- March 9, 2025
Three Flagler Beach firefighters, including Fire Chief Martin Roberts, have been fired after an investigation revealed that alchohol-related allegations were likely true.
Two volunteer firefighters were also terminated.
Bruce Campbell, city manager for Flagler Beach, sent the firefighters notices of discharge Thursday, the day after disciplinary hearings were held.
An independent investigator said complaints that Roberts was under the influence of alcohol while responding to fire calls after the department’s holiday part on Dec. 14 were true. Because of this, Campbell terminated Roberts’ employment.
“Also,” Campbell wrote in a letter to Roberts, “as you know, the investigator reported that based on his interviews, he believed a high degree of intra-department discord … existed within the Fire Department.”
Six members of the department brought forth complaints against Roberts’ actions in December.
“This signifies to me a lack of organizational control and leadership,” Campbell wrote.
The night of the department holiday party, Roberts also authorized Steve Wood, a volunteer fire fighter, to respond to the same fire call.
Wood has also been discharged. He said in his disciplinary hearing that he only drank bottles of nonalcoholic beer that night, but investigation showed that Busch N.A., the beer he said he was drinking, is only distributed in cans in this region of the country. Wood will be allowed to remain on staff in the city’s sanitation department.
A third volunteer firefighter, Barbara Haspiel, was terminated for responding to the same call as Roberts and Wood did. She responded in her own vehicle, but helped with the call, after consuming alcohol at the department’s holiday party.
Jacob Bissonnette and Shane Wood, both firefighters for the department, were terminated after storing and consuming alcohol at the fire station. Bissonnette said during his hearing that he did not consume alcohol during his shifts, but Campbell said bringing and consuming alcohol on city property, even while off duty, was a serious violation.
A final person, Robert Pace, received a notice of a predisciplinary hearing for allegations that he falsified information on probation volunteer time sheets.
