ROANOKE TIMES 

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

DATE: TUESDAY, July 31, 1990                   TAG: 9007310389
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

COUNTY IS GRATEFUL FOR ITS VOLUNTEERS

YOUR EDITORIAL July 13 on the city-county accord was absurd. As a matter of fact, county residents regularly fall on their knees with praise and gratitude for their excellent volunteer fire and rescue department. After all, the county doesn't charge its residents for rescue calls.

If you check the report from the fire marshal's office, you will find that from the nature of the fire, lives would have been lost in the Shenandoah Homes fire even if firefighters had been standing in front of the building with hoses in hand when the alarm was first turned in. No department in this country can guarantee a three- or four-minute response, or any response time for that matter.

The county did not ask for help at the scene because it didn't need help. When was the last time the city asked for help from a county fire and rescue department? I promise you, it is a rare occurrence.

In this I speak not only of Roanoke city but also of Salem. Many times fire and rescue calls have been held for long periods in our two city services because of their pride or independence or self-sufficiency. You need to check the facts on both sides of the fence before reporting your biased opinion.

Roanoke County has long been in favor of better coordination between fire and rescue services. Far more lives are lost at deadly intersections, where dead bodies are a prerequisite for installing traffic signals, than from fires.

Once again the Roanoke Times & World-News has proven its interest in consolidation is for its own gain and not for the citizens of the Roanoke Valley. County citizens stand to gain absolutely nothing from merger and intend to prove this in the November vote.

A "big deal" for the Roanoke Valley would be another newspaper to compete with the Roanoke Times & World-News so its citizens could get non-biased reports and straight facts. D.W. LOVELACE Captain, Fort Lewis Rescue Squad SALEM 


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