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BY HUGH MUIR

Long-smoldering issues between Stafford County's volunteer firefighters and the county administration will be given a public hearing June 17 at 1 p.m. when the Board of Supervisors will have an open working session that also will include County Administrator Anthony Romanello, Fire & Rescue Chief Bob Brown and representatives of the volunteers.

Romanello, Brown and those speaking for the volunteers will hold closed meetings between now and June 17 to discuss nu-merous issues raised by the volunteers at a town hall meeting May 12. That meeting, held at Stafford Fire Station 2, was attended by more than 125 volunteer firefighters, Romanello and four supervisors.

The major issues raised by the volunteers included: lengthy hiring procedures; delays in implementing a retirement plan; licensing issues involving Emergency Medical Service personnel; maintaining name and color identities for individual volunteer stations; and ownership and use of vehicles and facilities purchased by volunteers.

Throughout the two-hour meeting, which was called by the volunteer leadership, there was an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with Chief Brown, who took office last September. Concerns were expressed that his focus has been on career firefighters, who make up approximately 25 percent of the force.

Regarding hiring, many said approval of applications took too much time, frequently months. They said the paperwork, background checks and fingerprinting procedures took so long that some would-be volunteers go to another county--Spotsylvania, for example--to volunteer.

Also, the supervisors were asked why contractors with the county were not allowed to serve as volunteer firefighters. Romanello pointed out that county laws says private contractors cannot also be county employees, which volunteers technically are.

The retirement issue revolved around the failure so far to implement the so-called LOSAP, or Length of Service Awards Program.

Supervisor Paul Milde noted that the debate between LOSAP and a regular stipend had been going on for 2 years and needed early resolution.

Volunteers present said career firefighters could retire at 50, while the age for volunteers had been 55 and was now 65. The chairman of the meeting, Station 2 Chief John McDonald, said, "We have been told we will get [LOSAP] for years, and for years we have gotten nothing." Many volunteers, he said, have more than 40 years of service.