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County folds Seffner-Mango fire station

The fire chief says mold and ethics provoked the close, but the volunteer chief calls it a "personal vendetta."

By S.I. ROSENBAUM
Published September 23, 2005

SEFFNER - Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Chief William Nesmith is searching for a site for a new Seffner-Mango Volunteer Station, after he shocked volunteers on Monday by closing the existing station because of mold and "ethical problems."

Nesmith showed up for a meeting with the Seffner-Mango volunteer board Monday and announced that a mold problem made the building unsafe.

Then, county firefighters arrived to load up county-owned equipment, from suspenders to radios, and drive away the county-owned fire engines and trucks.

No more calls would be dispatched to the station, Nesmith announced. "They are cut off," he said.

To cover the gap in service for the area, Nesmith said he set up a temporary station at the North Brandon Little League building at 2915 Kingsway, with a single fire engine staffed by a mix of Seffner-Mango volunteers and volunteers from the Dover volunteer station.

But not all of the Seffner-Mango volunteers are welcome at the new station, Nesmith said. Those who served on the volunteer board are banned. Nesmith described them as "subversive" and said the county did not need their services.

Nesmith called the Little League site "very temporary" and said Wednesday he was looking at other sites, from the sheriff's substation to local houses for rent.

Eventually, he said he wants the county's permission to build a new $1.2-million station in the area to be staffed by volunteers but run by the county.

Nesmith's decision to close the station capped months of tension between Nesmith and volunteer Chief Bradley Price.

In April, Price resigned amid allegations that he sexually harassed another volunteer and that he posted nude pictures of himself on the Internet.

By July, however, he returned as president of the volunteer board. After Bob Van Etten, the new chief, quit in protest, Price appointed himself "administrative chief", an invented title that had him running the station but not responding to calls.

Nesmith ordered Price to "cease and desist" from work at the station. Price ignored the order.

On Monday, Nesmith said that "problems with management and ethical behavior" at the station were the underlying reason for the shutdown.

The mold problem, which the county's consultant described as "not a great danger," was just "the icing on the cake," Nesmith said.

On Wednesday, Price said he believed Nesmith closed the station just to get rid of him.

"I think it's insane that Nesmith goes to this extreme for a personal vendetta," he said. "I think this is all because Nesmith doesn't want to have to deal with me in any way."

Price said he was waiting to hear from a lawyer and that he expected to challenge the shutdown.

On Monday, a small group of local residents protested the shutdown outside the station.

Sharon Cochrane, 52, said she was outraged to learn that the station had been closed. She said she depends on the volunteers to help care for her ailing parents.

"I can call them and they'll be right there," she said. "I want them to stay. It's going to take years to get another (station) built. Why spend the money?"

- S.I. Rosenbaum can be reached at srosenbaum@sptimes.com or by calling 813 661-2442.

[Last modified September 22, 2005, 10:20:06]