Half of city's fire department quits

[November 04, 2011]  HUSTONVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A dispute over the use of a fire hall in a central Kentucky city has led to the resignations of half the fire department. WLEX-TV in Lexington reports Hustonville's fire chief, Stanley Shepperson, abruptly quit and was followed by about a dozen firefighters on Wednesday. (http://bit.ly/solop8).

The dispute began when Shepperson allowed some actors to use the city's fire hall to get into costume for a haunted house.

Mayor Cecil Maddox said the problem is that Shepperson didn't ask for permission. He said now he doesn't trust Shepperson and asked him to quit. Shepperson said he took the initiative to step down.

Maddox says residents needn't worry about fire protection. He says the city still has firefighters and has mutual aid agreements with a nearby city and with Lincoln County.

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Information from: WLEX-TV, http://www.wlextv.com/

[Associated Press]

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