KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Chief Michael Callahan will resign from the department on April 28, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, said Friday.
Callahan submitted his resignation letter on Thursday.
During his tenure with KCKFD, Callahan had a rocky relationship with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 64, the union that represents the department's firefighters.
In 2020, IAFF Local 64 called for Callahan to be fired or to resign because he lived in Prairie Village.
The union argued Callahan was breaking the rules of the Unified Government, which doesn't allow employees to live outside Wyandotte County.
Just a few months later, IAFF Local 64 voted "no confidence" in Callahan.
The union said Callahan was slow to respond to problems in the department and that was hurting morale among firefighters.
The problems continued last June when union members protested working conditions and said it was impacting public safety.
Union members were concerned with response times and resource allocations.
At the protest, union members called for Unified Government to investigate KCKFD's administration.
Union members also voted "no confidence" in Callahan for the second year in a row.
A week after the protest, IAFF local 64 threatened legal action against KCKFD and the Unified Government.
J.J. Simma, president of IAFF Local 64, provided the following statement to KSHB 41 after Callahan announced he's resigning.
Throughout the last nearly five years, the men and women of the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department and International Association of Fire Fighters Local 64 have not wavered and have remained consistent in their duties and commitment to the citizens of Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County. We look forward to working with the Unified Government and the Fire Department to help the KCKFD progress and right the ship from where we have been over the last few years. Local 64 stands ready to assist with our community to better serve its residents and firefighters every day safety encounters.
The union accused Callahan of violating firefighters' first amendment rights for protesting.
Callahan joined the department in 2018 after serving with the Chicago Fire Department.
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