Fire marshal is cleared, resigns

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Aug 26, 2003 by THE GAZETTE

The fire marshal for the Woodmoor-Monument Fire Protection District resigned Monday, a week after being cleared of allegations he had alcohol on his breath while on duty.

Raymond Blake, 39, turned in his letter of resignation Monday afternoon with no explanation, according to Chief Dave Youtsey.

Blake could not be reached for comment.

He was accused of having alcohol on his breath when he responded to a May 29 medical call at Lewis-Palmer High School.

The district's board of directors investigated the allegation for two months and Aug. 18 cleared Blake, issuing a press release that said Blake hadn't "broken any laws or violated any district regulations or policies."

The board said it is adding equipment to analyze the breath of its firefighters "to quickly deal with any future allegations of this type." If the equipment detects alcohol content of .003 or higher, the firefighter will be taken to a clinic for a blood test.

Base pay for the district's fire marshal is $47,626 a year. The fire marshal inspects buildings for fire code violations.