Former Fountain Lake volunteer firefighters file FOIA requests, ethics complaints and a lawsuit alleging lack of transparency

Former leaders of the Fountain Lake Volunteer Fire Department say they filed multiple freedom-of-information requests, ethics complaints and — in at least one case — a lawsuit after they say the department’s board withheld documents and held staff in executive session in violation of open-meetings requirements.

Former chief Harry Baker and former assistant chief Lynn Price told the station they were let go last year and that a revolving door of staffing changes has hampered volunteer recruitment. The pair described repeated requests for records and grievances that they said were not produced in full.

Price has filed a lawsuit alleging the department’s board violated the Arkansas Open Meetings Act by convening all staff in an executive session, the report said. Baker described sending many FOIA requests and said only a portion of the requested records were returned.

The state ethics commission confirmed that investigations and related records are kept confidential, and the station reported the commission is handling inquiries. Both Baker and Price said they sought more transparency and asked state agencies to investigate; they said they could not discuss some details because of the ongoing proceedings.

The report did not include detailed responses from the Fountain Lake Fire Department board. The station said it reached out to the department but had not received a reply at the time of reporting.