The Tillamook Fire District has settled a lawsuit filed by two former firefighters for $300,000.
The two ex-employees, Kyle Adams and Kris Davis, sued the district last year — alleging they were forced to resign after they raised concerns about the fire chief and he retaliated against them.
Adams and Davis had hoped to get their jobs back through a legal battle. Instead, they each received $150,000 as part of a settlement approved in June. It left the duo with mixed feelings.
“We weren’t out for money,” Davis said in a recent interview.
Their complaints against Jeff McBrayer, the fire chief from August 2023 to April 2024, focused on his use of a district vehicle, absences, purchases on a government credit card and statements to the media.
A report issued by the fire board cleared McBrayer of the allegations, finding that McBrayer had followed existing policy regarding vehicle use, but wrote the policy had been amended “to suggest the vehicle remain within the district.”
The report also found that the purchases were for innocuous vehicle equipment that was located on district property, his statements to the media were broadly appropriate and that he informed coworkers of the absences while “experiencing family-related issues.”
McBrayer is now fire chief in Netarts-Oceanside.
“We maintained that there was no wrongdoing, and appreciate everybody’s patience and understanding during that difficult time,” McBrayer said in a Monday interview.
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