Chesterfield's Fire Dept. Promotes Three After Firing Four Last Year

A spokesman for Chesterfield-based Monarch Fire Protection District said Feb. 7 it promoted three employees, coming Two of the new chiefs were appointed interim chiefs after the firings.

• John Borgmann to Assistant Chief
  Borgmann is a 31-year veteran who was hired as a firefighter in January of 1981. He was promoted to Captain in 1988, and to Battalion Chief in 2006. Borgmann will be in charge of operations. Served as interim.
• Nick Harper to Deputy Chief
  Harper is a 33-year veteran who was hired as a firefighter in April of 1979.  He became a Paramedic in 1991, and was promoted to Captain in 2000. Harper will be in charge of emergency medical services. Served as interim.
• Robin Echele to Deputy Chief
  Echele is a 22-year veteran who was hired as a Firefighter/Paramedic in August of 1990. He was promoted to Captain in 2000, and to Training Officer in 2001. He will be in charge of training and special rescue services.

Of the four fired suddenly last year, two weeks later in woods near his home in Kirkwood.

Also fired: Assistant Chief Les Crews, Deputy Chief Cary Spiegel and Battalion Chief Mike Davis.

While , two of them did cite a court decision against the district in favor of four women firefighters who said they were discriminated against by superiors, costing the district about $1 million.

Monarch has 125 employees, five firehouses and covers 55 square miles, including Chesterfield, and parts of Ballwin, Creve Coeur and Wildwood.