Bourbon Mayor Sky Huddleston receives backlash after he posted Facebook comments criticizing the volunteer firefighters of the Bourbon Fire Protection District (BFPD) on June 13 following a press release about the repeal of Ordinance 21-01.

Ordinance 21-01 was originally enacted on Feb. 22, 2021, and it adopted the 2018 International Fire Codes with some additions and amendments to the sections.

Section one of the ordinance adopted the International Fire Codes as BFPD fire codes, and repealed any previous adopted ordinance and fire prevention codes in conflict with the ordinance. Section two amended the International Fire Code by changing the types of permits, where and how fire suppression systems are installed and maintained, and how fire department connections are identified. Also added to the codes were permit fees, how to number doors for large or special occupancies, requiring Knox Boxes for commercial construction, putting Knox Boxes outside gates or fences that restrict emergency access, requirements for installing Knox Boxes and requirements needed for the BFPD to locate a fire department connection in an emergency. The other sections of the ordinance said the rest of it would remain lawful if any portions were found to be invalid or unconstitutional, and that the BFPD can recover all attorneys’ fees and costs from a violating party or parties if legal action is taken to ensure compliance or prevent violations of the codes.

When Liberator Rocket Heaters, owned by Huddleston, didn’t meet code, the BFPD placed a stop-work order on it.

After years of litigation between the two, the BFPD released a press release on June 12 that said Ordinance 21-01 required a 90-day waiting period following the reading of the ordinance before final adoption. Ordinance 26-01 was created to repeal Ordinance 21-01. It also announced that they would be issuing reimbursements for occupancy, building or firework permit fees collected under the ordinance.

In response, Huddleston posted on June 13 that it should not have required a public citizen, himself, to spend a large amount of his personal funds and years of litigation to correct the issue.

“The notice fails to fully acknowledge the role of victims and citizens who brought these issues forward to address the full scope of the harm caused,” Huddleston wrote. “Speaking for just my own experiences here, I’ve been victimized by the capricious use of public shaming tactics, social pressure and psychological operations tactics by bad faith actors within the district. And I know people who have suffered the same and worse, including death threats and veiled threats to abdicate lawful duties to respond to emergencies.”

Some responses believed that it would’ve been easier if Huddleston just complied with the fire codes instead of wasting his money fighting them, while others believed that the BFPD should follow the law when trying to enforce fire codes.

The situation devolved quickly into Huddleston criticizing the volunteer firefighters of the BFPD when he claimed that they won’t hold themselves responsible for following the law, when “they refuse to hold themselves accountable to basic diet and exercise, which costs nothing.”

“If Jason (Delashmit), and Tim (Ware) and the fireboard actually gave a (expletive deleted) about life safety, they would stop shoveling mashed potatoes and gravy and fatty cakes down their disgusting cholesterol-laden gullets,” Huddleston wrote.

In a response posted to the BFPD’s Facebook page, Fire Chief Tim Ware addressed the comments being made.

“I stand firmly behind every firefighter with (the) BFPD, trusting each one to have my family’s back and knowing they will always support their brothers and sisters. We are better than the petty squabbles and bullying behavior that have been directed our way,” Ware wrote. “It’s essential to recognize that physical appearance doesn’t define one’s health or fitness level…True intelligence is not just about knowledge, but also about empathy, compassion and common decency towards others.”

While many supporters of the BFPD attended the June 16 Board of Aldermen meeting, JR Isom, co-founder of Blue Springs Ranch, spoke out against them.

“Most everyone wanted to know why they passed (Ordinance 21-01). To steal money,” Isom said. “Basically, I felt like to steal money from businesses in town.”

He alleged that former fire marshal Corey Rice told him that the permits, posed under the new ordinance at the time, were only going to be $25. Instead, Isom alluded that the BFPD was using them to steal hundreds of dollars from residents within the fire protection district.

“I don’t know how much they…got out of these people,” Isom said.

Isom also asked why he would want to donate money to them when he has already donated so much, and also claimed that when there was a fire at Blue Springs Ranch, the BFPD showed up with no water and ran out of gas in his parking lot.

“That’s your fire department…so if you think they’re gonna do you any good,” Isom said.

While some commenters agreed with Huddleston’s original post, which was made when he reposted the BFPD’s press release, many disagreed or were angry with the fallout from the remarks that followed. Some have even called for his removal from office.