Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) Chief Charles Krimmert has been placed on paid administrative leave for two weeks, effective June 30 through July 14, pending an investigation to be conducted by the district’s attorney, Eric Quinn.

The decision by VIFR’s board of commissioners took place after the end of a two-hour-long closed executive session, also attended by the Quinn, which comprised the entirety of the regular commissioner’s meeting on Wednesday, June 29.

After the meeting was reopened to the public, the only business conducted was a motion made by Commissioner John Simonds and seconded by Brigitte Schran Brown. The motion, in its entirety, proposed that “the fire board place Chief Krimmert on paid administrative leave from June 30 to July 14, pending further investigation.”

The motion passed by a four-to-one vote, with Candy McCullough, the board’s chairperson, casting the only nay vote.

On Thursday, June 30, The Beachcomber contacted McCullough and the district’s newly hired assistant chief, Matt Vinci; both declined to comment additionally on the matter, though Vinci assured that the district’s work would continue apace during the Fourth of July holiday weekend — a busy time for the district.

“We have very well-trained crews and members who will continue to provide a high level of service, skills and preparedness,” Vinci said. “We just stay focused on our jobs and commitments as we go through this period of time in the district.”

Additionally, a voicemail left by The Beachcomber, on June 30, to Krimmert’s personal cell phone number, requesting comment, has not been returned as of press time.

However, an islander who is knowledgeable about the matter, though not affiliated with the district, shared a letter to the board of commissioners from the four firefighter captains serving VIFR; the source said the letter, dated June 27, had prompted the commissioner’s decision to put Krimmert on leave and conduct the investigation.

The source also told The Beachcomber that Quinn, an attorney for the district, would conduct the investigation.

The Beachcomber attempted to verify the letter’s contents with Captain Ben Davidson, one of the signatories of the letter and the president of Vashon’s Local Firefighter’s Union 4189; Davidson declined to comment on the letter or anything else about the investigation.

Other signatories of the letter, which The Beachcomber believes to be authentic, are Captain Brodie Smith, Captain Josh Munger and Captain Josh Dueweke, none of whom were contacted or gave comment on the situation.

The letter described the four captains’ extreme dissatisfaction with Krimmert’s leadership of the district and unequivocally stated that they believe he is not the right person for the job of chief of VIFR.

The letter, they said, represented the “culmination of years of frustration, and ultimately, the agonizing realization that we no longer have a choice as to whether or not to address our concerns with [commissioners] directly.” Rather, the captains wrote, “We feel we have a duty as officers in charge of the well-being of those in our charge, as well as the Vashon Island community we serve daily, to reach out to [the board].”

The captains stated that morale in the district was at an all-time low, and said Krimmert’s actions had created an “us vs. them” relationship between the administration and front-line workers. They described his conduct as unprofessional, saying he frequently lost control of his emotions and behaved in an angry, confrontational way.

They described the chief as being “adversarial and obstructionist” in their efforts to increase staffing levels at the station, and reluctant to address safety concerns that have been brought to his attention.

The captains also said their trust in Krimmert’s leadership had eroded to the point where they felt the chief no longer had the best interests of VIFR, or the greater island community, in mind.

Krimmert, who has served as Vashon’s fire chief since 2017, has been credited by McCullough and other former board members as having served in his position well, restoring financial solvency to the department and establishing a strong partnership with VashonBePrepared and other public service providers on Vashon.

In 2017, less than a year after his hire as chief, the district successfully passed a levy that allowed commissioners to increase the district’s revenue up to 6 percent every year for five years without a public vote as long as the levy rate did not exceed $1.50.

But Krimmert made news of a different kind on Vashon and beyond in the fall of 2021 when he initially stated he would not comply with Gov. Jay Inslee’s COVID vaccination mandate for firefighters and EMTs, proposing instead that the board change his job description to eliminate a requirement for him to serve as an EMT in the district.

As weeks passed, the deadline for the mandate loomed and commissioners voted to not change his job description, Krimmert changed course and announced he had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Also, in September of 2021, Krimmert received a written reprimand from the board of commissioners for his violation of “VIFR policy and code of conduct for his discourteous treatment of a citizen on July 20, 2021.”

The board chair at the time, Andy Johnson, told The Beachcomber that the incident had involved a mentally ill islander, whom Krimmert had been trying to help — an effort that had unintentional consequences, turning into a confrontation in the lobby of the fire station.