All Midway equipment is essential
Part three of three
Continued from last week:

NOT A GOOD IDEA

"As an act of good faith, would like to see the Midway Fire Department sell or terminate the lease on some of their nonessential equipment, including the new ladder truck, the command center bus, the smoke house, and the automated CPR machines."

Fact: The new ladder truck is being purchased by impact fees. Ladder 20 is 16 years old and is used as needed. What would happen if we sold Truck 20 and Ladder 20 service life was over? We would have to buy another one. The command center bus was donated by the school board and is available for evacuations. Remember the heavy rains which flooded Winn-Dixie, McDonald's, and the Greenbriar area. We did not have vehicles that could go through that water. The smoke house was paid with a FEMA grant and is used to educate the children in the District. Since the receipt of the trailer in October 2007, over 300 children have been through it. The automated CPR machines which cost $13,000 can circulate 100% of the blood, whereas, manual CPR circulates only 50% of the blood.

You tell us which equipment is nonessential.

"I would rather see the land purchased for the next fire station sold"

Fact: There is a void between Stations one and two that needs better coverage, currently a distance of over five miles between the two. ISO recommends that all build up areas have an engine for every 1 ½ miles radius. Criteria for fire station locations are specific and there were only a few locations that were suitable. We had to buy the land while it was available.

It never ceases to amaze me how people can come to the conclusions that they did about things that they know nothing about unless they have an agenda.