Spring Hill Union Leader Publicly Criticizes Fire Boss

A meeting was scheduled to take place at Pristine Place earlier this month.

A couple of representatives with the Spring Hill Fire Rescue District were going to speak with the homeowner's association. The community has three gates keeping the non-Pristine Place residents out.

Therefore, it was not a public meeting.

Consequently, it was canceled.

The president of the firefighter's union blamed it on fire commissioner Rob Giammarco and accused him of "actively campaigning against the district and the consensus of the board."

"His apparent mission is to dismantle this department as we know it," said firefighter Troy Hagar.

He was the first to make public comments. Eight residents spoke and four out of the five board members followed with comments of their own.

More than one hour and 20 minutes went by before the first vote took place Wednesday night during the Spring Hill Fire Rescue board meeting.

Giammarco responded to Hagar's accusations by saying he was entitled to his opinions. Secondly, any suggestion the meeting was canceled simply because he made a phone call is incorrect, he argued.

"I'm not out there doing anything wrong," he said.

Hagar's opinion was shared by Paul Brosnan, a Spring Hill resident and regular attendee of the board meetings.

"At which time do the actions of a commissioner become insubordinate?" asked Paul Brosnan. "It's not his right to undermine (the board)."

His daughter, Amy Brosnan, is running for a seat on the fire commission.

She is one of six candidates running for two seats, one of which is occupied by Giammarco. He, too, is running.

Of the eight members of the public who spoke Wednesday, at least four were outspokenly opposed to the fire district becoming independent from the county. Typically, the board meetings are heavily attended by fire fighters and friends of the district who are nearly unanimous in their support of an independent district.

That decision will be made by voters in November. If they oppose independence, the fire board will be dissolved and the county will take over the department's day-to-day operations.