Crime & Safety

Major Shakeup of Wentzville Fire Protection District Puts Top Chiefs on Leave

Chief Randy Bornhop and Assistant Chief Robb Watkins were both placed on paid administrative leave.

A special meeting of the Board of Directors of the Wentzville Fire Protection District on Monday led to a major change in the administration, according to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch 

Chief Randy Bornhop and Assistant Chief Robb Watkins were both placed on paid administrative leave, and Fire Marshall Joseph F. Heitkamp was terminated—though, acting Chief Mike Scott would not confirm if he had been let go. 

Bornhop has been with the district since he began as a volunteer in 1986. When the city hired its first paid firefighters in 1991, Bornhop was one of the original six. He has served as chief since 2002. 

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Watkins was named the assistant chief in 2011 after spending 17 years in St. Charles, according to the Post-Dispatch. Heitkamp had been with Wentzville since 2000. 

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According the Post-Dispatch, the 75-person staff of the Wentzville Fire Protection District responds to more than 3,500 calls a year while serving a population of 60,500. The annual budget for the District is $8.3 million.

The Wentzville fire board recently got a new director in the April election. Robert Mainieri, Jr. has won the race for a seat on the Board of Directors of the Wentzville Fire Protection District in a hotly-contested race.


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