Dear Elected Officials,

As we approach another budget season we are already hearing grumbles of cuts and reductions to service that we as fire fighters perform. We continue to hear, “This is going to be a tough budget year.” “We have to cut, cut, and cut.” “We have to tighten our belts and share the financial pain that everyone is feeling.” Odds are at this point, as hard as we have tried, you still don't seem to understand the need for our department, YOUR fire department, to be well prepared and fully able to respond quickly when our citizens call 9-1-1 for a fire. This has nothing to do with HOW MANY fires we have----it has everything to do with EVERY fire we have.

Actually, at this point you are probably tired of hearing our reasons why THE FIRE DEPARTMENT must be the only department that does not get cut in any area related to our ability to respond and protect our citizens. We absolutely feel that way. Public safety the MOST IMPORTANT service provided in our community.

Sure, the number of serious fires we have has decreased dramatically over the years. This is due to the diligent work of our members in fire prevention and education of the public. Our reach into the community helps our citizens understand why they should be fire safety smart. Educating residents on why the importance of having a working smoke detector in their homes is so important and can save their lives. Teaching our children at an early age about good fire safety practices in their homes, with tools like the “Clarence Darrow Life Safety Trailer”, are important parts of our daily job.

 But despite our best efforts fires still do occur and when we do have one, please understand how real it can be. The below video will show you that very, very dramatically. It is very real as far as happening in our own community. And when it does, because it has happened in the past, (Quincy Condo in Southport on 2 occasions) and will happen again on the future, the question will be: did we have the available firefighters, the training, open firehouses and response times to assure that those citizens have a chance?

 So as the old saying goes "a picture is worth a thousand words" is our next attempt to help you understand. Understand that if our community does not have an adequately trained fire department with the right number of available firefighters and an ability to arrive within minutes of a reported fire, what is worth having in the community?  One question you should be asking yourself is, “If we cannot protect those who elected us, why are we here?”

Please take a moment and watch and listen to the below video. There is every reason to believe the fire in this video can and will eventually happen in any community in the USA. The difference is, you as Elected Officials and we as the firefighters only have ONE community to be concerned about: OURS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR9clmdV3Ak