Three top officers of the Blue Earth Fire Department may soon be calling it quits in their leadership roles.
On Monday, an agenda item had the City Council closing the meeting to the public to discuss fire department personnel matters.
Jim Wirkus, Ashley Bleess and Nicholas Bleess Jr. expressed their concerns about the department with council members before they went into closed-session.
Fire Chief Steve Brown says the three officers did verbally tell the council they were resigning.
“Until letters of resignation have been submitted and approved by City Council, there is no formal resignation to announce,” says Brown.
The trio reportedly want to remain with the department but not in a leadership capacity.
The city’s webpage lists Wirkus as the department’s captain; Ashley Bleess, assistant chief; and Nicholas Bleess Jr., lieutenant.
The fire department’s webpage says Wirkus has been a member of the department since March of 1994; Ashley Bleess, May of 1997; and Bleess Jr., October of 2014.
The fire department currently has 30 volunteer members, according to its webpage, and serves both inside the city as well as surrounding rural areas.