LIBERTY — Township trustees are unsure how the loss of four firefighters, including three last week, will affect operations of the 15-member department, but they will be reviewing the situation over the next several weeks.

“We will be talking to fire Chief (Gus) Birch in the next week about the procedures the department will be working under,” Trustee Arnie Clebone said. “Right now, we really don’t know, so we have to review the situation.”

He was responding to the April 12 overdose death of firefighter John Beard that led to an internal investigation of drug trading at the Belmont Avenue station that has been turned over to the Mahoning Valley Drug Task Force. On Wednesday, trustees accepted the forced resignations of Lt. Josh Cleland — whose home was raided Wednesday night — and Lt. Justin Graham, as well as the forced retirement of Capt. Chris Olson. They also demoted Inspector Capt. Cathy Macchione to captain.

Clebone said the department can draw from a potential pool of part-time firefighters to fill some slots in the short term. It also has full-time firefighters that can work some overtime hours.

“The situation is not as dire as it may seem from the outside,” Clebone said. “The department works in shifts.”

Trustee Chairman Greg Cizmar added the department has mutual aid agreements with area fire departments that will help while township leaders determine the best course of action.

Clebone said they do not know the potential financial impact this will have on the township budget if it has to replace the firefighters.

Birch said the acts of a few former firefighters should not be reflective of the majority of the hard-working members of the department.

“All members of the Liberty Fire Department voluntarily submitted to drug testing and those results were negative,” Birch said. “The members of the Liberty Township Fire Department have cooperated in (an) internal investigation.”

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