LEWES, Del. - After Tuesday's monthly Lewes Fire Department meeting, one member at the meeting told CoastTV that former fire chief Bill Buckaloo will ultimately be able to come back to the department as a firefighter.
According to a second member at the meeting, Buckaloo will not be expelled, only suspended for 60 days, which he has already served more than 30 days of.
The overwhelming majority of the membership at the meeting wanted the issue to go before the hearing board but the president overruled it, said the second member.
The first member said that after Buckaloo serves his suspension, he will be put on probation for several months and then can come back to the department as a firefighter, if he chooses.
While outside the fire department's Tuesday meeting, CoastTV tried to talk with members on their way into the meeting. One member aggressively approached our crew while yelling profanity and had to be restrained from approaching further.
Buckaloo's suspension came in July after he made what the fire department called a "derogatory comment" in a public setting. CoastTV has since received three copies of an email from members of the fire department that they say was sent by the department's president. The email claims that Buckaloo used the N-word while off duty at Irish Eyes.
On July 21, in a public statement from the Lewes Fire Department, the department said it did not condone Buckaloo’s remarks and launched a full investigation of what was said at Irish Eyes.
The next day, on July 22, CoastTV asked the Lewes Fire Department what, specifically, the derogatory comment was. The department would not specify but said "the comment is not acceptable in any audience, setting or in any general conversation."
Tune in to CoastTV News at 5 and 6 p.m. to hear from those in Lewes.