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It was one year ago today the Salisbury Fire Department vacated old Fire Station 16 and walked to the new Fire Station all too well known as the $14,000,000.00 Fire Palace.To this day nothing has been said about the City's intentions with the old Station but now that we have a new Mayor I'm sure that will all change.
Many have requested they put one Fire Truck and one Ambulance in there for a first response team for the Camden area.
Last Friday there was a scary situation going on all of you were not aware of. You see, they closed Isabella Street last week and the Draw Bridge was up. There was absolutely no way the Fire Department could respond via Ambulance or any other Rescue Vehicle. If they needed to get across that Bridge, it wasn't going to happen.
Anyhow, time sure does fly when you're spending money and having fun.
17 comments:
Don't they also staff two other stations that can respond? At least that's what I thought. Somebody fill us in!
Og course they do. However, there's a good chance the FIRST RESPONDERS in the Camden area would be Fruitland, not Salisbury.
Now, let's go a little further. Let's say you just had a heart attack and you're at the Gordy Tiger Mart on West Business Rt. 50. The Ambulance arrives, picks you up and starts heading to PRMC over the next several weeks while Isabella Street is closed. The Bridge is UP and the traffic is backed up to the Police Station.
Please, do tell us what you'd say to that Patiend dying of a heart attack.
The possibility that there will be no emergency responders able to get there quickly is real. The crews are always responding somewhere and could be anywhere. Fruitland, Delmar, the mall, Brown Rd for example. The West Main St. bridge and RT 50 bridges go up together and the only other way is the Isabella St. bridge. That bridge is out for at least two months and what options does that leave. Its going to be interesting to see how many times the dice comes up snake eyes.
It would be horrible for that patient to die. However, this would not be solved by responders coming from another area of town. The fire department is not repairing the road nor did they put the bridge up. The ambulance could try to take the road that goes in front of Brew River. Maybe if the main bridge is up then the small bridge is already down. And of course they could always transport to Cambridge. I can drive to Cambridge in about 30 minutes so I'm sure an ambulance can get there quicker.
Truck E-210 is on Adkins tow truck over in the industrial park as we speak.
lets see what happens and / or what is said by the ones that says the first responders can still respond and there are other stations when its their family member or even themselves need the service and it does happen in time. The reality will be to late to say I was wrong. I should have used my common sense to have all areas covered equally. I forgot the ones using this excuse must like the Fire equipment riding around doing nothing but using fuel waiting for a call.
You would think they would have one Fire Truck and one Ambulance at the old Station while Isabella Street is closed. THAT'S what any GOOD Fire Chief would do.
Joe,
Your 11:46 comment is a valid point. Just so you and the citizens of the Camden area are aware, Station 1 on Beaglin Park Dr is the next due station for that area not Fruitland. As far as the unthinkable medical emergency happening on that side of the bridge and the bridges go up while on that call they would have to travel up Jersey Rd to Naylor Mill Rd and double back towards the hospital. That sucks but that reality.
Fruitland doesnt have ambulance service yet. They are hoping to hire paramedics and have Two ambulances in service in July.
Joe, with your vast fire department experiance, do you know the differance between a GOOD & BAD fire chief.
Please tell us what you base your comment on.
Yet it's ok for those living on the West Side of the Bridge to suffer? So the Camden Neighborhoods are more important? That's the way I'm reading it.
anonymous 3:18, Can you please tell everyone why you would make such a statement, yet you are too afraid to put your name up. Are you afraid the boogie man might come out of the closet and scare you?
Considering I was able to retire at 40 years old and managed hundreds of people during my career, I'd say I have every right to make the statement that I did.
You have a building sitting there doing absolutely nothing. I would not take the risk of someone's life during the time Isabella Street is closed when I had the open opportunity to use the old Fire Station, it's that simple.
Now, why don't you tell us why it would be out of line to do so. Oh, I know, you won't be back and respond because now you look really stupid, that's why.
