"You know you can go to jail," firefighter Jim Robertson told the Potterville-Benton Township Fire Board. "You know you can go to jail if you have a HIPAA (federal privacy law) violation."

Robertson and other firefighters accused the board of violating their privacy Tuesday night after some board members removed a computer from the department.

Some board members lashed out at each other.

"You had no business taking a computer out of this building," Bernard Sumner told others on the board.

That computer contained personnel records and health insurance information.

"The question I have about the computer leaving is: somebody steals it from you, you get in a car accident -- it's destroyed," one firefighter told the board.

The issues came up after the department's chief was hospitalized for a heart attack a few days ago and was unable to do his job. With the chief gone, department business still has to go on.

"Print checks, just to do our normal operations," acting Chief Don Buck told News 10.

So after discussing it with the head of the fire board, Buck broke into the chief's office and tried to get into the computer so he could access payroll.

After hearing about that, two board members took the computer out of the building.

"There had been numerous attempts to enter the computer and they were locked out and they were afraid that we'd lose the data," board member Ken Lambracht said in an interview.

The heads of government in Potterville and Benton Township were consulted on the decision, but some members of the board say they weren't. They say it wasn't right and taking the computer out of the office was not necessary.

"Because it was secured," board member John Flocker said. "All you had to do was put a deadbolt on the door."

Tempers cooled by the end of the meeting.

"There's a lot of confusion. Of course we got a board member that's, you know, taken ill and the fire chief as well," Lambracht said.

"And I don't think it's going to happen again," Robertson said.

But some issues could remain for the small department while the chief remains in the hospital. Board members told the public Tuesday night his condition is improving.