Buckaloo elected Lewes fire chief
A former assistant fire chief, suspended in 2020 for using an anti-gay slur, has been elected fire chief of the Lewes Fire Department.
Bill Henry Buckaloo was confirmed in the volunteer position following the fire department’s Dec. 2 election.
Lewes Fire Department spokesman Glenn Marshall said Buckaloo was suspended from his position as assistant fire chief after the 2020 incident, which precluded him from running for office for two years.
“He wasn’t given a permanent ban. Due process was done,” Marshall said. “It went through the proper procedures, and he was elected by the membership.”
The Lewes Fire Department is a private, incorporated organization that has its own bylaws and rules. As a private organization, the election was not open to the public.
In 2020, after attending a drag show and using an anti-gay term to describe it, Buckaloo apologized in a Facebook post for his “distasteful choice of words” and a display that lacked “good character and judgment.”
Marshall said Buckaloo was not available for comment, and he does not need to defend himself.
“He is a dedicated volunteer for the fire department and comes out 24/7 putting his life on the line,” Marshall said. “We as a department made the decision to elect him.”
Following the 2020 incident, the goal was to restore the department’s standing with the community. Although it is a private incorporated entity, the department receives money from the city, county and state, and through private contributions.
“We dealt with this in the past, and we’re moving forward,” Marshall said.
Also elected were Wally Evans, president; John Colpo, vice president; Bryan Pepper, treasurer; Shawn Musgrove, secretary; Beau Fibelkorn, EMS chief; Rick Donovan, chief engineer; Richard Bunting and Mike McCoy, co-directors; and Wally Evans, point manager.
Marshall said the fire chief will appoint all assistant and deputy chiefs.
Marshall said he welcomes anyone who has a concern with the fire department to join. “We’re taking applications every day,” he said. “If you have a concern, be part of the solution.”
