The Times Union
Copyright 2007 The Hearst Corporation
All Rights Reserved
As a member and an officer of the Menands Fire Department, I felt compelled to respond to the April 22 article, “Many fire volunteers fail to stay safe.”
Whereas the State Police investigation concluded that Capt. Edgar Scott had not been wearing his seat belt at the time of the accident, it failed to explore the possibility of seat belt failure of a 30-year-old-plus vehicle.
Capt. Scott was known to always wear his seat belt and had been wearing it that day, according to witnesses who were never questioned.
Seat belts very often prevent those in the volunteer fire service from providing a timely response. This is largely due to the various obstacles we face in responding to the station.
First off, we must drive to the station following all traffic control devices and speed limits. We deal with drivers who fail to yield the right-of-way to our flashing blue lights, and with various weather and road conditions.
In our village of 3 square miles, members often are still getting ready as we are arriving at the call. While I do agree that changes are necessary in light of the recent statistics, I feel it unfair to criticize those who chose daily to risk their lives by stating that they have “a real machismo attitude” and that we feel “immune to injury,” as David McGuire, president of Critical Incident, has stated.
Each and every member of every department is fully aware of the risks involved in responding to, working at and returning from the call. Newspaper articles and the evening news along with continued departmental, state and federally mandated training paint an all too clear picture of the risks posed.
We all kiss our loved ones goodbye and be sure to tell them we love them before we close the door, for we all know that uncertainty is part of the job. Injury or death is always possible.
Capt. Scott, along with all those who have given all in the name of duty and all those who continue to serve, do so and have done so freely by choosing to answer the call.