New complaint filed amid leadership confusion in Wareham Fire District

A new complaint and union grievance have been filed in the ongoing controversy within the Wareham Fire District while confusion over leadership persists.

In two complaints filed last year, district employees accused Fire Chief John Kelley of harassment and creating a hostile work environment.

On Feb. 14, an employee filed a new complaint and while the details remain unclear, it appears to be directed at Kelley. On Feb. 18 the Wareham firefighters union filed an accompanying grievance.

Employees, as well as members of the Prudential Committee, the board which oversees the district, have declined to comment and referred all inquiries to the district’s attorney, Leo Peloquin.

Kelley has been away from duty on medical leave since January after sustaining an injury during a mutual aid response assisting a neighboring fire department.

At the Jan. 9 Prudential Committee meeting, Assistant Chief Patrick Haskell was named acting chief, assuming the chief’s duties while Kelley recovers from his injury.

Although he has been absent from work, members of the fire department have expressed concern and confusion over Kelley’s apparent continued hand in the operation of the department.

At the Jan. 30 Prudential Committee meeting, Haskell informed the committee that department members had received conflicting instructions from him and Kelley.

“I'm looking for some clarification,” Haskell said to the board. “Is the chief in charge or am I in charge of the department?”

At the meeting, members of the committee recommended that Haskell and Kelley establish direct lines of communication to avoid confusion, but the matter remains unresolved.

“It’s concerning that the assistant chief is in the dark on things,” said Captain Chris Smith.

In the resolution to one of last year’s complaints, the Prudential Committee found Kelley did not violate any district policies. The other complaint from last year was resolved on Feb. 6 but the board’s decision is not yet public.

Since May 2024, the Prudential Committee has approved nearly $40,000 in payments to Norris Murray and Peloquin, the law firm representing the district in the complaints against Kelley.

Additionally, in October 2024, the board spent roughly $40,000 to hire an investigator who examined the first complaint.

Wareham Fire District Clerk Wendy Lemieux said the district has exceeded its $25,000 annual legal budget and she “highly doubts” that legal payments will end soon.

The Wareham Fire District provides fire protection to a large portion of the Town of Wareham, and supplies water to much of that same area. The Onset Fire District covers the remaining part of town.

Although working cooperatively with the town on many matters, neither district is part of the town government. Each is a quasi-municipal government, with its own elected officials, bylaws and taxing authority.

Kelley joined the Wareham Fire Department as a recruit in 1995 and has spent his entire firefighting career with the department, succeeding former Chief Matt Rowley in 2022.