Aug. 7—UTICA — The Utica Township Fire District Board voted to terminate the contract with the Utica Township Volunteer Fire Department, which does business as New Chapel Fire and EMS.
This decision was reached after more than an hour of discussion with board members, including newly elected President Joe Jarles and Utica Fire Chief and New Chapel CEO Matt Owen, at a public meeting Wednesday night in Utica.
The board also voted to issue a 30-day notice for New Chapel to vacate the fire stations. It will also send a letter to New Chapel asking the company to stop using the name " Utica Fire Department" and similar names.
On July 31, an agreement was made in which the Jeffersonville Fire Department agreed to provide automatic aid for structure fires and other emergencies to Utica and Utica Township. JFD will now be the sole fire protection provider for the area.
Jarles said that they're hoping the long-term solution for fire protection will be the establishment of a fire territory with Jeffersonville. A study was issued by the City of Jeffersonville in May to determine the viability of such a territory.
Former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel, who is facing 31 felony charges, is the former CEO of New Chapel. He is accused of stealing money from the Utica Township Volunteer Firefighters Assocation, which does business as New Chapel EMS.
This story will be updated.
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