Lay Off Firefighters?

I received a very disturbing telephone call today. The Thompsonville Fire Commission has apparently authorized the Chief to lay off five firefighters. There will be a meeting about this next Tuesday at 7:00 at the town hall. This is a travesty and taxpayers and residents of Thompsonville should be outraged, especially in light of the fact that the district is looking to build a new fire station.

In speaking to one of the firefighters today, he told me that by going to three man crews, they would be violating NFPA and OSHA standards by not having “two in, two out” provisions during initial fire department response. He said that the chief and one of the commissioners has said that one of the “other districts” could provide the fourth firefighter. Now, this is maybe practical during the day when the other stations are staffed, but what about during the evening when the other departments rely on volunteers to operate apparatus? Is the Thompsonville Fire Department more concerned about building a new fire station than the safety of its firefighters, residents, visitors and businesses? It seems that way.

Thompsonville has a group of well-trained, dedicated hard-working firefighters. This decision by the fire commission is a hearty slap in the face to those firefighters and their families. I have known many of these guys for a long time and you won’t find a group of better guys. They are dedicated to their profession and by treating them like doormats, the fire commission is not doing its due diligence for the community.

I urge all residents of Thompsonville to attend the meeting next Tuesday and speak out against this madness. What good is a brand new firehouse if there is nobody there to staff it?