SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The Springfield Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to ratify the removal of David Moore from his role as assistant fire chief following an investigation into "department leadership."
The investigation started after two paramedics mistakenly declared a woman dead on Jan. 2, 2024. Those paramedics have since been fired.
According to the township, the vote came after the investigator appointed by the township, attorney R. Kent Murphree, made an addendum to his previous report and found that Moore "failed to conduct a thorough or sufficient investigation into what happened."
The township also said that the investigation found that although fire chief Barry Cousino, who remains on administrative leave, was out of the state on vacation at the time of the incident and didn't provide Moore with any guidance, "the assistant chief had a leadership role that demanded far more leadership and accountability."
“As we’ve continued to investigate this terrible situation, our focus is on learning what went wrong and taking steps to correct those issues immediately,” Board of Trustees Chair Andy Glenn said. “While the Assistant Chief didn’t receive any guidance or instructions from the fire chief, he was still expected to lead the department. His investigation and leadership after the incident were nowhere near good enough.”
The board of trustees said they decided that the removal of Moore was more appropriate instead of termination, citing that Moore had never been disciplined previously and "had a long and stellar record in the department while in non-supervisory roles."
The township said Moore will be offered a non-supervisory role with the fire department. According to the trustees, Moore has agreed to accept the offer based on preliminary discussions.
Springfield Township released the previous report with the addendum. It can be read here.
The original report from Murphree that led to Springfield Township paramedics Aiden Yoon and William Fordyce being fired found that the two "failed to follow basic procedures before declaring the patient deceased."
Yoon, 28, and Fordyce, 54, responded to a call of a possible drug overdose in Toledo — which Springfield Twp. responded to because of a mutual aid contract with Lucas County — on Jan. 2 and declared 31-year-old Arielle Diaz dead, despite her still being alive at the time.