Last month The Times published "A Proposal for Our Two Firehouses," with a statement of intention from the Select Board. On April 15, The Times interviewed SFDI Board President Ralph Morrison, who for many years was Sandisfield's Fire Chief. Morrison, who owns A&M Auto in Sandisfield, has been Board President of FSDI since its inception in 1986.

Editorial comments for clarification are in [brackets] following Ralph's comments.

Question: What is your take on the issues between the SFD and the SFDI?

Ralph Morrison: One thing I'd like to clear up is that a lot of what is being said about the SFDI are just not true. People are saying that I own the firehouses. This is not true. The firehouses are owned by the Corporation, which is controlled by the Board [of Directors]. The issue isn't between the Sandisfield Fire Department and SFDI, the issue is between the Select Board and SFDI.

What do you think about the article on the Town Meeting Warrant, to acquire, by gift, purchase, or eminent domain, the properties located at 207 Sandisfield Road and 79 South Main Street?

Our lawyer has tried contacting the Town twice to negotiate, but the Town has not responded to our attorney at this time. Back in January the SFDI attorney mentioned to the Select Board that we would be interested in possibly making a deal. The SFDI wasn't even aware of [Selectman] Robert Fedell bringing the appraisers into the buildings until after [it was done]. SFDI also hadn't seen copies of the [amount of the] appraisal until after Article #12 was put on the warrant.

[Clarification: Town Counsel and SFDI's attorney have been engaged in ongoing discussions in recent weeks regarding the potential acquisition of the two fire stations. The Town's objective is to reach a mutually agreeable resolution prior to the ATM. Possible outcomes under consideration include the transfer of ownership through a donation from SFDI, a sale at a reduced price, or a cooperative agreement to proceed with a "friendly taking" under eminent domain. It is the position of the Select Board that they hope SFDI will donate or sell the parcels at a significantly reduced rate.]

The SFDI recently changed Article 4 of its Articles of Incorporation which originally said that if SFDI was dissolved, the assets, after paying debts, would revert to the Town. After revision, Article 4 now says that the assets would go to other non-profit organizations. Why was this changed?

Our attorney has advised us that we can't legally give the assets of the corporation to the Town [if the corporation is dissolved]. We can only give the assets to a like-minded non-profit charitable organization.

[Clarification: While IRS and state regulations do require nonprofits upon dissolution to transfer their assets to another charitable organization with a similar mission, such transfers can include public entities - such as a municipality - provided the assets will continue to be used for a charitable or public purpose. Since the Town's intended use of the fire stations directly aligns with SFDI's original mission of supporting public safety and emergency services, transferring ownership of the fire stations to the Town seems to be a valid and mission-consistent outcome.]

What would happen if the Town were to purchase the firehouses? Where would the money go from the SFDI?

The corporation was set up to support the Fire Department. It would still continue to support the SFD.

Why was SFDI created in the first place?

The corporation was created to build Firehouse #2 and receive donations to support the purchase of equipment to better serve the residents of the Town. The Town can't accept [cash] donations, and any donations made to the corporation are tax deductible. Also, when we built Firehouse #2, it cost $200,000 and we had to take out a mortgage. Bob Green, who was a financial advisor for Camp Crestwood in Sandisfield, was given $100,000 from the corporation to invest. After one year, he turned that $100,000 into $200,000, and we paid off the mortgage.

The corporation also purchased equipment for SFD and purchased a Rescue Truck, two of the four ATVs, and a brush truck to fight forest fires, and multiple tankers throughout the years. The SFDI also pays for the insurance of the buildings, but the town pays for the insurance of the vehicles. [Verification of SFDI-purchased vehicles has not been made.]

The Town no longer has a tanker truck, and the corporation was going to purchase a tanker truck. This is a big problem, because if there is a house fire, the fire department will have trouble supplying water to the pumper. The Town only owns two firetrucks, the ambulance, and two ATVs.