Now go back to playing with Barbie & Ken and leave us adults alone, we're very busy.
anonymous 3:37, Jesus Fat Man, don't you have anything else to do with your time?
Of course the West Side is important. However, #1, it's nowhere near as populated as the Camden area. #2, why do you think they built the new Fiore Station on the west side if it wasn't important.
Now stop being so childish and get some sense into that Dee, Dee, Deeee head of yours. You should claim mental disability too, you might get a few extra bucks a month on the Taxpayers.
Joe,
This is just FYI for you and your readers and is not attempting to be arugumentative. I ask that you take it from me as it is intended and that is to be as factual as I can possibly be without showing any biased towards any opinions.
The old f.h. is truly "out of service". The electric is off as is the water. The place is now City property and since it is not occupied, it is unkempt and will need some serious cleansing. There are no accommodations such as beds to cover the night crews on duty. Numerous supplies/resources would need to be diverted back to that facility in order to be able to maintain it (i.e. toiletries, cpu's, internet connections, phone services, air conditioning units, etc.). You may laugh at this but these are necessities in order for any assigned crews to be anywhere near successful in their everyday duties.
Additionally, where is the staffing supposed to come from? We are already strained and re-opening the old station will require addtional staffing which, in-turn, requires additional funding. Even if you staff the engine with vols, which will be nearly impossible due to the length of time we are looking at, there are simply not enough vol paramedics to staff the additionl medic unit.
So while your thought of re-opening the old station may have intial merrit and sound "proactive rather than reactive", it becomes fiscally unbearable. Especially when you speak of what "might be".
As stated, the Camden area is certainly as important as the Westside of our district. There are still two medic units staffed 24/7 on the east side of the river. There are also two stations with fire apparatus staffed 10 hrs by career personnel M-F with very good response times from vols the rest of the day/week. Medical assists can be initiated as delayed medical responses with medically trained personnel on the engines to initiate EMS care until an advanced life support unit can arrive. So coverage remains "do-able"
Medic units are constantly everywhere in our district and aiding other districts as well. For anyone to state that someone wont get help if the bridge is up is purely speculation. The possiblity that our units will be spread out all over the place certainly exists much more when the bridges are DOWN vs when they are up as the bridge is DOWN much more than it is up!! The A/C's on duty are charged w/ handling these issues and we will get help from where ever we can find it from our friends in the county. I will call whomever is closest if all my units are in service and wont hesitate to do such in order to get a call covered. We are blessed with good neighbors who help us in our times of need as we do in theirs.
Should this issue come to fruition, you may certainly tell me "I told you so"...but until then, I offer these facts as exactly that...facts. I hope that this will give you a somewhat differeing perspective. I understand being proactive and applaud those that, I feel, have decent intentions with their commentary. However, there is MUCH more to this issue than many are aware and I only hoped to bring a bit of the facts behind the issues into the public eye. I assure you there is no malice towards any sector of our district. I have often stated that no one can put a "price" on someone's life and one may make that same statement as a rebuttal to my comments. However, the economic situation affects our organization the same as it affects businesses everywhere. Unfortunately, times are what they are and funds are finite and it would be difficult to justify this suggestion when there has been absolutely no evidence that response times have been delayed or constituents arent getting cared for properly. If someone can disprove my statements, I will certainly be open to listening to their version of what they believe to be the facts and we can possibly find common ground. If someone can offer a finacilly sound solution to a problem that doesnt yet exist, I would be happy to present that solution to my superiors as well for their consideration.
Thank you for the space and I truly hope you accept this comment in the spirit in which it was intended.
J.G.
It doesn't matter where the station is located. If the bridge is up and Isabella is closed it would be the same situation. Same situation that has always been.
Why was Powellvile citys engine riding around Salisbury last night and at the fire station by parkside? Was there a bad fire that brought them into the city?
Who cares why Powellville's engine was in the city?
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