KOAM TV 7 Joplin and Pittsburg News Weather SportsResidents want fire chief to resign
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Some community members want the fire chief of the Seneca Area Fire Protection District to step down. The family of a fallen firefighter says the fire chief is with the department for the wrong reasons and they contend he's disrespected them.
The mother of Tyler Casey, a firefighter who died during the May10th tornadoes, claims the Seneca Fire Chief made sure he could go to a national firefighters memorial but left her family out.
She says it wasn't just one memorial and she wants Steffen Wiest to resign.
"He has made no contact with us on all the events there was very very few information to us on times, dates, places to be," says Rayma Hinc, mother of Casey.
Hinc also says Wiest is not giving them local donations specified to help them with travel expenses to the memorials.
And is not helping them get the federal money granted to fallen firefighters, needed to help raise Tyler's child.
"The communication two ways has been awful and whether that's 100% my fault, no matter what it is, as the chief everything is my fault," says Fire Chief Steffen Wiest.
If they want to say that I am doing nothing they can, but I have worked a year and a half now on obtaining benefits for Tyler because storm spotting is not an activity that every fire department does and the federal government doesn't see it as a line of duty death."
Tyler's stepfather a firefighter himself along with firefighter Joshua Townsend also spoke during the district's board meeting. Townsend says there are others within the fire department who have a problem with Weist.
"The mis-communication between the officers and the firefighters and just the complaints that I have heard from other firefighters about the situation," says firefighter Joshua Townsend.
"Ultimately we need a new chief, he needs to be removed from his job and a new chief needs to be appointed," says Hinc.
Hinc says her husband will take action if Wiest is not fired and Townsend agrees.
"I am sure that he would throw his gear in, and quit," says Hinc.
"I would say that I will probably no longer be a part of this," says Townsend.
The board went into closed session and came out with an apology to the family but did not fire Wiest.
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