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Chance of a shower or two during the evening, followed by partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 46F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
Updated: August 15, 2022 @ 3:45 am
FAIRBANKS—The chief of Manley Hot Springs Volunteer Fire Department is under investigation by the Interior Region Emergency Medical Services Council for reportedly using a racial slur in a public Facebook post Wednesday.
Terry Russel, chief of the volunteer fire department and board member of the Interior Region EMS Council, reportedly commented on an article written by Fairbanks journalist Dermot Cole regarding the possible renaming of Denali back to Mount McKinley.
The comment from Russell's account read (sic), "yes sir its alway been and always will Mt McKinley to me , not n----- Mt ."
The comment was reported by a number of Facebook users and ultimately removed but preserved in a screenshot.
The News-Miner contacted Russell Wednesday afternoon, at which point Russel refused to comment on the post before hanging up the phone.
Scott Learned, chairman of the Interior Region EMS Council, said he had not heard of the post prior to being contacted by the News-Miner on Wednesday and needed to confer with other board members regarding the matter.
The Manley Hot Springs Fire Department is run on a volunteer basis. It is funded by donations and by a mini-grant from the Interior Region EMS Council, which provides grants to all volunteer fire and emergency services departments in the Interior.
Manley Hot Springs is located about 100 miles west of Fairbanks.
Learned said Thursday the council was investigating the post after viewing a screenshot of the comment.
"As chairperson of the board of directors for the Interior Region Emergency Medical Services Council I wish to state unequivocally that we as a board of directors and as an organization do not and will not support the use of such disparaging and inflammatory comments,” Learned said Thursday. “We are currently conducting an investigation into this matter and will take appropriate action at its conclusion.”
The Manley Village Council was unable to be reached for comment on the matter.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the relationship between the Interior Region EMS Council and the Manley fire department.
Contact staff writer Erin Granger at 459-7544. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/FDNMPolitics.