Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 18, 1993 TAG: 9311180343
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NANCY BELL STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
"We rely very heavily on the services that our first aid crew and volunteer fire department provides," Town Manager Clay Goodman told Vinton Town Council Tuesday.
"There are growing concerns about the mandates and how they affect volunteerism," he said.
Council, during its Tuesday meeting, approved a resolution that seeks the support of the Virginia Municipal League for support in opposing further mandates regarding emergency services volunteers.
Vinton's first aid crew has had difficulty recruiting and retaining members in part because of the increasing degree of training required, Goodman said.
Additional mandates are expected for volunteer firefighters, who save localities a lot of money each year, he said.
Goodman said the increasing amount of training required for these services discourages volunteerism.
The financial significance of being required to replace volunteers with paid emergency workers because of the amount of training involved cannot be overlooked, he said.
On another matter, Town Council learned that nearly 100 needy Vinton families will receive food and Christmas gifts as a result of the $14,500 raised by Vinton's Halloween haunted house.
Haunted house organizer, Rob Bowers of Kroger, said thousands of volunteer hours and the donations of merchants made Vinton's annual haunted house the most successful in six years.
by CNB