By Chris Taylor
Paducah, KY – Reidland-Farley Fire Chief Richard Tapp is defending his decision to drastically reorganize the department. Earlier this week, he eliminated the Assistant Chief position and either demoted or reassigned several other longtime firefighters. Tapp says he made the decision because they had not received federally required training necessary for the department to be eligible for federal grant money it has already collected. WPSD reports Tapp claims he offered the veteran firefighters several opportunities to receive the necessary training months before the restructuring. He says he'll consider reinstating them to their former positions if they receive the necessary training within the next two months.