Newly released credit‑card statements from the Alfalfa Fire District in central Oregon expose extensive travel spending by former fire chief Chad LaVallee and several district employees. The records, supplied by newly elected board president Robert “Bob” Kathman after repeated public‑records requests, list more than 200 transactions totaling about $56,000 between mid‑2021 and the first half of 2024.
Travel costs and destinations
Nearly $36,000 of the expenses are tied to specific trips that included LaVallee, his wife Leslie, their minor son, former operations chief Keegan Parvin and former firefighter Ronald Reed. The district paid for airfare, hotel rooms, rental cars and vacation‑package fees for trips to Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Missouri, Louisiana, Utah and Nevada.
Some trips appear to have a legitimate district purpose, such as the inspection and retrieval of two ladder trucks. However, multiple trips to Las Vegas raise concerns. In December 2023, the district spent more than $2,100 on six airline tickets for LaVallee, Parvin and Reed, plus a $130.94 bar charge at the MGM Grand. A February 2022 trip billed as a certification clinic for LaVallee, his wife and a volunteer firefighter also included a $4,000 expense package. Another Las Vegas outing in June 2024 cost over $4,000.
Other notable trips
Earlier travel included an October 2022 week‑long stay in Charlottesville, Virginia, with $3,219.22 in airfare, hotel and rental‑car costs. An October‑November 2023 trip to Charlotte, North Carolina generated $2,362.98 in expenses, including United Airlines tickets, seat‑upgrade fees and a $1,048.97 Priceline vacation package. A February 2024 trip to Beaufort, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, involving LaVallee and Parvin, resulted in $2,213.48 of charges, some of which were linked to Parvin’s private training business, “Black Smoke Training.”
Other individual expenses documented include a 2021 Phoenix, Arizona trip ($803.89), a September‑October 2021 Denver, Colorado trip ($1,919.52), a July 2023 Dallas‑Fort Worth rental vehicle ($494.50) and a stay at Lincoln Sands Oceanfront Resort in Lincoln City ($287.50).
Legal compliance concerns
The district’s legal counsel, Jered Reid, previously failed to produce the credit‑card statements in response to the Prineville Review’s records requests and has not provided updated production estimates as required by Oregon Revised Statutes 192.328(8). The board’s recent acquisition of the statements came after the district finally released its 2026 bank‑account records in late September, following repeated delays.
Because the underlying receipts, travel authorizations and reimbursement documentation were not included with the statements, the public cannot verify the official purpose of many trips. The pattern of last‑minute bookings—often on the day of a flight or hotel stay—adds to the opacity.
Community response and oversight
Long‑time volunteers and residents have expressed frustration over the lack of transparency and the apparent misuse of public funds. The board’s decision to make the records public reflects a growing demand for fiscal accountability in the small, rural fire district that serves communities southeast of Bend.
Board president Kathman emphasized that the release of the records is a step toward restoring trust and ensuring that future expenditures are fully documented and justified. He called on the district’s administration to adopt stricter travel‑approval procedures and to provide clear, publicly accessible justifications for any use of district credit cards.
While the fire district continues to provide essential emergency services across a wide geographic area, the recent audit underscores the importance of robust oversight mechanisms to safeguard taxpayer dollars and maintain confidence in local public‑safety institutions.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
