(Fish Lake, IN) - A staffed gutted troubled fire department in La Porte County has been more than restored.

 

Kyle Rensberger has replaced Bill Duttlinger as chief of the Lincoln Township Volunteer Fire Department in Fish Lake.

 

The three volunteer firefighters remaining at the department were invited to stay but chose not to, said Lincoln Township Attorney Brody Shoffner.  Shoffner said the department now has 14 recently hired volunteer firefighters.

 

The action taken by township trustee Nancy Morgan elected to her first term on November 8 has created some friction and confusion in the community.

 

Lincoln Township Board member Steve Holifield said Morgan acted within her legal authority but felt the township board should have been included more in her decision.

 

“We’re not happy. We’re not being kept in the loop.  She’s doing things without letting us know what she’s doing first,” he said.

 

Holifield is also early into his first term but served previously on the board about 10-years ago.

 

Shoffner said the fire department is a separate corporate entity contracted by the township with by-laws giving the township trustee final say over fire department matters.

 

“That’s what we call a trustee ran department.  She has the right to appoint the chief, get rid of the chief and really do whatever,” he said.

 

Shoffner said the replacement of the fire chief had to do with a host of clerical mistakes such as not filing business reports every two-years as required to maintain the department’s status as a corporate entity.

 

He said the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office in 2005 revoked the corporate status after discovering the business reports were not filed since the department was established as a separate entity in the 1950’s.

 

Duttlinger took over for the Dave Kaufman, the now late former longtime fire chief in charge of the department when the corporate status was revoked.

 

“They weren’t even authorized to do business in Indiana,” he said.

 

Shoffner said other irregularities included no receipts in some cases to back up purchases of things like equipment.

 

“There were some weird things going on with the books.  Honestly, it was just a mess,” he said.

 

Since the change, Shoffner said the separate entity status has been restored and work is well underway to regaining the department’s lost not for profit status.  He said the department is also more fully staffed again

 

Holifield said Duttlinger should not have been let go because he feels blame lies more with previous township trustees and township boards for not providing enough oversight of the department.

 

“They should have been keeping a closer tab over all of this,” he said.

 

Holifield said he’s also concerned whether all of the new firefighters are certified. 

 

He said he just received the names of the new firefighters Tuesday night but was still waiting to find out if they are certified and the type of work they’re certified to perform.

 

Shoffner said he didn’t want to speak to the abilities of Duttlinger as fire chief but the department once down to a handful of firefighters no longer has a serious manpower shortage.

 

“As soon as he was gone, now they have 14.  So, I guess you can draw your own conclusions,.” He said.

 

Shoffner also said the department had not filed taxes as a corporate entity “for who knows how long.”

 

“I think there’s a lot of misconceptions about the entire thing but everything is being done by the book.  That was validated by the state, the Indiana Township Association, everybody.  We’re doing the right thing,” Shoffner said.