[Clarification: The tanker truck was lost in an accident in 2023, prompting a dispute between the Select Board and SFDI regarding the resulting insurance proceeds, SFDI asserts that, as the organization that originally purchased the vehicle and leased it to the Town, it is entitled to the proceeds. However, because the vehicle was titled in the Town's name, the insurance company issued the payment directly to the Town.

[Additionally, the Select Board maintains that the Town insured the vehicle and funded its maintenance throughout its operational life, further supporting the Board's position that the insurance proceeds rightfully belong to the Town. As of this writing, the matter remains unresolved, and the tanker has not yet been replaced.]

Why did the SFDI purchase Firehouse #1 [79 S. Main St] from the American Legion?

The American Legion asked us if we wanted to buy the building, because they could no longer afford to maintain it. [The building was Sandisfield's earliest fire station.] It needed repairs and only a small portion of the building was heated, which housed the vehicles. The Board [of SFDI] voted to buy the building and then the corporation upgraded and paid for the expenses to upgrade the building.

[Clarification: Cash donations to SFDI were solicited through public service ads in The Sandisfield Times and local tradesmen volunteered time and expertise to conduct some of the renovations.]

The Fire Department has always furnished a vehicle for the Fire Chief. What is the status of the vehicle now?

Well, since I was always available for calls, the Fire Chief 's vehicle was kept on my property [here at A&M]. Since I am no longer the Fire Chief, I cannot speak on what the status of the vehicle is.

[Clarification: The Ford Explorer Responder vehicle is currently stationed at Fire Station #2, 79 S. Main Street, for emergency use.]

The Fire Chief who replaced you recently resigned. One complaint was that he wasn't furnished with office space. What was the reason for this?

The lease for the corporation said that we only had to provide space to house the emergency vehicles. There was never any requirement to provide office space. I used my office in the back of my garage as the office of the Fire Chief. Currently at Fire Station #1, the office there is used for all of the EMS administrative work. SFDI and the Select Board had a meeting to discuss office space, in which the Chief was supposed to reach out so we could work with him on getting office space figured out. SFDI hadn't received any form [of] inquiry from the Chief since that meeting.

[Clarification: At the October 30, 2024, Select Board meeting with SFDI, the topic of office space for the Fire Chief was discussed. There was miscommunication as to which party was responsible for initiating follow-up communication, as the Select Board understood that SFDI would contact the Chief directly. Additionally, it is important to note that both independent appraisals of Fire Station #2, 207 Sandisfield Road, identify designated office space on the upper level of the facility.]

Another complaint was that the new Fire Chief wasn't given access to the fire department records. Is this true?

No, the Chief was never denied access to any department records. The records were previously kept in the Chief's office at my garage. All of the records were stored here [at A&M Auto] in a locked office in which A Special Report Q&A with SFDI President Ralph Morrison the Fire and EMS administrative work was all done. Then once adequate storage was available it was all transferred to the firehouse.

Your business, A&M Auto, used to service the Town's emergency vehicles. After the tanker truck accident in 2023, the Town said your business could no longer service any Town vehicles. Has this inversely affected your business?

No, it hasn't inversely affected my business. The convenience for the Town might have been affected but there is no change here.

[Clarification: This prohibition was made formal at a Select Board work session in October 2023, as a result of learning that safety inspections for multiple emergency service vehicles had lapsed and service records had not been maintained by Chief Morrison despite owning A&M Auto which regularly conducted maintenance on the vehicles.]

Will the Firehouse still be available for the Town's Annual Meeting?

Yes. The Annual Town Meeting has been held at Firehouse #2 previously and will continue to be available to the Town for events. The firehouses are used by Town committees, including the Recreation Committee, the Historical Society, and funeral services for Town employees. The firehouses can also be set up as emergency shelters in the event of a natural disaster for the Town of Sandisfield, which has been utilized numerous times throughout the years.

[The ATM will be held at Fire Station #2, 207 Sandisfield Rd, on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.]