Spotsylvania County Volunteer Fire Chief Thomas Oesterheld refers to the past 12 months as 'the year of hell.' ROBERT A. MARTIN/THE FREE LANCE-STAR

BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE

Chief Thomas Oesterheld preached fire and brimstone to Spotsylvania volunteer firefighters at this year’s annual banquet.

His message: The county government doesn’t care about you.

It’s a message Oesterheld said came loud and clear over the past 12 months, a period he refers to as “the year of hell.”

His 55 years of service mean nothing to county officials, Oesterheld said as he announced he would retire this year.

SETTING NEW STANDARDS

His indignation stems from the new minimum training standards, approved in October by the county’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services Commission. The Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors asked for these new standards as a reaction to a Feb. 5, 2010, fatal fire, when a resident died while on the phone with an emergency dispatcher. The scene of the incident was chaotic, according to internal and external reviews of the incident.

Continue Reading… Fredericksburg.com – CHIEF TO RETIRE, CITES NEW RULES.