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Firefighters threaten to quit if chief not replaced in MN town
33 of the 36 firefighters signed a vote of no confidence after what they describe as safety issues and communication issues
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Wear and tear on firefighter gear can be dangerous.
“If that fails, it’ll be fatal,” said Princeton Fire and Rescue Department assistant chief Josh Vaccari while showing a mask damaged in a training exercise. “It’s the only thing that protects a firefighter from 600 degrees of fire and hot gases.”
From compromised gear to trucks with broken safety features that they claim have not been repaired, firefighters in Princeton are fed up with it.
“When the chief was told we had to make those repairs, he said it was not in the budget to make those repairs,” Vaccari said.
Those issues, combined with what they claim is a lack of communication and billing issues with the townships they serve, have Vaccari and many others publicly criticizing their chief.
“It’s very awkward,” he said.
The Princeton Fire Department is a paid-on-call volunteer department made up of 36 firefighters. Of that group, 33 recently presented a signed vote of no confidence in their Chief Ron Lawrence to the city council.
Now, the firefighters have given city leaders an ultimatum. If they don’t get the response they want from the city by Feb. 8 — termination of the fire chief — Vaccari claims two-thirds of the department say they’ll quit.
“The firefighters don’t trust the chief. They don’t feel safe working for him anymore. And that’s why we’re putting our foot down,” Vaccari said. “If all those repairs are made and we had a different chief, we would stay.”
Blue Hill Township ended its contract with Princeton Fire last summer, and Vaccari claims two others are threatening to leave as well.
Viccari said they don’t want to quit.
“We’re a family. It’s like leaving a family,” he said.
But he says the problems have reached a critical point.
“If we can’t do our jobs effectively, the citizens are at risk.”
City response
Princeton City Administrator Michele McPherson issued a long, detailed statement in response to the threat of quitting and accusations made — stating that accusations made about Chief Lawrence do not meet the legal standard appropriate for termination of employment.
“The City of Princeton is still in the process of attempting to determine how many of the members actually agree with this threat,” McPherson wrote.
The city has hired an outside firm to conduct a workplace assessment including detailed, confidential interviews with each member of Princeton Fire and Rescue. That process has not been completed.
“The current dynamics within the PFRD go well beyond dissatisfaction with the Fire Chief, and the workplace assessment is specifically designed to address this situation in a comprehensive fashion. However, rather than allow the workplace assessment process to proceed, certain members of the PFRD leadership decided to threaten the City with a walk-out unless their unilateral demand to terminate the Fire Chief is met, regardless of propriety or legality,” McPherson wrote. “The members of the PFRD are heroes; each and every one. This includes Chief Lawrence, who has spent 30 years serving and protecting the residents of the City of Princeton.”
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The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a plan to shut down the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) on Thursday.
The resolution comes after decades of protests against the massive North Loop trash incinerator that burns roughly 365,000 tons of garbage a year.
“Today is a big step towards protecting the health of our communities and addressing longstanding environmental injustices that disproportionately impact communities of color,” said councilmember Robin Wonsley, in a statement.
The resolution calls for the incinerator to be permanently closed by Dec 31, 2027 and for the entire facility to be shut down by Dec 31, 2033.
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
In October 2023, the Hennepin County Board signed off on a plan to close the HERC between 2028 and 2040, depending on how quickly the county can transition into a zero-waste system.
Of the garbage burned at the HERC, 75% comes from the city of Minneapolis. The other 25% comes from a dozen other cities in the area. The HERC produces enough energy to power more than 25,000 homes and half the buildings in downtown Minneapolis.
At a City Council Meeting on Oct. 10, Jenni Lansing with the City of Minneapolis Health Department provided analysis on the air pollution impacts of HERC. She said the health department supports working towards a zero-waste future and the ultimate closure of HERC, but said closing it now is not the solution.
“Overall emissions in Hennepin County are dominated by on-road and non-road, mobile and nonpoint sources, and these sources drive the cancer and non-cancer risks to health in Minneapolis,” Lansing said.
Hennepin County defines zero waste as preventing 90% or more of all discarded materials from being landfilled or incinerated.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The snow is really coming down in some places with Maple Lake getting 3.5″ so far.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The wettest Halloween storm ever — is making mischief before little trick-or-treaters hit their neighborhood’s slushy streets.
Officials are reporting several power outages and car spin-outs.
There have been over 14,000 power outages, according to Xcel Energy.
The Minnesota State Patrol has responded to 169 crashes and 94 vehicles off the road, as of 2. pm. Thursday.
Meteorologist Beny Dery said an additional 1 to 2″ of snow is possible before things taper off this evening.
So far some of the totals around town are: 3.5″ Maple Lake, 3.0″ Buffalo, 2.5″ Dassel, 2.4″ Windom, 2.0″ St. Bonifacious, 1.5″ Maple Plain and 1.5″ in Bethel.
The snow is expected to let up from west to east and should wrap up for the metro between 5 to 6 p.m.
Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
