Saturday, December 10, 2011
Tom Vineyard was declared as Monarch's new fire chief Saturday by a 2-1 vote among the district's three board of directors.
Tom Vineyard, chief of Mid-County Fire Protection District of St. Louis County, will replace current and retiring Chief Chip Biele for the Monarch Fire Protection District, per a 2-1 vote by Monarch's board of directors at a Saturday meeting at the district's headquarters in Chesterfield. Biele is set to retire Jan. 1. Information about Vineyard being a top candidate for the job circulated publicly via a self-proclaimed watchdog group, Monarch Concerned Taxpayers. (See related article from Nov. 8: Is Monarch Fire District Chief Replacement Chosen?) Monarch board of directors engaged the services of Clayton, MO-based Grant Cooper & Associates as their search firm to find a new chief. Board president Kim Evans moved to accept the employment…
Thursday, December 8, 2011
He was found near his Kirkwood home. He was forced out Nov. 22 after a determination that he and three other command officers had created a hostile work environment for female firefighters.
The body of Fred W. Goodson, a former battalion chief for the Monarch Fire Protection District, was found near his Kirkwood home on Thursday, according to media reports. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported early Thursday evening that he had died of an apparent self-inflicted wound; the newspaper quoted a news release from the Kirkwood police. Goodson was fired by the Monarch board on Nov. 22, shortly after an appeals court upheld a ruling against the district awarding $200,000 each to two female firefighters who sued, claiming district leadership had allowed a hostile work environment to pervade the department. Assistant Chief Les Crews, Deputy Chief Cary Spiegel and Battalion Chief Mike Davis were also fired. Fox 2 News reported Thursday…
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Two battalion chiefs, a deputy chief and an assistant chief will not be replaced.
The President of the Monarch Fire Protection District Board of Directors says service will not suffer despite the board's move Tuesday to remove four senior officers. The officers included two battalion chiefs, a deputy chief and an assistant chief who were identified in an employment discrimination lawsuit against the district which was upheld earlier this month in a state appeals court. The verdict, which includes $200,000 payments to a pair of plaintiffs in the case, will mean more than $1.5 million in total costs, including attorney fees. Board President Kim Evans said a total of five officers were identified through the suit. One was given the option of a reduction in rank to keep his job and accepted. Four others were given the …
38.68046
-90.50711
Monarch Fire Protection District
13725 Olive Blvd, Chesterfield, MO
/articles/monarch-fire-board-confirms-removal-of-four-senior-officers-following-failed-lawsuit-appeal
843229
/locations/5868438
Friday, October 21, 2011
Monarch Fire Protection District's Clifford Biele counts down to last day at the helm. Monarch's House No. 2, at 18424 Wildhorse Creek Rd., services Wildwood residents.
While Fire Chief Chip Biele counts down the weeks until his Dec. 31 retirement, a look back to 1964 when he began volunteering with Monarch Fire Protection District shows how much West St. Louis County has changed. According to the district, there were only three firehouses five decades ago, and now there are five firehouses plus a separate headquarters office, and a separate maintenance/training center. Monarch, which is based in Chesterfield, expanded over the years to also answer calls in Wildwood, Ballwin, Clarkson Valley, Creve Coeur, Maryland Heights and portions of St. Louis County—for a total of 62 square miles and more than 60,000 residents. Where now there are 125 firefighting staff, back in the day there were only 12! By the …
Kurt Greenbaum
12:51 pm on Saturday, December 10, 2011
Apologies; it was not the headline that was on the original version of the story, which has been restored. The headline reflects the circumstances and why the case is particularly noteworthy, however, which I believe is important. Thank you for your concern and for taking the time to comment. more ›