VIENNA — The township will be looking to fill a position within the fire department that will be vacated near the end of the month after a former lieutenant submitted his resignation.

At Monday’s regular meeting, trustees accepted Mark Haddle’s resignation from the EMS coordinator position, effective Jan. 20 — a role he had served in since September 2024.

In a letter to officials read by Fiscal Officer Heidi Brown, Haddle wrote that the decision to leave was “not made lightly,” noting an alleged “sustained pattern of conduct” by fire Chief Gus Birch.

Haddle noted that, while he acknowledged no one was without fault, he consistently made “good-faith efforts” to perform his duties in accordance with township policy, accepted standards of public safety administration and principles of fairness and accountability expected in service.

“I have spent countless unpaid hours managing this program and responding to vastly more EMS calls than any other volunteer in this department,” Haddle wrote. “Despite these efforts, I was subjected to disciplinary actions and investigative processes that failed to follow established procedures and did not provide fundamental fairness.”

Haddle wrote that after he stepped down from his lieutenant position to try and deescalate tensions and accommodate Birch, he was issued a damaged helmet for operational use.

Being given compromised safety equipment was inconsistent with accepted public safety practices, raising serious concerns regarding employee safety and Vienna’s risk-management obligations, Haddle wrote.

Haddle wrote that the absence of corrective action or meaningful oversight left him with no other reasonable alternative but to resign as the department’s EMS coordinator.

Haddle expressed intentions to continue serving the township as a part-time employee and a volunteer — provided that he would be able to do so in a professional and “nonretaliatory” environment consistent with the township’s policy.

“I remain proud of the work I performed as EMS coordinator and of the dedication demonstrated by the EMS personnel I had the privilege to serve alongside,” Haddle wrote. “It is my sincere hope that appropriate review and corrective measures will be undertaken to ensure a professional, respectful and policy-driven environment for those who continue to serve the community.”

A motion to hire Haddle’s replacement was rejected at the meeting, with Trustee Mike Haddle, Mark’s brother, suggesting that the position should be advertised.

Birch refused to comment on internal matters Thursday afternoon, but said he felt the EMS coordinator position should be handled by a paramedic, because part of the position is quality assurance.

“Quality assurance of our runs — make sure they’re being done properly, the patient care is being done properly,” Birch said. “And that needs to be a paramedic because a basic EMT cannot critique or quality assure a paramedic’s run because, you know, a paramedic is higher up the chain in the medical field.”

Birch said he’s been telling the paramedics on staff to apply for the position if they’re interested, noting that trustees wanting to advertise is their prerogative.