MCCRACKEN COUNTY, KY - Tempers are flaring at a local fire department.  Hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money, compliance with federal law, and public safety are what one local fire chief says are behind his decision to drastically reorganize his department, but it's left some questioning the decision to move veteran firefighters out of senior positions.

Earlier this week Reidland-Farley Fire Chief Richard Tapp announced a restructuring of his department that removed the position of Assistant Chief and either demoted or reassigned several other longtime firefighters.  They remain members of the department, but their former positions have been filled by others.
    
The night Tapp made the announcement, a heated argument broke out at the meeting.  Two firefighters had to be removed by sheriff's deputies.  Thursday night, Tapp addressed reports of disgruntled volunteers saying this is something he tried for months to avoid.  He says it all comes down to federally required training.  The ones in had it.  The ones out didn't, and he says if he had not made the change, the consequences would be a lot worse than morale problems.

Tapp has devoted his life to putting out fires, but his latest move has started a different kind of fire within his own department.  "We had a meeting Monday night, and right out of the box, one person stood up and started off with a group of 4-letter words for me," Tapp said.

The reaction came from Tapp's announcement of major changes to his department's command structure.  Tapp says he had to replace several firefighters because they had not received training necessary to make the department eligible for federal grant money.  "Without it we could have been subject to having to repay all the federal grant money we've received," Tapp said.

That amounts to nearly half a million dollars, money that enabled the department to buy everything from jaws of life to personal protective suits to a fire-rescue boat.  As for the firefighters he has upset by the move, Tapp says for the last several months he offered them multiple opportunities to receive the necessary training.  "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.  I can offer the training to people, notify them where it's at and how to get it, and if they don't want to, then I've done all I can do," Tapp said.

While a divided department remains a source of concern, Tapp says he can't let hurt feelings come before access to resources vital to the department and the people it serves.  "If they're not going to be compliant with the law, then I have to do what I have to do to protect this fire district, the citizens, and the taxpayers of this district," Tapp said.

The department is waiting to hear back about a grant for a $900,000 ladder truck.  Tapp says because of the changes he's made, the department is completely compliant with federal guidelines, so this shouldn't affect future grants.

Despite the ill will, Tapp says he's extending an open invitation to all the firefighters affected by the change to receive the necessary training within the next two months.  If they do, Tapp says he'll consider reinstating them to their former positions.