Hamilton fire chief resigns amid misconduct allegations

In a letter sent to Hamilton City Council, Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf and the Hamilton Rural Fire District Council on July 12, the Hamilton Volunteer Firefighters Association listed numerous allegations and complaints made against Mohn, some dating back to 2022.

The letter announced a vote of no confidence and categorized the allegations against Mona into categories including, but not limited to, operational inefficiencies, lapses in safety protocols and lack of communication.

“We believe that these facts, supported by the original letter, support the immediate removal of Chief Mohn from the HVFD in order to alleviate the hostile and punitive atmosphere that currently exists within the HVFD,” the Hamilton Volunteer Firefighters Association said in the letter.

The letter also accuses Mohn of being intoxicated while on the job and states that Mohn allegedly “frequently appears on calls and training sessions while intoxicated.”

The letter also mentions incidents of sexual harassment reported by community members.

“Members of our community have reached out to firefighters to express their disgust with Chief Mohn due to incidents of inappropriate touching and sexual harassment,” the letter said.

“These concerns have been expressed for three or four years now,” Volunteer Firefighters Association Capt. Jeff Burrows said at a Committee of the Whole meeting in Hamilton on July 23. “The situation is hostile and punitive. We have expressed these concerns for several years. It appears there is only one city employee defending himself here.”

Mon told the Ravalli Republic that he had “no further comment” on his resignation.

In an article published last Friday on NBC Montana, Mohn said, “I was cleared to return to work, but I didn’t want to be involved in that environment anymore, so I decided to resign. If I returned, I knew they would make more false accusations against me.”

Hamilton’s Committee of the Whole reported that Mohn was on administrative leave during his tenure. meeting July 23.

Hamilton City Council decided that Mohn would receive 30 weeks’ salary and seven months of health insurance under a special program. meeting October 8.

Hamilton Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf released a written statement on Mohn’s resignation last week, saying Mohn’s decision to resign was “for the health and continued success of the fire service.”

“Chief Mohn and I will continue to work closely with Assistant Chief Woods to ensure the smoothest possible transition for the Fire Department,” Farrenkopf wrote.

Burrows told the Ravalli Republic that there were no concrete plans to replace Mohn.

Burrows said that since Mohn’s resignation, there is “quite a status quo” at the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department and that Tyson Woods has been filling Mohn’s role as the department’s assistant chief.