But firefighters and community members of the embattled district had other plans.

The meeting lasted less than thirty minutes, but local firefighters and other community members made their intentions clear. They believe selecting a new board member is just masking bigger issues long ignored by the board: the need to fix fire equipment and reinstate the fire chief who was fired over that issue.

In a packed room at Osage Beach Fire Protection District one headquarters, accusations flew.

The Board of Directors planned the meeting with one topic on the agenda.

"The only goal of the meeting tonight was to fill the vacancy on the board," said Fire Board President Marlen Frank.

Left vacant after Tom Kasmarzik two weeks ago resigned in protest over the board's firing of the district's fire chief, Jeff Dorhauer. But many of the firefighters and other community members wanted answers to what they felt were bigger issues.

They believe Dorhauer was fired after he told the public that the board refused to provide money to fix life-saving fire equipment. Members of the fire department say that because the board refused to provide money for equipment, main engines with the most life-saving equipment have been out of commission for more than 45 days.

So before voting to elect Tom Siseralli to the board seat, Interim Fire Chief Terry Paul demanded answers to the board's refusal to fix equipment. The board told Paul to make whatever repairs needed. Now the board no longer sees it as problem.

But some weren't convinced the board would follow through without someone looking over their shoulder.

"As a citizen of this community I would make sure that the board lives up to the words they gave today that authorize the chief to make any, all repairs immediately," President of Missouri Council of Firefighters Sherwood Smith said.

The board did not address the firing of former chief Jeffrey Dorhauer at the meeting. The board's attorney said that it would be resovled between counsel for both sides.

Reported by Irika Sargent