Hales Corners Fire Chief says he's stepping down

HALES CORNERS (CBS 58) - There is a surprise change at the top for the Hales Corners fire department.

Chief Martin Freibergs sent a letter to the village Monday saying he’s retiring from the department.

It came as a complete surprise to the village president.

The Police and Fire Commission met in a closed session Monday to talk about the letter.

The commission wouldn’t comment and neither would the village president, as they try to make sense of this sudden change

This comes on the heels of the chief’s request to fire Captain John Wagner back in March.

The chief accused Wagner of sexually harassing an employee, by commenting on her about her sex life.

He also says Wagner left mid shift one day, forcing the department to call another fire department when a car fire broke out.

Wagner decided to resign from the department earlier in April.

There is no word on why the chief decided to step down or if it’s connected to the Wagner allegations.

We reached out to the fire department, they directed all questions on the police and fire commission.

In the Chief’s letter he said he would like to retire immediately.

The commission met for almost two hours Monday night behind closed doors, but didn’t take any action on the letter.

They plan on releasing more information Tuesday.