Interim chief, several members of East Beau Fire District 3 resign during board meeting

BEAUREGARD PARISH, La. (KPLC) - A Beauregard fire district saw its staff greatly reduced Monday night as around 20 members announced their resignation during a board meeting.

Interim Chief Lee Williams was among the firefighters who resigned - turning in their gear on the spot at the Beauregard Fire District 3 board meeting.

“As of right now, I resign as interim chief,” Williams said during the meeting. “All my stuff is in, my gear, my radio, I don’t want no part of this anymore.”

“I’m submitting my resignation as well,” another firefighter said.

“There’s no longer a fire department, let’s go,” a third firefighter said.

For residents wondering about whether their property will be protected in the event of a fire, Beauregard Fire District 4 Chief Eric Stracener says their department already has a prior mutual aid plan with District 3 and will continue to honor it. He emphasized that the agreement will not disrupt operations in District 4.

Williams was appointed interim chief after Chief Daryl Binford was suspended amid an ongoing investigation.

Louisiana State Police have confirmed they have taken over the investigation from the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office, but could not provide any further information.

Williams, though, showed 7News several documents and complaints against Binford, including: falsifying reports, mishandling of funds, and mishandling calls.

Williams’ resignation wasn’t the only intense moment during the meeting. Ruthie Huckaby was voted out as fire board president.

Firefighters also spoke at the beginning of the meeting, expressing their concerns about how the department is being run.

“Firefighters do not leave departments they love without reason. When that many trained and dedicated professionals are willing to walk away, it is a clear signal that something is fundamentally wrong. The common thread behind these departures is leadership, specifically the actions and behaviors of the chief,” one community member said. “Executive sessions create the appearance of secrecy even if it is not intentional. If there is nothing to conceal, then offering an open public dialogue should never be an issue when speaking about our money.”

The comment period came to a quick close, board members telling residents they could be added to next month’s agenda.

We caught up with a frustrated Williams after the meeting.

“Tonight we knew they were going to go after the president cause she was on the side of us getting the department in the right direction, and tonight they pushed me over the edge,” Williams said. “It’s going to be tough, (the community’s) insurance will go up, but if somebody can get these people out of power, we can get our fire department back, and it’ll be better.”

7News reached out to the new fire board president, Michael Atkinson, and Binford for comment. Atkinson has not responded, and Binford said he will provide a comment pending approval of the board.

7News is following this story and will have more updates soon.