By Concerned Citizen, unverified — Fri, 04/23/2010 - 12:03
As a firefighter from one of the mutual aid departments, please don't expect us to come to the city to cover your stations because you have cut jobs to save on your taxes. We are not going to burden or communities with increases in fuel, hourly pay, and wear and tear on vehicles. This is not the definition of mutual aid...I hope that you relize that most communities surrounding Lewiston have volunteer fire departments. What does this mean? Volunteer Fire Departments are having a difficult time in staffing for their own calls. Have you called around to see how many firefighters respond in the daytime for them? I think you will be suprised. Usually most departments will get anywhere from 4 to 6 firefighters for their own calls. We need to make sure that our communities are protected still...
The City of Lewiston needs to think hard and fast about this decision. This is very dangerous and is a disaster waiting to happen. The Lewiston FD has ben reduced over the years by management. The reductions have cut fire trucks and closed stations. Though every week there is a picture in the paper of a Lewistion Fire or of a firefighter at a crash...Do your homework, national statistics recommend that 23 firefighters be at the scene of a fire before the firefighters start attacking the fire. That would be almost all of the on duty firefighters in Lewiston and Auburn!! Lewiston currently is protected by 16 on duty firefighters, how they do the job thy do without getting hurt is beyond me...There are many days and nights when the City of Lewiston is severly understaffed in terms of fire protection. If there was a sprinkler in every home, I could agree with the cuts. Unforunately, sprinklers are not required and many buildings and homes in Lewiston have no fire protection...Except for the on duty firefighters! This is drastic and dangerous, think twice before supporting these cuts...
Mutual Aid
As a firefighter from one of the mutual aid departments, please don't expect us to come to the city to cover your stations because you have cut jobs to save on your taxes. We are not going to burden or communities with increases in fuel, hourly pay, and wear and tear on vehicles. This is not the definition of mutual aid...I hope that you relize that most communities surrounding Lewiston have volunteer fire departments. What does this mean? Volunteer Fire Departments are having a difficult time in staffing for their own calls. Have you called around to see how many firefighters respond in the daytime for them? I think you will be suprised. Usually most departments will get anywhere from 4 to 6 firefighters for their own calls. We need to make sure that our communities are protected still...
The City of Lewiston needs to think hard and fast about this decision. This is very dangerous and is a disaster waiting to happen. The Lewiston FD has ben reduced over the years by management. The reductions have cut fire trucks and closed stations. Though every week there is a picture in the paper of a Lewistion Fire or of a firefighter at a crash...Do your homework, national statistics recommend that 23 firefighters be at the scene of a fire before the firefighters start attacking the fire. That would be almost all of the on duty firefighters in Lewiston and Auburn!! Lewiston currently is protected by 16 on duty firefighters, how they do the job thy do without getting hurt is beyond me...There are many days and nights when the City of Lewiston is severly understaffed in terms of fire protection. If there was a sprinkler in every home, I could agree with the cuts. Unforunately, sprinklers are not required and many buildings and homes in Lewiston have no fire protection...Except for the on duty firefighters! This is drastic and dangerous, think twice before supporting these cuts...