Strasburg Fire Department under investigation
STRASBURG (WJER) (March 4, 2022) – A criminal investigation is looming over Strasburg’s fire department as it transitions to a 24-7 service.
It came up at during Tuesday’s village council meeting during a conversation between Councilman Dustin Briggs and former chief Brent Metzger, who was upset he wasn’t asked to sit on the committee that selected the department’s new full-time leader.
“The fire department is being investigated by BCI for mishandling funds,” Briggs said. “So it’s in the village’s best interest not to involve really anybody who had anything to do with that fire department.”
Mayor Steve Smith confirmed that the agency is investigating the social and fundraising arm of the department, but could not share specifics.
Former Hiram Fire Captain Steven Laskey has been leading the department since Tuesday. He’s working on a plan to deliver the 24-7 fire and EMS protection the village promised to voters when it asked them to approve the tax levy that will be paying for the additional coverage. That’s supposed to begin April 1st although firefighters may have to respond to nighttime calls from home initially since the renovations needed to transform the station’s social hall into a sleeping quarters can’t begin until the department acquires the necessary permits. Smith blames the firefighters who developed the plan for the oversight.