Paint Creek chief still on leave after meeting

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The chief of the Paint Creek Joint/EMS Fire District remains on administrative leave following a meeting of the Paint Creek board Tuesday night.

Dan Mathews, president of the board, said Wednesday that the board met with chief Bradley George in executive session, but took no action.

“It’s probably going to take a couple more meetings,” he said. The board meets every two weeks.

Mathews said last week that George was placed on administrative leave in early July for personnel reasons. When asked then if he expected George to return to work, Mathews said, “Yes.”

Contacted Wednesday, George said he could not comment on the issues surrounding the administrative leave. But he said he was proud of the recent announcement that Paint Creek’s ISO classification rating has improved from a 5 to a 3.

“I was very proud of that,” said George. “We worked really hard to make sure there was improvement. Again, that’s a credit to the whole department.”

Shortly after George was placed on leave, Paint Creek announced that its latest ISO – Insurance Services Office – classification rating had improved from a 5 to a 3 in Hillsboro and Greenfield, as well as improving in other parts of the district.

Branden Jackman, public information officer for Paint Creek, said, “The ISO Public Protection Classification Program plays an important role in the underwriting process at insurance companies. In fact, most U.S. insurers – including the largest ones – use PPC information as part of their decision-making when deciding what business to write, coverages to offer, or prices to charge for personal or commercial property insurance.”

Hillsboro Mayor Drew Hastings and Safety and Service Director Todd Wilkin said at Monday’s city council meeting that the new ISO classification in Hillsboro was also due to improved water pressure in the city following two years of water line improvements.

George has been chief of the Paint Creek district since its formation five years ago.

George had served 18 years with the Greenfield Fire Department before leaving in October of 2007 to work for the state fire marshal’s office. When voters approved the formation of the fire district in 2009, he returned home to serve as Paint Creek’s chief beginning in January 2010.

Today Paint Creek has become one of the largest, if not the largest, fire districts in Ohio. When the district celebrated its fifth anniversary earlier this year, George credited his staff, whether full-time, part-time or volunteer, for making the rapid expansion of the district work.

Hillsboro City Council voted last December to extend its original one-year contract with Paint Creek for three more years. With its contractual relationship, the city is not a member of the district. Townships covered by Paint Creek along with the village of Greenfield are members of the district, with coverage paid for through millage.

Reach Gary Abernathy at 937-393-3456 or on Twitter @abernathygary.

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Board takes no action; George proud of better ISO

By Gary Abernathy

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