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GREENWOOD TWP- The Greenwood Town Board voted 3-2, Tuesday, to place fire chief Jeff Maus on paid administrative leave, and requiring that he obtain a doctor’s note before he can return to the …
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GREENWOOD TWP- The Greenwood Town Board voted 3-2, Tuesday, to place fire chief Jeff Maus on paid administrative leave, and requiring that he obtain a doctor’s note before he can return to the job.
The board had held a special meeting Jan. 2 to place Maus on medical leave, though board members adjourned the meeting without ever passing the necessary motion. At the time, they did vote to name fire captain Brian Trancheff as interim chief until Jan. 22, or until Maus has a doctor’s note allowing him to return to full duty. Supervisors John Bassing and Rick Stoehr voted against the latest steps against Maus.
The move came after a lengthy discussion of fire department matters, Maus’s communications with the board concerning his surgery, and Maus’s decision to respond to two EMR calls after receiving the okay from his physician to return to full duty.
Maus had informed the clerk on Nov. 20 that he was scheduled for surgery in early December.
“Employees who are going to be absent from work should notify supervisors,” Roskoski said. “I asked the clerk to ask Maus when he was going to be off from work.”
Roskoski said the board didn’t find out that information until their Dec. 9 meeting, when Maus was absent from his role as treasurer, and deputy treasurer JoAnn Bassing said that his surgery was completed and had gone well. Maus then sent a doctor’s note to the township on Dec. 20 saying he was off work until Jan. 22 while he recovered from his surgery. On Jan. 2, prior to the special meeting, he submitted an updated doctor’s note saying he was fit for light duty, but the board said they couldn’t act on that issue because it wasn’t on the special meeting’s agenda.
Maus then obtained an updated doctor’s note, dated Jan. 3, saying he was able to return to full duty with no restrictions, but some on the board questioned the legitimacy of the doctor’s note, since it was issued only a day after a note saying he could return to light duty.
Bassing informed the board that Maus, who is a First Responder, had responded to medical calls in the past week, a statement that drew consternation from some on the board.
“He is a firefighter, EMR, and the fire chief,” said Bassing. “He felt he could go on a medical call.”
Maus concurred, noting that he had never been placed on leave by the board prior to this week’s meeting.
“We want to make sure Jeff is fit to return,” said chairman Lois Roskoski, noting possible liability issues for the township.
Supervisor Craig Gilbert, who is also a member of the fire department, questioned the validity of the doctor’s notes Maus had submitted, since they were not signed. Maus explained they were written through Essentia’s MyChart system, and that he had both in-person and virtual visits with his doctor since his hip surgery in early December.
“Thursday you were on light duty, and then Friday on full duty?” Gilbert asked.
The board said Maus would remain on paid administrative leave until he had a visit with a doctor working for Fairview Job Care, an appointment that would be paid for by the township. The motion also stated his return to work was contingent on the results of the investigation the township is currently conducting following allegations that were raised against him. The township hired a law firm Oct. 30 to investigate allegations made against Maus by members of the Tower Ambulance Service. That investigation is ongoing and investigators have yet to interview Maus, although he said he is currently scheduled for an interview on Jan. 22.
Maus questioned if the board’s latest actions could be considered further retaliation for the complaints he had lodged several years ago with OSHA regarding safety issues with the department and retaliation by the former chief after he submitted the OSHA complaint. According to Maus, he refused a verbal offer by the township to pay him $5,000 to settle the claim, but only if he agreed to resign from the fire department. Since he did not settle, the investigation by OSHA is still ongoing. Maus also said that Roskoski had been hiding the information about the OSHA claim from the board for two months earlier this fall before calling the closed meeting to discuss the issue.
Roskoski said that information was attorney-client privileged and should not be discussed.
“I think it is retaliation,” Maus said. “It is very clear to me.”
Other fire department issues
The board addressed multiple other fire department-related issues at the meeting.
The board approved spending $9,162 for EMR supplies, including new supply backpacks, which will make it easier for EMRs to transport their medical supplies while on scene. Right now, the EMR supplies are in two duffels. EMR captain Dave DeJoode explained that it can be difficult on scene to carry the two duffels on steep slopes and uneven ground, and that having supplies in a backpack is easier and safer for responders.
The allocation also covers replacing outdated medical supplies. The department recently inventoried all supplies and replaced those that were outdated. EMR supplies must be paid for by the department, and the cost is not reimbursed by patients.
The board also approved having the fire extinguishers inspected, accepting a quote from Summit Fire Protection.
“Trancheff told me we haven’t had the fire extinguishers inspected,” Roskoski told the board.
Maus told the board that the department does in-house inspections regularly.
“We were planning to bring this to the board for approval this month,” Maus said.
Supervisor Paul Skubic asked why the department hadn’t done DOT inspections of the vehicles.
“Our last chief was fired for not doing inspections,” Skubic said.
“Craig Gilbert and I talked about this in December and were planning it for January,” Maus told the board. These inspections were last done in the fall of 2022.
The board approved having DOT inspections done on the fire trucks, at a cost of $1,000 while includes servicing fluids and filters, through AJ’s Repair.
The board also questioned why Maus had “red-flagged” the department’s engine number one after it malfunctioned while on scene at a house fire in Tower on Jan. 9 and was unable to pump any water.
Gilbert said that Trancheff had returned the truck to the hall and tested everything the next day, and it was working fine. He said the issue was something the Breitung department had seen with their truck and had to do with the truck being in 4WD while trying to pump water. But neither promptly informed Maus that the truck was back in working order.
“The truck didn’t need to be red-flagged,” Gilbert said. “It was already taken care of.”
The Timberjay will report on the rest of the Jan. 14 meeting agenda in next week’s paper.