By Audrey Korte
The Chippewa Herald
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. — Eagle Point Fire and EMS Chief Rocky Berg was terminated Wednesday by the Eagle Point Town Board, and some other fire department members resigned.
The board terminated Berg due to issues with the fire department, including the loss of the EMS service last spring and issues with the licensing of a fire department employee who had been previously terminated.
Eagle Point Town Board Chair Chuck Hebert confirmed the board had asked Berg to step down during a meeting on Wednesday evening.
Hebert did not say how many members of the department resigned Wednesday night.
“Sometimes things have to change, you know, at the leadership level but it has nothing to do as far as anything personal against anybody,” Hebert said. “It’s all about trying to help and serve the community the best way that we feel like that has to happen.”
Berg could not be reached for comment.
Eagle Point Emergency Services is located at 12812 Highway 124 in Chippewa Falls.
Hebert said issues with the fire department have been ongoing.
“We just had some issues come up. We’ve had issues with our fire department going back to before I got on the board,” Hebert said Thursday. “We’ve tried numerous times to work with the fire chief basically on communication.”
Hebert said the town lost its EMS service last spring.
“I guess I should say with these issues that if the management was right, then taking care of it wouldn’t have gotten to where it got to,” Hebert said. “We tried again this year. We worked with the attorney, we set up the bylaws, you know, to be followed. They haven’t been followed.”
In February 2023, the Eagle Point EMS Department was unable to offer services for about five weeks. The EMS service was suspended on Feb. 16, 2023. The agency was recertified at the end of March 2023.
“We tried to work on communication. It just broke down and would not get back and we gave him (Berg) numerous opportunities,” Hebert said.
Hebert said another issue came up Wednesday with licensing for a fire department employee that in the past had been terminated.
“And they’re somehow back, they got back on the roster,” Hebert said. “I don’t care about how that happened. But it’s amazing how that one person is back on the roster even though they weren’t an employee with the department anymore.”
Hebert would not release the name of the person who had been previously terminated and was then rehired.
“It puts the town at liability because the town is responsible because they’re responding under the town’s direction. So the person was let go,” Hebert said.
As far as service for the town of Eagle Point, Hebert said “We’re getting that all taken care of.”
Hebert said the board is taking action to serve the residents of Eagle Point.
“We want to give them the service that they need and we don’t want to be putting the town in jeopardy liability wise with the department,” Hebert said.
Hebert said he is grateful to members of the fire department who have chosen to stay.
“We were happy with the members that are staying on. We’re grateful to them. I know there’s frustration and I understand that, I get it. I’m not happy with what happened either. But hopefully with you know, a little bit of time here just to kind of let things sink in, some of those members will come back because they’re good members. They’re good people,” Hebert said.
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