Anderson Fire Chief Joe Piccinini placed on administrative leave

PICCININI

The board of the Anderson Fire Protection District placed Chief Joe Piccinini on administrative leave May 12 for undisclosed reasons.

"Questions have arisen about the management of the district, and since Chief Joe Piccinini is the chief administrative officer responsible for district activities, the board chose to put him on paid administrative leave and called in an outside investigator to look into the issues and advise the issues if they should be of concern," said the district’s attorney Mike Fitzpatrick in a prepared statement.

"This is a normal procedure that government agencies follow when the issues involve top management, and they do so to ensure that everything is handled properly and impartially. No inferences of any kind should be drawn of any kind of wrong-doing by the fact that an investigator is being called in or by the fact that the administrator is put on administrative leave."

Fitzpatrick would not expand on what management activities were under scrutiny. He said the leave would last until the investigation is completed.

Board members Norma Comnick, Keith Webster and Butch Schaefer did not comment, deferring to the district’s attorney. Board member Marsha Kelly did not respond to phone calls on Thursday or Friday. Board member Paul Bosetti could not be reached.

Piccinini joined the district Oct. 15, 2007.

Previously, Piccinini served as Chief Officer and Chief of Finance and Communications for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma Fire Department.

He joined the Tulsa Fire Department in 1985, where he served as fire captain, chief intern, district battalion chief, as well as division chief.