As the Flagler Beach Fire Department continues its reconstruction following the loss of half of its 12 members, Ormond Beach Deputy Fire Chief Nate Quartier took over the leadership of the department on July 2 until September 29, unless City Manager Dale Martin has hired a chief before then.
Quartier is on loan from Ormond Beach, with Flagler Beach assuming the full cost of his salary and benefits while he is with the city. He replaces Jennifer Fiveash, the former deputy fire chief who had filled in as acting fire chief after the firing of Stephen Cox on May 11.
Fiveash had herself resigned before that. She had planned to do so for months, and attributed a frayed relationship with Cox as the original reason she had decided to leave as far back as January. “I told him that back in January that he was the reason I was leaving,” Fiveash testified during a Personnel Review Board hearing about Cox’s firing last week. She resigned in April and was brought back after Cox’s firing, as was Lt. Morgan Rainey.
Three other members of the department had resigned in late spring, though one of them had done so for a job in Seminole County, not because of Cox, and another had not made it through his probationary period. Rainey was brought back as deputy fire chief after Cox’s firing. Fiveash testified that she had been reconsidering whether to stick with the fire services for a while, subsequent to a second injury on the job.
Rainey was among seven members of the department who signed the letter-of-no-confidence in Cox that in large part prompted Martin to fire the chief. Martin said Cox had not violated policies or rules.
“We are sincerely grateful to Deputy Chief Quartier for his willingness to step into this leadership role and assist a neighboring agency during this transition,” Fiveash wrote department personnel on June 30, announcing the arrangement with Quartier.
The arrangement was outlined in a two-page, June 22 memo from Martin to Joyce Shanahan, the Ormond Beach city manager, who also signed the memo.
“During this temporary assignment, the Deputy Chief will serve as the operational and administrative leader of the Flagler Beach Fire Department and will report directly to the Flagler Beach City Manager,” the memo states. “The Interim Fire Chief will be authorized to oversee department personnel, operations, emergency response activities, budgeting, planning efforts, strategic initiatives, and other management functions customarily assigned to the Fire Chief position. The Interim Fire Chief shall exercise the authority necessary to effectively manage the department and carry out the responsibilities of the position in accordance with applicable laws, policies, and procedures of the City of Flagler Beach.”
Quartier’s tenure includes the city’s most crucial budgeting weeks. He remains an employee of Ormond Beach, getting his checks from that city. Ormond will invoice Flagler Beach for the cost.
“Interim Deputy Chief Morgan Rainey will remain with the department to assist Chief Quartier during the transition period through a date no later than August 1, 2026,” Fiveash had written in her email to the staff, “helping to ensure continuity of operations and a seamless transfer of leadership responsibilities. Her continued support will provide valuable institutional knowledge and help ensure a smooth transition for the department, its personnel, and the community.”
In fact, Rainey’s last day was today. There will be a search for the deputy fire chief position, but not until the permanent chief’s position is filled, since the new chief will hire their new deputy.
The department has been rebuilding, with all three lieutenant positions filled and five of six driver/engineer and firefighter positions filled, though a firefighter is about to be promoted to driver/engineer, creating another vacancy. “But the city does have a list of qualified candidates to fill the soon-to-be-vacant firefighter positions,” Martin said. The search for a new chief continues. The city received 17 applications. Quartier’s is not among them, nor are any current or former members of the Flagler Beach Fire Department.
The additions at the department mean that Flagler Beach did not renew its arrangement with Palm Coast, which had lent a three-crew-member engine company to fill a particular shift for four weeks, paying Palm Coast $54,000 for the service.
Cox elected to appear before the city’s Personnel Review Board for a “name-clearing hearing.” The board has the authority to issue a recommendation to the city manager. That recommendation could be either to sustain the manager’s decision to fire Cox or to rehire Cox. The recommendation is non-binding. The first part of that hearing took four hours last week. It is expected to conclude later this month. A specific date has not been set.
The Flagler Beach City Commission discussed neither the review board’s hearing nor the ongoing changes at the Fire Department when it met Thursday evening, though Martin typically updates the commissioners on the department’s evolution in his “Friday Notes.” City Attorney Drew Smith strongly counseled all participants at the hearing to refrain from discussing it before its completion. Two city commissioners–Scott Spradley and John Cunningham–had attended the hearing.
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