Former Alfalfa Fire District volunteers voice concern over chief’s conduct, spending, OSHA violations; LaVallee responds

(Update: Adding video, comments from former volunteers, Alfalfa fire chief)

ALFALFA, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Three former Alfalfa Fire District volunteers and firefighters are coming forward to express their concerns over the conduct and practices of Fire Chief Chad LaVallee, which recently led to a state OSHA finding of three violations -- two "serious" -- and a $185 fine.

The three volunteers reached out to NewsChannel 21 after they said their concerns weren't taken seriously enough by the Alfalfa Fire District's board. They point to a June 12th incident.

They say Chief LaVallee used a 16-year-old as a victim in a live fire training last year. That goes against regulations from the National Fire Protection Agency and violates OSHA guidelines.

"After the horn was blown, I noticed that Carl, the cadet we had who was under 18 that was in the building, wasn't there," Ellis Kurzman, a former volunteer for the district, told us Monday.

The search crew doing the training was unable to locate the teen and the source of the fire after 10 minutes, and exited the structure.

The teen, though, was still unaccounted for.

"So I bring that up, and everyone has to get their gear back on, go back inside to search for him and grab him because he didn't hear the horn be blown. No one thought to grab him," Kurzman recalled.

According to the volunteer, there was no form of communication used in the training.

Once the teen left the structure, the former volunteer firefighters say he was out of breath from inhaling smoke.

They claim this isn't the first time this has happened during a training session, with the chief having used other firefighters, including his wife, as victims in live fire scenarios multiple times.

Ashley Shawe, another former volunteer, told NewsChannel 21, "And he would send us in with no radios, too short of hoses on purpose, to try to train us, to try to size up how much hose we needed. But we had no radios, so we couldn't radio the engineer."

They allege other incidents such as Chief LaVallee hiring his wife in a paid full-time position at the department, rather than placing an ad to hire from outside, though LaVallee's wife told NewsChannel 21 that she only took the position after it was offered, and passed over, by everyone else in the district.

The volunteers also allege misuse of funds by the district, which spent over $5,000 on a ladder truck for a fire district with no buildings higher than two stories, and concerns about the chief's behavior and attitude toward members in the department becoming increasingly disrespectful and unsafe, including the use of young volunteers in those live fire training exercises.

The concerned volunteers took their complaints to the Alfalfa Fire District Board, and other state departments, like OSHA.

OSHA sent NewsChannel 21 their report, saying the fire district had committed three violations in total, two categorized as "serious."

OSHA found Chief LaVallee didn't provide medical evaluations to determine employee's ability to use a respirator, didn't prepare a "pre-burn plan" and allowed a person to play the role of a victim in a live fire structure.

The penalty for the district - just $185.

In response to the issues raised, the fire chief sent a statement to NewsChannel 21 on behalf of the district that states, "Alfalfa Fire District was the subject of a complaint made to OSHA related to a live-fire training exercise that took place in June 2023. The Fire District cooperated fully with the OSHA investigation. OSHA has since issued a notice of violation."

LaValle continued, "The Fire District did not appeal the violation.  Instead, in response to the violation, the Fire District paid the OSHA-assessed penalty and completed the required corrective action, as well as updating Department Policies and Standard Operating Guidelines with the help of other outside agencies. 

"As Fire Chief, I intend to maintain a safe workplace for all our volunteers in full cooperation with OSHA and all of our partner agencies." LaValle stated. "I believe I have the full support of the elected Fire District Board in this regard. On behalf of the Fire District, I intend to continue to strive for a safe workplace for all the firefighters that work so hard to keep our community safe."

But Shawe said, "It's time to separate your emotions and your feelings about someone, and look at the facts, and hold this person accountable for their pattern of unethical and unsafe behavior."