Tiverton Fire Chief Robert Lloyd officially resigns

Signed letter received Tuesday

By Tom Killin Dalglish
Posted 12/20/18

TIVERTON — It's official. Negotiations between the town and Fire Department Chief Robert Lloyd have concluded, and the chief is leaving town service.

By letter he had been asked to sign, if he was willing to accept an offer to resign in lieu of termination, Chief Lloyd accepted the offer, signed the letter, and returned it to the town, which Town Administrator Jan Reitsma said was received on Tuesday, December 18.

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Tiverton Fire Chief Robert Lloyd officially resigns

Signed letter received Tuesday

Posted

TIVERTON — It's official. Negotiations between the town and Fire Department Chief Robert Lloyd have concluded, and the chief is leaving town service.
By letter he had been asked to sign, if he was willing to accept an offer to resign in lieu of termination, Chief Lloyd accepted the offer, signed the letter, and returned it to the town, which Town Administrator Jan Reitsma said was received on Tuesday, December 18.
Chief Lloyd had until December 22 to make his decision to accept or reject the town's offer, Mr. Reitsma said.
Chief Lloyd has not been able to be reached for comment. Details about the terms and conditions of the resignation, if any (e.g. effective date, pay, retirement, continuity of health benefits, unused vacation time, sick leave time, etc.) are not known at this time.
Nor are details regarding the new command structure in the fire department.
Captain Bruce Reimels became acting chief on Thursday, October 25, when Chief Lloyd was placed on administrative leave with pay by Mr. Reitsma, pending an investigation the town then set about conducting regarding Chief Lloyd.
As a result of the ensuing investigation, Mr. Reitsma said he had come up with some questions or concerns which he had said he thought involved grounds for termination. Chief Lloyd, in response, indicated that he was willing to retire, Mr. Reitsma said.
There the matter rested, until an executive session meeting of the town council to consider the matter that began late at night on December 10, and continued into the early hours of the morning of December 11.
There were discussions between the town and the chief and their respective lawyers (regarding termination versus retirement versus resignation), but the content of those discussions has not been disclosed.
In the open session of the council immediately following the executive session, the council voted unanimously to convey to Chief Lloyd, in the form of a letter, the town's offer to accept his resignation.
For legal reasons in Rhode Island, Mr. Reitsma said, an employee who is offered a chance to resign in lieu of termination is given a 21-day window to consider the options, and must sign in writing his/her willingness to accept or reject the offer.
The 21-day clock was ticking on Chief Lloyd's decision, to accept or reject the town's offer, when his signed letter of acceptance of the council's offer was delivered to town hall on Tuesday the 18th.
Chief Lloyd's current two-year contract expires April 25, 2019, and under the contract he is paid at the annual rate of $84,552.
Chief Lloyd joined the Tiverton Fire Department in January, 2005. He has been a professional firefighter since March of 1971, for much of that time in Narragansett where he lives.

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