An adversarial situation that has steadily gone from bad to worse has now basically left the Farmington Fire Department without sufficient personnel to respond to calls.

Former longtime chief Conni Bailey – who had been serving as interim chief for the past few months – tendered her resignation, effective Monday, Feb. 9 at the close of the business day at 5 p.m.

However, said Bailey, when she informed Farmington Fire District Board of Directors President Jeff Briggs of her resignation, he responded to the firehouse and advised her to leave.

That was at about noontime on Monday and Bailey’s resignation came on the heels of one submitted by Assistant Chief John Kalebaugh, which was effective on Friday, Feb. 6. Also, Fire Captain Ricky Yater has submitted paperwork for a six-month leave of absence from the department and Fire Chief Matt Bailey previously went out on workers’ compensation due to a back injury.

The loss of personnel, both Conni Bailey and John Kalebuagh explained, was due to what they see as Briggs’ heavy-handed leadership of the fire board and efforts over the past several months to thwart department operations.

For a few months during 2025, there was not a quorum, so board meetings could not be held, after resignations of a couple of board members. The positions were later filled by appointment.

At the last board meeting on Jan. 26, another board member – Butch Latini – verbally resigned from his position, but had not yet filed a formal resignation letter with the board or San Joaquin County.

Acting chief Bailey, who has been with the department for four decades, said there are also concerns about possible talks at the county level regarding consolidation of some rural departments.

San Joaquin County Supervisor Steven Ding, who serves in District 4 that includes Farmington, has reportedly suggested proposals to that effect, though nothing formal has come before the county board.

Ding did not return phone calls or emails from The Times seeking comment and clarification.

Supervisor Robert Rickman, who represents Escalon on the county board in District Five, said he was aware of some discussions but advised that he would not be in favor of any consolidation efforts in his district, which also includes nearby Ripon.

Bailey, for her part, said she reached out to Escalon Fire Chief Rick Mello and Linden-Peters Fire Chief Brandon Ruegsegger after her departure on Monday, explaining the situation.

Those departments would likely be the first to respond to an incident in Farmington’s district, now that there is virtually no one staffing the station.

“There’s probably not a soul in this district that knows what’s going on,” noted Barry Hickerson, a paramedic who previously served as the EMS Captain for the department.

Hickerson said one of his concerns is that there will be no one to respond to medical emergencies, fire calls and vehicle accidents in the district and that any assistance coming from a different agency would add several minutes to the response time.

“They basically have no officers, no drivers,” Hickerson said of the rural department.

Bailey said she had fully intended to “finish out” her shift on Monday and also assist Briggs with familiarizing himself with some new software programs being utilized by the county before leaving. But with Briggs – a former firefighter with the district – accepting her resignation at midday, Bailey was shown the door.

Reached via phone at the firehouse Monday afternoon, Briggs offered little comment on the situation.

“I don’t have anything to say at the moment,” Briggs stated of the staff resignations. “We’re trying to figure out what to do next … we’re still trying to figure things out.”

The Farmington Fire Protection District covers an estimated 100 square miles of territory in rural eastern San Joaquin County. The station is at the intersection of Highway 4 and Escalon-Bellota Road.

“This isn’t the way I wanted my career to end,” Bailey said, “but I have no control over that.”

She started with the department in June of 1986 as a volunteer firefighter and was promoted to captain five years later. After another five years of service, she was named as Farmington Fire Chief. Ironically, said Bailey, it was a move that was recommended and fully supported by Don Briggs, father of the current board president Jeff Briggs.

The Farmington fire board meets the fourth Monday of the month; the next regular meeting is scheduled for Feb. 23. Meetings begin at 7 p.m., at the firehouse.