Four months before Benjamin Bultman resigned as Fairfield Twp.’s assistant fire chief, he received a positive appraisal of his performance from Township Administrator Michael Rahall.

Bultman resigned in September after admitting he hacked into township computers. The JournalNews made a public records request for his personnel file, a review of which revealed a number of positive appraisals, but also four official reprimands for various infractions.

Rahall wrote in Bultman’s May probation evaluation that as acting chief, Bultman weathered a “very emotional situation that would be difficult for anyone to navigate through. Throughout this endeavor, the department continued to function in a professional, anticipated manner.”

Praising Bultman’s ability to multi-task, Rahall noted that “Ben’s attitude remains very positive, and he seems very willing to learn from the past and focus on the future and be open to any and all improvements needed to insure more management team cohesiveness and increased communication between department heads and administration, and ultimately with trustees.”

On Sept. 15, Bultman was ordered to appear for an internal affairs investigation interview. On Sept. 19, he was advised of his rights in the interview. That same day, Bultman submitted his resignation, agreeing never to release any “unauthorized information.”

Rahall said Wednesday that although the Bultman investigation is finished, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI are investigating whether there should be charges pressed against anyone who requested and received the information,

The reprimands in Bultman’s file include an incident in 1997 when he fell asleep while on duty, which was noted as “uncharacteristic” of him; a 2002 incident when he failed to respond to an alarm drop, and a verbal reprimand from Dec. 2007 administering Epinephrine to a patient in respiratory distress.

The most recent incident took place in 2009, when Bultman was reprimanded and ordered to write a letter of apology to Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones for “falsely representing the township on this dispatching issue.” This incident arose from when Bultman stated that the township fire department was actively pursuing an agreement with West Chester Twp. for dispatch services. The reprimand states that Bultman, then a captain, was a full-time employee of West Chester Twp., which represented a conflict of interest. Then-Chief David Downie was also reprimanded in regard to this incident.

The field for the position of full-time fire chief, from which Bultman withdrew, has been narrowed to six candidates: Thomas Snively, assistant chief, Middletown; Glen Coleman, retired district chief, Cincinnati; James Neidhard, deputy chief, Washington Twp., Montgomery County; Ronald Pristera, chief, Ashtabula; Andrew Riddiough, emergency medical services chief, Joint Emergency Medical Services, Franklin, Warren County, and Tim Thomas, assistant chief, Howland Twp., Trumbull County. They will take an assessment test Saturday, Rahall said.

Bultman had been with Fairfield Twp.’s fire department since 1996, and was named assistant chief in February 2011. His hourly salary was $29.36.