More than a dozen volunteer firefighters resign from Whiteville Fire Department

WHITEVILLE, Tenn. — Former Assistant Fire Chief Jonathan Swarey says he resigned after what he called a heated meeting Monday morning between Whiteville city and fire officials. The decision prompted more than a dozen volunteer firefighters to follow in his footsteps.

“I finally got to the point [Monday] and this weekend that, you know, I’m here to fight fires, here to do EMS work,” Swarey said. “I’m not here for drama and politics. I don’t have to put up with this.”

Swarey said he had enough with the current administration. “The last nine months have been so drama filled that I just, I cannot justify going on the way it is right now, and so many of my guys have my back.”

Swarey said nine months ago, Whiteville City Mayor Aubrey Phillips took office and started making changes — changes that some in the department said did not sit well with them, such as the purchase of new turnout gear.

“If somebody gets trapped with one of these, what’s the chances of survival? And there was turnouts that were literally coming apart,” Swarey said.

More recently, the department ordered new pagers and radios that leaders with the fire department said caused problems with City Hall. “All of a sudden we have this new stuff here, and the city is saying we never approved this,” Swarey said.

Both Swarey and Fire Chief Ernie Berkeng attended a meeting Monday morning where they say Mayor Phillips wanted to write them up. Fire officials said the city claimed they did not receive approval to order the new equipment, leading Swarey to leave the department for good.

“I think this [Monday] morning he thought I was bluffing. He thought I was just trying to scare him, but that’s not the case,” Swarey said.

Swarey said other firefighters felt the same way and decided to support his move. “And by the time it’s all said and done, I’m guessing it’ll probably be between 15 to 20 of them that will have resigned by this [Monday] evening.”

Swarey said he is not interested in coming back to the department anytime soon.

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News made numerous attempts to reach out to Mayor Phillips on the issue, but he was not available for comment.

Fire Chief Berkeng did not resign but said the roster of 23 volunteer firefighters will now consist of about three or four.