fired

The city manager said Nash was not the right fit for the job.

By NANCY KIMBALL

The Daily Inter Lake

After just eight months, Columbia Falls' first full-time paid fire chief is out of a job.

Doug Nash, still on probationary status since starting with the city on Jan. 20, got his walking papers Monday morning.

"He didn't turn out to be the leader I wanted for this specific group," City Manager Bill Shaw said of his decision to terminate Nash. "We might need to redefine what we are looking for."

With the city's growth in recent years, council members had decided it was time to consolidate fire chief and fire marshal responsibilities in one full-time employee.

After a four-month search, they hired Nash.

He brought with him experience from 15 years of firefighting and EMT duties, leaving his position as lieutenant for the Aberdeen, S.D., fire department to move to Columbia Falls. Over the summer, he married and his new wife, Tawna, moved here from South Dakota.

The city manager said Nash was not the right fit for the job.

"He didn't quite meet my expectations for chief," Shaw said, although acknowledging that Nash did well in bringing the city through its recent ISO [Insurance Services Office] rating review.

"He was a good firefighter; he was good with the paperwork," but he lacked leadership skills needed for the 20-plus volunteer department, Shaw said.

The city had extended Nash's probation period in July, noting that he still needed to complete his fire marshal's training and become certified in Montana as an EMT. The probation was to continue for no more than one year after his hire date.

"I feel like we were used," Nash said, adding that he and his wife both left good jobs because they agreed this was the right move for his career.

"As soon as we got the ISO compiled, then they all of a sudden feel they don't need to pay a fire chief any more.

"There were some controversies," he added. "Basically I wasn't allowed to be chief because of certain powers other people didn't want to give up."

He said Fire Safety Officer Don Barnhart, who had served 10 years as the part-time chief and now sits on the City Council, thought he "had better ideas" for the department, but went to Shaw with concerns instead of taking them to Nash.

"My help was offered many times," Barnhart said. Knowing his presence could be intimidating for a new chief, he added, "I had to step back many times."

Barnhart contended that Nash didn't ask the help of Assistant Chief Joe Tamburelli and may not have been viewed as fully committed to the fire department's team ethic.

"We learned a lot" through this experience, Barnhart said. "We need to tell them in the interview exactly what we need.

"They need the dedication of a volunteer and the ability to do the administrative end of things," he said, adding that "volunteers have expectations."

Those volunteers, Nash is convinced, were more in favor of him than opposed to his leadership. He planned to ask Shaw on Tuesday to see the results of a survey Shaw conducted last week to gauge confidence in Nash.

He said Shaw had emphasized, in a July 14 letter, the importance of gaining the volunteers' confidence.

"I believe that you are capable of delivering a performance that will clearly show that you are the fire chief," the letter said. "Only you can make that decision and demonstrate your commitment to that objective. It is imperative that your efforts are obvious to the volunteers and to me."

Shaw's letter of July 14 also asserted, "it will take more than six months to fully determine that you have achieved the level of performance required of the Columbia Falls fire chief."

Nash said that in a June 21 meeting and another on July 13, Shaw had emphasized the importance of completing fire inspection training and Montana EMT certification. Nash said he now has passed the national EMT registry requirements, and has been accepted for the National Fire Academy's certification class in December in Maryland.

More than certifications, however, apparently plagued his tenure.

"We also discussed concerns that I have encountered from the volunteers - frequency of attendance at incidents, incident command, training and public perception," Shaw wrote in the July 14 letter.

Nash claims that contradicts a letter from Shaw dated June 17, in which he wrote, "It appears from the comments received that you have been performing your duties as fire chief well."

Nash admitted that he did not respond to and remain at the scene of several calls because Tamburelli "was the assistant chief and he could handle it."

"It is critical that you establish a command presence at every incident," Shaw's letter said.

"My feeling is that if the assistant chief was already there, doing a good job, there is no reason for me to intervene," Nash countered. "That is a key asset of a true leader."

Questions about his incident command abilities were inappropriate because, he said, "in eight months we never had a structure fire, there was nothing to that major of a proportion that I needed to be there to command."

Barnhart indicated he looked for a little more aggressive approach.

"You have to come in to prove something - that anything you need, I can do," Barnhart said.

Shaw's letter also questioned whether Nash protected his community reputation, and alleged that Nash made "frequent use of alcohol in public places."

"As a fireman, you are very aware of public perception," Shaw wrote on July 14, citing close scrutiny in a small community. "The personal sacrifice demanded of the person in your job is very likely much higher than any other city employee."

Nash said people "jump to conclusions" when they see his vehicle parked behind the Columbia Bar when, in reality, he and his wife simply are eating dinner in the establishment.

The council soon will begin discussions on replacing the fire chief. In the interim, Barnhart and other current fire officials assured Shaw that the city is well-covered for fire response efforts.

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com