LETTERS ABOUT TOWN FIRE DEPARTMENT

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List of stories about May 9 fire

Pike Poles and Fire Hoses

Dear Editor,

posted 05/20/02
For five thousand years, fires have been fought by man. We don’t do anything differently now then we did then. We still put the wet stuff on the red stuff.

Now, instead of leather buckets full of water we use aerial ladders, with lots of water and foam, but it is still water on fire.

When the cave man first put out the camp fire with a bucket of water, I am sure that someone else in the tribe had a complaint about the way it was done, or a better idea to achieve the same result.

When I was a Fire Chief, I had my chance to save Victoria Crossing. I used every firefighter on the Island. Together we saved about half the building. We also together burned down about half the building. I still get people telling me how I could have done the job better.

When retired Chief Rosenfeld had his chance to save the Sandpiper, he did a pretty good job. (It was his last day on the job). I am sure people still try to help him fight that fire.

Now that Chief Low has successfully contained the Friday Harbor Grocery fire to only that building, retired Chief Rosenfeld wants to be the first to criticize and use the fire as a political stepping stone.

I am sorry to see this happen because it is degrading an event that in any fire fighting record book was a very good stop.

Good job Chief Low and the Friday Harbor Fire Department and thank you for the mutual aid contracts and a lot of friends in Fire District # 3, Fire District #2, and Fire District #4.

Isn’t it fun to work together?

Rick Galer
Retired Chief

Safety at stake

Dear Editor,

posted 05/17/02
Its unfortunate that my fire department issue on the Town Council Thursday agenda was interpreted as a threat to the Chief and firefighters. The issue had nothing to do with the recent fire and was placed on the agenda weeks before out of my frustration to get anything done behind the scenes. It was time to let the public know that a Town restriction on how the first mutual aid engine responds could delay response time and endanger lives.

Bob Greenway's testimony that he wished he had the current fire department fighting his Sandpiper fire illustrates my point. As command at that fire I too wish the same because that night ½ of the Town firefighters happened to be off island. I didn't even have a pump operator for the first Town engine and not enough people to staff our second engine for 15 minutes.

It was only the prompt arrival of District 3 personnel and engines that enabled us to save what we did. It is also ironic that the fire was made more difficult by Bob Greenway who had breached all the attic fire block walls to crawl through with TV cable effectively making the attic a horizontal chimney which rapidly spread the fire. He was also so disruptive at the fire that a deputy asked me if I wanted him arrested.

Emotions are currently running high which is understandable but no matter what your particular belief, whether the firefighters did a great job or something else, we need always try to identify problems and improve them. The historic buildings of Friday Harbor, the lives of our citizens and the safety of our wonderful, dedicated, volunteer firefighters are at stake.

Howard Rosenfeld
Friday Harbor Town Councilmember

Concerned about safety

Dear Editor,

posted 05/17/02
As a result of an incendiary flyer (pun intended) on my windshield, I decided to attend Thursday's Town Council Meeting in the hopes of understanding why Howard Rosenfeld was being accused of trying to close the Friday Harbor Fire Department. What I learned from the meeting was quite the opposite.

Howard was questioning why the Town Fire Department is requiring District 3 Fire Department rigs be manned with at least four firefighters before they may respond to a town fire. District 3's rules presently require two firefighters before they roll and, in the event of imminent life threat, three instead of four can operate at the scene.

Why then would the Town require four? Howard suggested the District be allowed to proceed to the scene of a fire with two firefighters who would then await the arrival of two more. In this scenario, the Town could conceivably make use of the equipment and manpower immediately available to them, should they desire to do so, instead of waiting for more to arrive. What's wrong with this logic?

As a town resident, I would hope, and expect, to receive the quickest and most efficient response possible in order to protect my home. Interestingly enough, the Town gave no explanation at this meeting except to say that this is the way they want to do it.

Patricia Benton
Friday Harbor