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From Town Talk:
Fire Fighter Replies to Post
First, I’d like to commend the posting from Francis Clark and the other
firefighters who eloquently clarified concerns about
POST You seem extremely concerned about what your tax dollars pay for. Let me help you with that. Though not nearly a complete list, here are what your tax dollars do pay for: When all others are relaxing at home, enjoying their families, firefighter’s—on or off duty—are the ones to drop what they are doing and respond to an emergency. That emergency may be in your home, may be on Christmas day, may be at 2:00 AM on a frigid January night, but the fire department will be there. Whether it is an event as catastrophic as a cozy fireplace fire gone bad, a cooking fire eating up a kitchen, an electrical fire in a homes wall, or a car accident with entrapment, the fire department will be there. In a situation as terrifying as a grandfather having a heart attack, a 4 month old having a seizure, or a mother going into labor unexpectedly, the fire department will be there. Further, calls that might seem trivial to the general public are personal emergencies to those going through it: a burst water pipe filling up a basement, a family cat trapped in a heating duct, or a resident locked out of their home in the middle of the night, you got it—the fire department will be there. The gamut of personal tragedy witnessed and the assistance provided by the fire department is something that most individuals can’t fathom. Though not as frequent as in a more populated city or town, Hopkinton is not immune to the misfortunes that may befall anyone at anytime. On a daily basis, firefighters are involved in situations that are not only tragic or scary, but in situations where the work is disgusting, grueling, and often punishing. Dodging various bodily fluids on medical calls, cutting down trees and dragging hose through wooded areas to combat a brush fire on a 90-degree day, and aiding in the clean up of hazardous material on the highway are all things that a firefighter just does. The men and women on any fire department see and deal with more graphic and sordid things than most will ever realize. Do we have down time at the station? Yes, we do. Doesn’t everyone in every profession have relative down time? Here’s what we do with ours: We inventory and maintain the equipment (paid for by tax dollars) on a daily basis. We make sure that each truck and the associated gear are not only ready to roll at a moments notice, but are ready to roll for years to come. We ensure that the apparatus will remain efficient and in service for the entirety of its allocated life. Each firefighter participates in on-duty training to ensure that are services are current, efficient, and adapted to best serve the community. Whether it be the latest in medical care such as updated albuterol-assistance programs or fire training such as advanced building search techniques, the fire department aims to keep up-to-date and proficient. Thanks to the taxpayers of the town, we now are able to staff a specified Training Officer, who will enable our department to stay at the forefront of new techniques and streamline our training program. Beyond that, we complete daily chores in our station house, just as you would in your home. We, the firefighters—not an outside cleaning service—clean our bathrooms, our kitchen and our other living areas. We vacuum, sweep, dust, wash floors, wash windows, and mow our lawns. All of this is done at both out Main St. headquarters and the unmanned Station 2 in Woodville. When needed, we repaint walls and perform other building maintenance such as replacing worn flooring and hanging ceiling tiles. We ensure that our station is ready for any resident to stop by and see what our service and department are all about. As a service business, we want the taxpayers of the town to be able to see the pride and dedication demonstrated in our well-maintained facility. While we are on the topic, here are a few things that tax money does not pay for: the most recent ambulance purchase, a police cruiser or two, salary for several firefighters, medical equipment for the ambulance such as defibrillators and medications, etc. The funds for the aforementioned come from the “ambulance account.” This is the money generated by medical calls. The department is grateful that the taxpayers have paid for some hazardous materials training, advanced life support training at the paramedic level, dive training, trench rescue, etc. Many of these trainings are attended by firefighters who are not paid to attend; it is the desire to be well-trained that drives the firefighter to be there, away from their families. Please don’t misunderstand the intentions of this post. This should, in no way, be mistaken as a complaint. I chose this profession, as did my colleagues. We love what we do and would not want to do anything else. The intention of this post was to illuminate those in the dark and provide knowledge as to what the fire department actually does and what the taxpayers actually pay for. Also, I would be remiss if I did not mention that both the police and the DPW of the town could post a similar testimonial; they too provide an invaluable and dedicated service that should be acknowledged. Thanks for reading and we welcome anyone to the fire station to see our facilities and discuss this further. ~ Tom Poirier, proud Hopkinton Firefighter/Paramedic.
Editor's Note: The bagpiper in the photo plated at the memorial service; he is not the author of this letter. |
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Fridays
events; specifically who was attending and who was paying for the event
(or not paying for the event, as it is). I would also like to take this
opportunity to help out Angelo [Editor's Note:
"Angelo" is a poster who questioned the reasoning behind the Fire
Fighters having a memorial last week. This writer is a Fire Fighter
answering him back]..