Orrington's recently fired Fire Chief Mike Spencer says he was let go in retaliation for an unauthorized sojourn to another fire department.

Spencer has filed an appeal with the town that will go before the Town Council, acting as a grievance committee, the week of May 9th. According to the BDN, he has filed a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission, calling it 'whistleblower retaliation,' and is asking that his case be heard in front of the public, because "sunlight is the best disinfectant."

Court documents state that the recent trouble between Spencer and Town Manager Paul White started when he put together a schedule where volunteers would sign up for on-call overnight ambulance coverage. Spencer says White told him he wasn't going to pay for on-call coverage, which would force Spencer to be the one on-call every night. That allegedly led to Spencer being placed on administrative leave.

The Fire Chief then made a trip to Newport, to view the city's public safety building. Both Spencer and White are on the Orrington Public Safety Building Committee, which is working to get a new public safety building in the town. According to his termination papers, Spencer was fired because of the trip and because, while he was in Newport, he allegedly made derogatory comments about White.

Spencer's attorney claims the firing was about a Town Manager who puts saving money over the town's public safety infrastructure. But the town's attorney, who called the firing a 'personnel issue' at a recent town council meeting, argues that he's making false accusations amid misinformation. He says White has always made public safety a priority.

It's the second time Spencer has been disciplined by the town. He was placed on administrative leave in 2013 for two weeks, prompted by concerns about off-duty personnel hanging around the fire house, a failure to report 12 hours of sick time, and the fact that he took a company vehicle to his other job.

The town has rallied around Spencer, with signs proclaiming 'Team Chief Spencer' popping up in several locations. And it's not the first time townspeople have shown their support for him. In 2012, most of the town turned out for a spaghetti dinner in his honor, after he suffered a bad fall from a ladder at his home. In a Facebook post this week, Spencer thanked residents for their support and informed them that he had filed an appeal with the town.

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