An internal dispute between North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) commissioners came to a head after one of the five commissioners elected to serve the district filed suit against it – the issue is now in the public eye thanks to a special meeting held September 28. The nearly hour-long debriefing described months of back-and-forth between NWFR commissioner Dean Berkeley and fire chief William Pernett, as well as the previous chief Ron Anderson. Pernett explained that the disagreement stemmed from repeated requests by Berkeley to seek reimbursement for personal fire equipment he claims went missing at the station – all of which have been denied by the district on multiple occasions.