The mystery surrounding an older model Front Mount Pumper that was donated to the Mitford Fire Station has county officials baffled, and volunteer firemen tight lipped about exactly where the truck came from and how it was able to be sold without first being inspected and insured according to county policy.

The fire truck was a hot topic during the Fairfield County Fire Board’s Oct. 29 meeting.

According to minutes from the meeting, chairman Jimmy Walters questioned Fire Marshal Tony Hill and Mitford Fire Station chief Dwayne Robinson about the truck.

“Mr. Chairman stated that all vehicles purchased must be titled to the county before the county council can insure it,” states the minutes, which go on to show that the Mitford Fire Station accepted the truck without permission from the Fairfield County Council.

“Mr. Dwayne Robinson stated that their old truck was given to Mitford and titled to Mitford Fire Department. Mr. Dwayne Robinson stated that the vehicle wasn’t given to the county and is not insured by the county,” the minutes read.

County Ordinance Number 20 states that any vehicle given or donated with a value of $1,000 or more belongs to the county.

“We try to limit the number of additional vehicles, because it costs money to insure and maintain them, so we ask that they (fire departments) check with the county first (before accepting a vehicle donation),” said County Administrator Phil Hinely.

Also, when a new vehicle is added to county’s rolling stock list – a listing of every insured item that the county uses for transportation – an older piece of equipment must come off it. The list allows the county to keep the same amount of insured vehicles each year despite upgrades, explained Deputy County Administrator Davis Anderson.

“The property was not secured and released per policy,” he said.

The pumper, believed to be between a 1964 and a 1970 model, was accepted by Mitford Fire Station and housed somewhere in the Mitford community for a period of time, Anderson said.

All the Deputy County Administrator’s comments were based on the minutes and county policy.

“Everything is alleged,” Anderson said. “I have not investigated anything myself, nor have I been asked to do so by the county administrator.”

The only information the county knows for certain is that the fire station accepted the truck, even after being told not to, and later sold it at an auction. They used the money from the sale to buy another truck.

However, no one at the county has seen a document or receipt from the sale or the new purchase.

“We told them no, don’t take the truck,” Hinely said. “We’ve got enough equipment, and donated vehicles are not typically in very good shape – a gift ends up costing the county money.”

The minute’s show that the fire station did accept the truck despite being told not to, and that Walters wanted to know who owns the pumper.

“Mr. Dwayne Robinson stated that the vehicle is not owned by the county due to their rejection of the vehicle at the time of the donation. Mr. Dwayne Robinson stated that the pumper is not county property, it wasn’t given to the county, it is not insured by the county. Mr. Robinson stated that there is no insurance on the vehicle,” the minutes stated.

Warning Robinson not to sell the uninsured vehicle, Walters told him “not to get rid of the vehicle without permission from the county administrator.” Robinson then told the board, “I am not running anything by the county administrator.”

“We’ve got some hotheads there that are going to do whatever they want,” said county council member David Ferguson. “They’re going to have to explain why they don’t think they have to answer to the county, who owns the fire stations.”

Anderson said since he started with the county 11 years ago, the fire department has been a commission – free from county regulations even though the county maintains the fire stations and equipment.

“This happens sometimes when you have a commission or body acting as its own governing body,” Anderson said. “How do you hold accountable people you have no control over.”

However, two months after the incident with the pumper, Robinson wrote a letter requesting the Fairfield Rural Fire Board add a new piece of equipment to the fire station’s inventory.

“We, the members of the Mitford Volunteer Fire Department, do humbly request to receive from Fairfield County EMS, one of their Freightliner Ambulances. The unit will be extremely beneficial to the Mitford Volunteer Fire Department, to be used as a service vehicle. We understand county’s policy is to receive you must give up. We would respectfully like to turn in our current GMC service truck and replace it with this Freightliner,” stated a letter dated Dec. 4 and signed by Robinson.

The county council discussed the fire station’s actions last month. No decision was reached other than the council agreeing to discuss the matter further in the future.

Defining Mitford’s actions as defiant (per their minutes from the October meeting), Anderson said the council can take a number of avenues to correct the problem, including placing the fire marshal office under the county administration.

Ferguson agreed.

“What’s going to end up having to happen is it’s all going to have to come back up under the county,” he said. “As the watchdogs for the taxpayers, we (county council) have to do what we have to do.”