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Offers solutions to fire department’s crisis

By Staff | Jul 8, 2009

To The Editor:

Business as usual does not work and does not make good financial sense for the future of the Lehigh Acres Fire Department.

I am getting tired of all this Fire Board nonsense. Four years I tried to advocate a common sense approach to two different fire boards. They continue their spending sprees with taxpayers’ money.

What rock have these Fire Board members been living under? At least four of the of current commissioners who own their own homes haven’t even seen a Lee County tax bill.

And I’m not just blaming the board or the union or the lack of taxable value, but they all had their factors into the titanic mess we are facing.

Ok, that’s enough discourse about the past.

And, now let’s look at the future of the Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue District, as I see it.

What can we do to fix the situations?

First, we cannot afford to put all our eggs into one basket. Without union concessions this plan will fail, period, end of story, no more fire department.

No one can guarantee the so-called SAFER grant until the check is received by the department. So let’s file it with FEMA, but do not count on it until we actually receive the first check.

I really want to save the entire district, but there is no other way to save everyone and everything at this time with the current revenue.

The bleeding of tax dollars must stop now, not two weeks from now.

The next action is what Lehigh Acres firefighters are not going to like to hear – layoffs must continue, but in a different way.

Turn over the EMS service to Lee County. Lee County must offer the service by its charter.

But we, the taxpayers and voters, must demand these terms. First, they (Lee County) must lease all our ambulance /rescue vehicles from LAFD and will position that equipment in Lehigh Acres at our fire houses. Lee County must hire and man these ambulance /rescue vehicles from the pool of laid-off personnel from the LAFD first.

Just this alone will save the service, save most of the jobs and will be a transparent operation visible to the taxpayers of Lehigh Acres.

My question to the firefighters on the chopping block is does it really matter where your pay check comes from as long as you are working? I personally know how hard of a pill it is to shallow.

Second, the fire suspension company that is left in Lehigh Acres must come to the table and take concessions concerning pay and benefits to save the rest of the department.

Now let’s gets to daily operations: no more using engines, tenders or ladder trucks getting supplies or food.

We will soon have three command vehicles not being used, so, turn two of these vehicles into rolling ALS emergency rescue (nontransport) vehicles. If the call comes in and an engine is not needed, we send one of these trucks first.

We do not need to send a $900,000 ladder truck to a medical call. Ladder trucks should always be the last to go on a medical-only call.

Fire Commissioners should work free for a year. (Every penny counts). This will show a level of commitment this elected board should possess for the taxpayers and voters of Lehigh Acres.

During the slower months, run 12-hour shifts only out of stations 104 and 105. Do you really need to staff five stations 24/7?

Let the public information go – if you like it or not, it is a non-needed expense. This job can be handled through Fire Chief Adams and or the LAFD Fire Marshal’s office. Community training, children’s and school programs can be handled though the LAFD Fire Marshal’s office, too.

LAFD needs to cancel all non-needed contacts for services likecomputer service, lawn service, outside oil changes for command trucks and so on effective today.

Slimming the department down to its core responsibilities is the only way to save it. The chief, the board and the union already know this but refuse to take the steps needed to stop the tax dollar hemorrhaging.

We must work together forming a partnership with Lee County and our voters, taxpayers and business leaders to find true consensus in these trying times.

Robert Anderson

Lehigh Acres