Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

LITTLE COMPTON, R. I. -- Fire Chief Robert Hay Wimer apparently resigned Thursday during an annual performance review by the Town Council after only one year on the job, according to Town Council President Robert L. Mushen.

Mushen said Wimer and the Town Council were in a closed meeting, at a routine performance review when Wimer was asked a question. Instead of answering it, "He pushed his cell phone and radio across the table and said, 'Here are these ,and I will turn in my vehicle shortly,' " Mushen said. He would not say what the question was.

Wimer did not give a reason for leaving, Mushen said. He sent Wimer a letter delivered to his house by a police officer that said the council is taking his verbal actions as a resignation. Mushen said he had not heard a reply from Wimer. The previous fire chief had been there nearly three years Muchen said.

Little Compton firefighter Fred Melnyk, the union president, said that Wimer had the full support of the union and the Fire Department. He said the department had not been notified of Wimer's status and could not comment on his apparent resignation.

Mushen said Wimer was a sergeant with the U.S. Air Force for 22 years where his last position was operations chief for a shift of 102 firefighters manning seven stations at the Eglin Air Force base in Florida. His father Herbert "Pete" Wimer had been a fire chief when Robert was a child, Mushen said.

In Little Compton Wimer presided over a Fire Department with 8 firefighters. He earned a an annual salary of $50,000, according to Mushen.

"What we are going to do now is interview the eligible members of the department as to their interest in serving interim and or as a permanent roll as well as request assistance from the state Fire Chief's Association to look for someone who might come in at interim," Mushen said.

The Journal is attempting to reach Wimer for comment.

The original version of this story was posted at 11:51 a.m.

 Tags  Fire Chief Little Compton resignation

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