Last modified: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:30 AM EDT North Attleboro Fire Chief Peter Lamb. NA fire chief taking heat BY AMY DeMELIA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF NORTH ATTLEBORO - Discord within the fire department has come to a head, with Fire Chief Peter Lamb and fire commissioners meeting behind closed doors Tuesday to discuss a series of letters that criticize the chief's management style and complain about other problems within the department. Lamb said five letters of complaint letters written by firefighters have been sent to town hall in recent weeks. The letters were then forwarded to the fire commission, which met with Lamb in executive session at his request because the letters relate to job performance. Lamb said he did not anticipate any long-term decisions would be made Tuesday, but added that he may stay out of the office on personal time to help calm the situation. "It's been a tough week and I don't know where it's going," he said. "I may take some personal time off to allow the situation to stabilize." While he would not discuss the contents of the letters, Lamb said concerns raised in them are being taken seriously. "I'm not going to comment about the specifics right now - I'm not even sure I've seen all of the letters," he said. "The letters were pretty critical and address my management style and operational concerns. "The folks on the fire commission are taking these very seriously, as am I." A message was left for commission Chairwoman Valerie Hickey prior to Tuesday's meeting, but the call was not returned. Rumors have been floating around town about discord in the fire department, which Lamb said are the result of "heightened tensions" over several issues. Among them was a decision made in January to house the department's second ambulance at the Kelley Boulevard Fire Station, rather than at the Allen Avenue Fire Station. With that change, the two firefighters on duty at the Kelley Boulevard station respond to medical calls in the ambulance, in addition to responding to fire emergencies in the station's engine. When those two firefighters are on a call, the Kelley Boulevard Fire Station is not staffed. The change was intended to keep the ambulance in service more often in the face of reduced overtime budgets, Lamb said at the time. "That has proved to be a very controversial decision," he said. A message was left for the firefighters' union president, but the call was was not returned Tuesday night. In addition, Lamb said a proposal "put through appropriate union channels" to require physicals for firefighters has been met with resistance. Finally, he said tensions have risen as a result of the need to lay off three firefighters to balance the budget for the coming fiscal year. Those layoffs went into effect last week. "There were recent layoffs and the firefighters kept their pay raises. That has generated some discussion," Lamb said. "These are all volatile events that have rattled the department and put me under a microscope."