Four volunteer firefighters will return to the Wallowa Lake fire station this week following the resignation under fire of Dale Mammen, a director of Wallowa Lake Rural Fire Protection District.

Mammen filed a resignation letter Friday, June 18, with the Wallowa County clerk’s office. It said the resignation was effective at 5 p.m. that day.

Doug Buska, one of the firefighters and co-owner of Wallowa Lake Resort, said he and the other three firefighters will report to the station tonight, June 24, to meet with Joseph Fire Chief Tom Clevenger. He said he expected them to work on the district’s only operable fire engine, which is on loan from Joseph Fire Department.

The other three are Joseph Assistant Chief Matt Walker, Dusty Creps and Mike Beauregard. They and Buska had refused to respond from the lake station, citing the direction of the district under the then-current board. All four are Joseph volunteers, however.

The district had been unable to retain firefighters or acquire an operable fire engine. Because of the lack of firefighters, the Oregon Department of Forestry recalled a loaned engine. ODF also plans to redistribute equipment purchased with a grant because the grant application overstated the number of firefighters.

Mammen’s resignation came after repeated calls by residents for his resignation and those of directors Chuck Havens and Greg Blackman. Mammen had a verbal confrontation with Clevenger during a board meeting in November.

Mammen, a La Grande attorney with a second home at the lake, could not be reached for comment.

After the board’s most recent meeting June 17, Board President Chuck Havens would say only that directors had agreed to have an “orderly transition to a new board.” He did not say when or whether he and Greg Blackman would leave.

Newly appointed directors John Gorsline and Ron Woodin are expected to stay on the board.

Because of the lack of firefighters, the independent Insurance Services Office had raised the district’s fire insurance rating from 5 to 10, the highest risk. This will affect most premiums when property owners renew or apply for new policies.

Clevenger has said the rating would be reassessed after at least four firefighters have responded to calls from the lake station three or four times.