PORT ALLEN — A former West Baton Rouge deputy fire chief and his previous supervisors reached an agreement Monday after he claimed he was wrongfully fired, but whether he gets his job back or a significant amount of severance pay won't be announced until next week at the earliest.

The parish fire civil service board had said James Hartley was terminated in January for violating sick leave policies, but without specifying how he violated them. Hartley and his attorney appealed the termination later that month.

"He did not engage in the misconduct that was asserted against him, and it seems to us, based on our preliminary investigation, that Mr. Hartley may not have actually been terminated by any lawful appointing authority of Fire District 1," Hartley's attorney, Kevin Vogeltanz, said in February. 

Some of Hartley's colleagues believed then that he was fired for speaking out against the parish fire chief role being converted to a part-time position. The parish said it was not making an example out of Hartley.

Hartley's appeal was heard Monday. The district board and Hartley said they had reached an agreement to end his civil service appeal but details must be approved by the Fire District Board of Commissioners before they are disclosed. Its next meeting is April 23.

The Civil Service Board, which had been asked to reinstate Hartley, dismissed the appeal conditionally. If an agreement isn't ratified within 90 days, either side can restart negotiations, it said.

Part of Hartley's argument was that only a fire chief can fire subordinates, and that the parish didn't formally have one at the time he was released.