Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Fire Department Overkill?

Albero is again asking questions about the fire departments in the county. I will have to admit this time he has approached what he perceives a problem with legitimate questions and he has done so in a relatively civil manner.

I suppose I was a little late getting to the post because “salisburyfire” has pretty much answered the questions Albero had. The answers are also civil and I might add quite accurate.

I do understand how it often looks like overkill to have so much equipment on the scene, and I will admit in some cases it may be. However, having been there-done that for a great many years I can assure you it can be quite comforting to know there is plenty of help soon to be at hand. Mistakes are made sometimes and the reparations for those mistakes lie with the officers of the department involved to take corrective action. Since I am not familiar with the policies of each and every department in the county I refuse to even speculate on the rules and regulations governing such an incident. Even if I were familiar with such policies, I probably would not comment, as it is a personnel issue not usually open for public scrutiny.

I may need to be corrected on this but I believe it was the Chiefs Association that set up the mutual aid assignments for each area of the county. I don’t believe their meetings are generally open to the public, but if Albero were to ask the right people (I personally do not who that may be) there is a possibility he could attend a meeting and have his questions answered from the source.

I appreciate the fact that Albero did not place the fire service on the chopping block right away this time. His admission to lack of knowledge about this situation and his approach to gaining insight on it is commendable.

3 comments:

crackerjack said...

http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=423904>1=10442

Check out this link. This will make Joe Albero go cookoo for his coco puffs. Jim Rapp makes it big time on MSN.

joe albero said...

Thanks for the Post Joe.

Not that long ago there was a fire in Delmar, (you may remember the Post on it) where lightning hit a farm field and the fire was jumping from one side of the road to the other?

Nevertheless, the Post was extremely positive and praised the quick response of the local Fire Departments as this fire could have very easily gotten out of control and there were houses on the other side of the road in immediate danger.

I mention this because I certainly do not dislike ANY of the local Fire Departments and or their personnel. My Posts are designed to bring up general and healthy debate in what I feel the every day Joe would question.

I can't tell you just how much I appreciate the civil debate presently going on and some of that respectfully reflects your Blog too boot.

My hope is that things continue down that path and everyone becomes EDUCATED as to what WE should ALL expect from our local Fire Departments with a far better understanding.

I'll add that I personally learned something today in which I'll personally act upon this evening. There is no Fire Extinguisher in my home presently but I can assure you that I will be out purchasing one this evening.

Although this should be something standard in all homes, many of us are so simple minded at times that we think just having a smoke detector is enough. DUMB!

We should be able to at least attempt to distinguish a simple fire in our homes and be equipped to do so but no one in my Family that I can recall has this.

That being said, this will be my Christmas Gift to each and every Family Member this year. It may just be the best gift I ever gave out and I thank the commenter for making such a suggestion.

So there you have it. The Blogs can help, even with this hard head.

Soapbox said...

So Albero---you are going to give your family a gift that you hope and pray they never use. That’s really big of you. And I mean that in a good way. To some a fire extinguisher may sound like a stupid gift, but in reality it is one of the most sincere gifts you can give. It truly shows you care. I would only ask this----Why wait for Christmas? Fire knows no season.

And one more item to consider. Pick up any information you can on the proper use of an extinguisher to distribute to the recipients of your gifts. Often time’s improper use can make a bad situation worse. Make sure everyone you give an extinguisher to understands the proper operation of the unit. I know this sounds like “mothering” but believe me in a panic situation the average person often forgets the basics. Good Luck with this endeavor. It is truly a worthy one.