Troy ManeyCLEVELAND, Tenn. - An anonymous letter alleging mismanagement of Bradley County Fire & Rescue and claiming the support of 75 unidentified individuals has been given to the Bradley County Mayor's Office and the Bradley County Commission.
The letter -- dated Oct. 9 but distributed Tuesday -- calls for the removal of Chief Troy Maney and Battalion Commander Don Tankersley.
Official responses to the unsigned document have been measured.
"With unsigned letters, what can you say?" Maney said. "There's no way to respond."
The mayor's office had nothing to say about the letter, which stated that the department has "steadily deteriorated" in morale, performance, direction and vision since Maney was appointed chief in August 2013.
"This is a personnel matter," said Dr. Lindsay Hathcock, executive assistant to Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis. "The Mayor's Office should not and will not comment on such matters."
County Commission Chairman Louie Alford, a long-serving member of the county's fire board, also expressed reservations about the letter.
"The letter says it received 75 signatures," Alford said. "I'd like to see those signatures."
The letter also alleges "an air of fear in the rank and file" caused by arbitrary "restrictions and punishments" dealt out by Maney and Tankersley, resulting in a "lack of structural cohesiveness" in the departure of volunteer and paid staff.
Maney said about four paid firefighters have left the department since he took command, and it is his understanding those resignations were related to better pay elsewhere.
"Some of those firefighters have contacted me and expressed an interest in returning," he said. "I don't think that indicates they had problems with management."
The document also challenges the official numbers of volunteers and paid staff associated with the department, claiming that Bradley County Fire & Rescue has only about 100 active members in comparison to a roster of about 150 people.
Maney said a recently updated roster increased to 181 members.
That number includes volunteer and paid firefighters and volunteers who conduct debris cleanup operations and provide hydration and sustenance to firefighters in action, he said.
He said there have been recent efforts to address concerns within the fire department, including a survey he personally delivered to each of the county's fire stations three weeks ago that now is being evaluated by a third party.
"It was positive, with good feedback," Maney said. "We issued the survey because we wanted to be proactive and get ahead of the game."
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.