Slatington Borough Council terminated its fire chief Monday night.

Council members voted 6-1 to remove Keith Weaverfrom the volunteer position he has held for 13 years.Councilman Bryon Reed was the only member to go against the motion made by Councilman Jon Rinker to strip Weaver of his rank.“Termination for insubordination for Weaver taking the ladder truck out of town when he was not supposed to,” Rinker said about his motion.Rinker then made amotion for Deputy Chief Jason Nicholas to take over as acting chief of the 35-man volunteer department.“We may have to make adjustments, but until then he is acting chief,” Rinker said.The board voted unanimously to appoint Nicholas.Nicholas said Weaver had asked to take the ladder truck to a Sept. 24 funeral for former Fountain Hill fire police officer and firefighter Lt. Matthew Kuhns.The former firefighter was 35 when he passed away.The Fountain Hill department contacted Slatington to request the ladder truck to carry the American flag over the archway of the church on Broad Street in Bethlehem.Weaver had been denied permission but “did it anyway.”Reed said, “No matter what, he did volunteer for many years. He donated a lot of his time to the borough and he was always there.”Rinker agreed, saying, “We should send him a letter to thank him for his service and get his gear and keys.“We didn’t throw him out as a fireman. He can be a part of the department, but that is up to them,” he said.Roughly a quarter of the department was in attendance, including Nicholas.“I think Keith is owed a courtesy phone call instead of waiting for him to hear about it,” Nicholas said.Council President Gwyneth Jones said she would make the call after the meeting.“It’s about taking a firetruck out of town. You just don’t do that stuff. I told him you can take your men and go. It was about the truck not taking off,” Rinker said.Jeffrey Hausman has volunteered for the Slatington Department for close to 40 years and said he disagrees with the decision but understands why it happened.“We’ve always had a good relationship with the borough,” he said.“He’s (Weaver) done a lot. He has always been here. My theory is it’s not fair, but the council did what they had to do. You’ve got to follow orders,” he said.Hausman said Nicholas will make a fine chief.“Jason will do a good job hands down. He’s very knowledgeable.”Nicholas has been a volunteer for the department for more than 11 years. Six of those years Nicholas served as an officer for the department in two positions, including assistant chief for two years and deputy chief for the past four years, where he worked closely with Weaver.“I’m shocked,” he said about the vote.“It’s going to be a lot to process. Keith is a good friend of mine,” Nicholas said.“We have to keep the department moving forward. Nothing will change on the fire safety side for the borough.”Weaver could not be reached for comment.