
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, July 31, 1990                   TAG: 9007310368
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BARRY L. FUQUA
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

REKINDLING FEELINGS ABOUT FIRE

WHILE I know that the editorial July 13 ("City-county fire accord: Big deal!") is political and pro-consolidation, I cannot understand why the newspaper continues to play with the feelings of all of the firefighters, rescue personnel and residents who were caused much pain and suffering during and after the tragic fire at Shenandoah Homes last December.

Many of the volunteers as well as residents suffered stress-related complications, and some went through crisis-intervention programs and stress debriefing programs to relieve some of the pain. Congratulations: The newspaper has just caused this pain to be relived once again.

The Roanoke Times & World-News continues to state that if Roanoke City Station 10 had been requested to respond, maybe things would have been different. "Maybe" is a correct assumption. Have the editors ever been sent to a strange office and asked to publish a complete newspaper in 10 or 15 minutes without knowing if the office had a typewriter, paper, printing press or any equipment needed to publish a paper?

This would be much like the scenario an engine-company officer from the city would face at Shenandoah Homes, not knowing about available firefighting systems and the locations of hookups, hose cabinets, etc.

I have enough knowledge of firefighting and fireground activity to know that some delay and confusion would have resulted. County firefighting units began fire attack 18 minutes after the alarm. In my opinion this is not "nearly a half hour," as the article dramatically states. The only thing we know for sure that would have changed the tragic events of that night is for the fire not to occur.

The editorial states that a consolidated fire department under a consolidated regional government would be better. A consolidated fire/rescue department would effectively eliminate the volunteer system, which now saves county taxpayers millions of dollars yearly. To replace volunteer service and keep manpower at present levels in a consolidated fire department would cost the taxpayers of a consolidated regional government an estimated $6 million to $8 million. Do people really want higher taxes?

I have nothing but praise and admiration for all the firefighters/rescue personnel who volunteered to handle the Shenandoah Homes fire in a very professional manner, as has been documented by the National Fire Protection Association. I sincerely hope that the newspaper will finally let this matter drop.

The fire departments of this valley have always worked well together. Please keep the politics out of it and let us get on about our business.

by CNB