Centerville suspends fire chief after investigation
May 9—CENTERVILLE — The City of Centerville says it has suspended its fire chief after it was determined he responded to a scene with alcohol in his system earlier this month.
Vern Milburn, who has been with the Centerville Fire Department for more than 35 years including the last year and a half as its chief, was placed on administrative leave after a complaint was received May 3 that a firefighter on scene at a water rescue call in town was impaired by an alcoholic beverage. After an investigation, the city has levied a three-week, unpaid suspension against Milburn, city administrator Jason Fraser told The Courier. Milburn has also been ordered to complete training, but will remain the fire chief.
The city said Milburn cooperated fully with the investigation, which determined by Centerville Police Department testing that he had a blood alcohol content level of 0.026 when he was on the scene. While significantly under the legal limit to operate a vehicle, the department has a zero-tolerance policy that dictates those reporting for duty cannot be "under the influence, to any degree, of alcohol, drugs, or any other debilitating substances."
Milburn drove his personal vehicle to the fire station, and then rode in a department apparatus to the scene. At no time did he operate any city-owned vehicles, the city's investigation found.
The city said Milburn was "forthcoming about the mistake" and said he had consumed a few beers after returning home from work at approximately 8 p.m. that day. He was in bed when the call for service came in several hours later. The city's press release said Milburn admits he understands why he should not have responded, but he felt an obligation to be there for his staff and community, and did not feel impaired when awakened by his department pager.
While facilitating incident command, the city's investigation found he made the correct call to request assistance from the Ottumwa Fire Department's water rescue team during the call.
"Our staff are not trained for swift water rescue and did not have a boat with a motor or lights to perform the rescue safely," said Milburn. The individuals had told responders they were able to wait for the better-trained and equipped agency to respond to the rescue. The two individuals were ultimately successfully rescued from the flood waters of a swelled creek after their boat had capsized.
"The City of Centerville is committed to transparency within our community," the city's press release said in closing. "With Chief Milburn's cooperation, the city felt that sharing the facts regarding this incident was in the best interest of both the city and the community. The city considers this matter to be closed."
Kyle Ocker is the editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at kocker@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, and on Threads @Kyle_Ocker.
