Wagener fire chief resigns along with 19 of town’s 25 firefighters
WAGENER, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - The Fire Chief for the Wagener Fire Department has stepped down from his position, along with most of his firefighters.
It’s the third time in four years the Wagener Fire Department has been embroiled in a crisis like this one.
The town’s latest fire chief, Tillman Rushton, announced his resignation in a letter on Saturday.
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In his letter, Rushton states three main reasons for stepping down, including finances, oversight of training and proper equipment, and leadership from Mayor Mike Miller.
Rushton states that 19 out of 25 firefighters resigned on Saturday due to Miller’s leadership.
Rushton encouraged leaders to get a qualified unbiased third party involved in the Wagener Fire Department or disperse its firefighters and equipment to other departments with better standards and more oversight.
Rushton became fire chief after David Watson resigned in 2023 following a police investigation that raised questions about overtime he’d logged. The matter was turned over to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for further investigation.
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Within days of Watson’s exit, a woman was arrested on two counts of third-degree assault and battery after some issues at a Halloween corn maze staged by the Wagener Fire Department.
And before that, a controversy in November 2020 left the town without a fire chief and took the firefighting roster down from 12 to four.
Mark Redd was fired from the town’s volunteer fire department in 2020 after more than 40 years of service and more than 20 as chief. The firing led to a mass resignation of volunteers and a rift among some of the small community.
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A retired public safety veteran in Aiken County was brought in to rebuild the agency, and Watson came in sometime after that.
Redd ultimately sued Miller, claiming defamation.
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