Apopka Fire Chief Sean Wylam, who's been under fire since the 2022 death of a firefighter, has announced his plans to step down.
Firefighters, the fire union and the family of Apopka Firefighter Austin Duran, killed when a trailer of sand toppled on him, have been calling for Wylam's dismissal for years.
In a letter to firefighters announcing his intentions, Wylam said he felt it's time for a change, WKMG reported.
He has served the department for 22 years, and five at the helm.
Last March, 85 percent of the local IAFF members said they had no confidence in their chief.
Alex Klepper, union president, told a reporter after hearing about the chief's plans:
“Sounds like something I said two years ago. He has drug this department through the mud for two years since Austin was killed.”
Wylam refused to step down even after the city council also said they had 'no confidence' he could lead the department.
Mike Duran, Austin Duran’s father, echoed Klepper's comments that he's been advocating for the chief to be replaced.
“When he specifically says in his retirement letter about challenges, why not dive into that? Why not, I mean, say his name? The challenges was Austin and what transpired from that.”
He added that since his son’s death, the department has a training chief and a health and life safety chief “that Austin did not have.”
“With Wylam leaving, it now opens this opportunity to bring better leadership into the department. So this is very, very huge,” he said. “... My fight isn’t for my son. He’s gone. My fight is for the firefighters that remain.”
