Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 9, 1993 TAG: 9303090330
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
SOUND REASONS FOR SEPARATE FIRE DEPARTMENTS
YOUR MARCH 3 editorial ("Fire! Fire! And 33 minutes later . . .") on the reporting mix-up in the Salem Holiday Inn fire served to inflame the passions without shedding much light.The circumstances were complex and unique, and are not likely to be repeated. No complicated new system, like E911, is going to be perfect from the outset. The valuable lessons learned from this fire will undoubtedly improve the future performance of emergency personnel and equipment throughout the valley.
There are sound reasons for Roanoke City and Roanoke County having separate emergency-response systems. The city has compact boundaries and a relatively high concentration of population. Most sizeable cities have fully paid fire personnel.
Roanoke County is a combination of suburban and rural areas. Of the county's 11 fire stations, only Vinton, Hollins and Cave Spring are in relatively urban areas. The other eight are in rural areas with a low density of population, long distances to travel and special communication needs. Traditionally and typically, fire companies in rural areas are mainly volunteer. These committed volunteers are trained to the level required by the state.
Citizens and businesses choosing to locate in the more rural areas of the county are generally aware they will not always receive emergency services with the same speed as they might expect in a compact city or town. This is a calculated trade-off to be considered along with a multitude of other factors that are involved in anyone's choice of location.
The Holiday Inn's fire loss is unfortunate and regrettable, but I do not believe the broad implications are as black and white and negative as your editorial implied. LEE B. EDDY Vice Chairman Roanoke County Board of Supervisors ROANOKE