MARSHALL COUNTY, W.Va. — A local volunteer fire department has been ordered to shut down after more than a year of problems, according to fire officials.
The fire marshal revoked certification for the Big Wheeling Creek Volunteer Fire Department in Marshall County on Monday. The fire commission sent out a letter to notify Chief Richard Runkle that his “organization is no longer authorized to perform any emergency service.”
The problems began in 2009, when the volunteer fire department couldn’t prove that it was providing worker’s compensation for its members. The department shut down, but then was reopened later that year.
The same situation happened again earlier this year, and the state fire commission voted to revoke the department’s certification, which means the department can no longer operate.
The order stated that the fire marshal’s office discovered the lack of worker’s compensation in February of this year. The fire marshal sent out a cease and desist letter, which was returned to sender, according to officials.
The commission said it made contact with Runkle once, and he told them he was attempting to get the insurance. However, no one from the volunteer fire department attended a hearing on the matter scheduled on April 25, according to officials.
While the department is shut down, other nearby volunteer fire departments have been part of a plan for emergency fire coverage in that area. The county’s emergency management director and the state fire marshal said that the plan may have to become permanent.
The Office of Emergency Management has called a meeting for 10 a.m. on Thursday to discuss the future of the department and that area’s safety. The people listed in the cease and desist letter have 30 days to file an appeal.
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