To the Editor,

What is a Hero? “A hero is someone who is distinguished for his or her courage or ability. They are admired for brave deeds and noble qualities. They may have performed heroic acts. They may also be someone who is a role model or an ideal.”

In my opinion our local heroes are letting us down.

And who are the real victims of these issues with the Lehigh Acres Fire Dept.?

Business as usual does not work and does not make good financial sense for the future of the Lehigh Acres Fire Department. And the Blue Ribbon Panel proved that this past week.

The Blue Ribbon Panel is made up of local business and professional people. They reviewed the financial volatility of our fire department, and developed a plan to help them work through this difficult time for the next four years. This plan would allow our fire and EMS departments to continue the service. I truly believe other items could have been looked at differently but it’s a very good sound proposal.

But, the fire commissioners did not take their advice. Maybe it’s because two of the commissioners, Joel Guzman and Jeff Berndt are firemen themselves, and they are trying to protect their union brothers at all cost. Or is it because Commissioners Frank Hemingway, Barrett and David Adams have been turned to the dark side?

The Blue Ribbon Panel proposed only 17 employees layoffs which included administration; while Chief Don Adams believes 36 layoffs need to happen. The firemen and administration would have to take pay and benefit cuts in order to keep their jobs. What an idea!

But union barred that idea at the meeting. And they even called the Blue Ribbon Panel findings rubbish and full of lies. The firemen and their union refused to make cuts much like you and I have had to do during this time. By the way, they did offer to give back their pay raises for next year. Whoopee do! I’ve personally met that Walt Stevens the president of union Local 1826 and his staff about six weeks ago and I wish the union would stop telling mistruths to the public and the firemen that they represent.

If a plan to save this fire department is going to work, in my opinion, the union must come to the table now. If our heroes still want to be heroes they need to cut the burden on all of us taxpayers in Lehigh Acres now.

The fire commissioners want to increase millage from 2.75 to 3.0. Okay, I personally can live with that; but now the shameful, vile and gutless fire commissioners are going to try and pass a referendum that will require each property owner in Lehigh Acres to pay an additional $100 a year on each parcel they own. Even Commissioner Hemingway was on local TV pushing the appalling, vile and gutless idea to the media and the public. According Hemingway, the $100 assessment is totally tax deductible on your federal income tax forms. Can the commissioners ever tell the difference – fact and fiction?

What has our fire department turned into? They are like spoiled little two-year-olds, and now when times are very tough for all in Lehigh Acres, they are still not happy. Remember the taxpayers paid for all the equipment and the toys.

The voters elected five people on the board to serve the people of Lehigh Acres and what they have do, nothing but spend, spend and spend – just status quo. Remember business as usual does not work, period.

The bleeding of tax dollars must stop today, not tomorrow, not two weeks from now, but today. Since your fire board refuses to ask for laying off any employees until Oct 1, this will cause a ripple effect in the current budget year and next year. Some $700,000 to $1.2 million of the reserves will be burned though by Oct 1, 2009. This is beyond doubt mismanagement by the board of fire commissioners and Chief Adams. Why can’t the board of fire commissioners see the real issues?

Why can’t the chief just do his job?

Why can’t the union play nice and stop these so-called hardball tactics?

By the way, on a certain day two weeks ago, eight of the local heroes called in sick on the same shift and Chief Adams had no choice then but to close one of the fire stations for a period of time. Were all the men actually sick? Was this a union work stoppage tactic?

I am embarrassed by our department, and for the men and women that work at the Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue District. The union is greedy, and they will definitely fail them. And who are the real victims of these issues? Everyone that lives in the Lehigh Acres Fire District.

Robert Anderson

Lehigh Acres