From The Trib, March 20, 1974

Westchester president defends fire chief in Westchester tiff

By ARTHUR BARNUM

"We still have and will continue to have David Fornell as our fire chief," Frederick Wedinger, Westchester village president, said Monday.

Wedinger called a special meeting of the village board to give Fornell a chance to answer charges made last week by Trustee Kenneth Caithamer on Fornell's lack of experience and qualifications.

Fornell, 29, began his duties Feb. 1 as full-time fire chief.

"Fornell is running before he is walking," Caithamer said.  "A mistake was made in hiring Fornell.  He could be a great fireman, but I doubt his ability in the position of chief."

Fornell answered Caithamer's charges by having officers from the Chicago Fire Department and the Addison Fire Protection District speak on his behalf at the meeting.

Fornell's experience includes 14 months as a full-time fireman in Addison, four years as a volunteer in Addison, extra duty at two fire departments in Arkansas while he served at Little Rock Air Force Base, and extra duty with two Chicago Fire Department units for three years.

Charles Danek, village manager, stressed during the meeting that the only purpose of the session was to give Fornell a chance to respond to Caithamer's charges.

As the meeting evolved, battle fronts were drawn and the issue became Fornell's methods of operating the fire department in the month and a half he was chief.

Fred Murphy, former fire chief who held the job on a part-time basis, was asked by Caithamer to comment on the department's current operations.

(Mr. Murphy's first name was Louis.)

"I don't want to speak here, but I will get all my material together and present it to Trustee Donald Devine for his study," Murphy said.  Murphy retired when Fornell took over.

Devine is the chairman of the board's public health and safety committee, which is to collect the material on Fornell for further study.

When Caithamer first made the charges last week, Wedinger asked that he give his notes to Devine for study by the committee.

"I am still keeping my notes because I am not done investigating this matter Caithamer told Wedinger Monday.

Michael Malpier, assistant Westchester fire chief on a part-time basis, blasted the techniques used by Fornell in fight fires.

Last Modified:  02/09/2005