Scandal puts fire department on hold
Approaching the height of the summer fire season, a small North Idaho city has halted operation of its fire department amid a continuing sexual assault investigation.
The unusual move came just three days after a volunteer Priest River, Idaho, firefighter was arrested on a charge of raping a 16-year-old female member of the city’s Junior Firefighter program.
Bryon Morgan, 29, posted bail Thursday afternoon, officials said, and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Wednesday in 1st District Court in Sandpoint.
Priest River City Attorney Phil Robinson said the City Council’s decision to suspend the volunteer fire department’s entire staff is part of an administrative review spurred by allegations surrounding Morgan’s arrest.
“This issue has brought up some issues of personnel management in the department,” he said without elaborating.
An agreement has been struck with the West Pend Oreille Fire District to provide service to the city of about 2,000. The 30-day interim contract includes a clause that would enable the city to renew the agreement if necessary. The county fire department will be dispatched for all calls in the city pending the resolution of the investigation, Robinson said.
Priest River Mayor William Mullaley and City Council members were unavailable for comment this week. City officials instead directed all questions to the city attorney’s office. Calls to the West Pend Oreille Fire District were not returned.
According to court documents, Morgan is alleged to have agreed to take the teenage girl home after a fire-training session July 20 but instead took her to a remote location and demanded she have sex with him, threatening to beat and abandon her if she refused. Morgan was arrested July 22 and held in the Bonner County Jail.
Robinson, who serves both as the Priest River city attorney and the Bonner County prosecutor, filed the criminal complaint and met with the City Council in an executive session Monday.
He said the City Council learned of Morgan’s arrest soon after he was taken into custody.
“It’s a small town; they probably heard as soon as it happened,” Robinson said.
In an executive session Monday night, the City Council decided to conduct a complete review of the fire department’s operations, including hiring, training and other practices. The review would focus only on administrative issues, leaving criminal allegations surrounding the sexual assault case to the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office.
The Priest Lake city clerk gave notice of the fire department’s suspension in a handwritten statement released to emergency dispatchers and others Monday night.
Priest River’s volunteer fire department consists of 22 members, two firetrucks and one water tender. The West Pend Oreille Fire District has more than 30 members, several fire vehicles and a First Response-Extrication Vehicle, according to the city’s Web site.
The move comes as firefighters across the region brace for a traditionally busy summer.
Idaho Department of Lands Fire Warden Chris Remsen said the North Idaho area is moving into high fire season – August and September – when moisture is low.
“The fields are starting to dry out and we’re entering into our normal rotation of high fire danger,” he said. “It’s hot and it’s dry, and any time you have people living in the wildland urban interface, there’s some danger there to property.”
Captain John Valdez of the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is continuing, but added that Morgan remains the only suspect. He said Morgan’s case was the first of this nature occurring within the fire department.