Wednesday, May 2, 2001

I have been a citizen of this area for many years (I moved here with my family in 1978). I have also been a reader of your editorials for many years as well. While like anyone, sometimes I agree with your opinions, and others times I do not. But, I would have to say more often than not, we seem to have similar opinions.

Today I read your editorial titled "PTC Council's priorities: 'Nice' vs. 'Necessary'" and was finding myself in complete agreement, as usual, and especially about the need for resolution to the horrible traffic problem along Ga. Highway 54 West.

However, you made one addition to your "nice" category that I totally disagree with, and in fact, find it quite insulting, although I suspect it is more likely a matter of your ignorance to the issue as opposed to any intended insult.

The issue I am referring to was "A 'nice' smoke and burn training center (duplicating one already built by the county): $85,000" as it related to the "nice" vs. "necessary" items on the list of projects for Peachtree City.

Let me tell you a bit more about myself. I am a volunteer member of the Peachtree City Fire Department, and have been since January 1982, the day after I turned 18. In these 19 years, I have witnessed many changes to our city and to our fire department. We have progressed by leaps and bounds from the days of buy-it-used fire apparatus, BBQ dinner fund-raisers, etc. We now have equipment that allows us to provide better service to our citizens, while better protecting our firefighters. We have watched both our career and volunteer memberships grow. We are fortunate to have a modern department and highly trained and dedicated career and volunteer members.

We did not achieve this result easily. It took hard work, lots of planning, and leadership. Myron (Brother) Leach started our growth, followed by Gerald Reed, and now currently by Stony Lohr. Each of these fire chiefs have been able to help us grow and achieve more and learn more and do our job better.

While I, like you, am often a critic of the Peachtree City government (especially back in the days that I worked for their police department), I can honestly say that our city has always done the right thing when it came to supporting our public safety services. When we have identified equipment that we need, it has been provided to us.

So, back to the point of my response. We have been very, very fortunate in our county to have a training building in which we have been able to provide "live" fire training for our members. In the "old days" we used old, abandoned houses to burn and provide our training. Obviously, if you look around, you will not see many of these around now. So, the Fayette County burn building has been a tremendous training aid for our members, but at a cost.

Whenever we schedule a burn building training session, it requires that we leave the city and travel to the far side of the county with at least one fire engine, as well as with numerous career and volunteer members. All the while, we have to hope that no major incident occurs during this time since response time back to the city would be significant and the firefighters remaining in town are fewer than normal. But, thanks to the efforts of our training department, and to the dedication of our members, we have always made this training happen.

In addition, and more importantly, the county's burn building is showing its age. It has done a wonderful job by allowing us to set and extinguish literally thousands of fires over the years. But, it has taken its toll and currently, we are unable to set any fires in the building. So, now we are limited in our ability to train new members to safely and effectively fight fires, as well as to test and enhance the skills of our current members.

Also, you state that this "nice" addition was "(duplicating one already built by the county)". This is simply not true. While there are similar features in concept between the two, the one we wish to build will provide much more enhanced training features, including the ability to simulate not only a residential structure (like the county's building), but also industrial structures, multifamily structures, and hotel-motel structures. It would allow for movable room designs (unlike the county's building where the layout never changes). It would also provide outside staircases and roof ventilation training additions as well.

Could it actually be true that you consider the training we conduct to be nice and not a necessity? In my opinion, safe, effective, and realistic training is NOT nice, it is a necessity! What was your inside information to support your apparent opinion? Did you speak to Chief Lohr about this? Did you ask any average career or volunteer member their opinion? Did you investigate the reason we feel the need for this building?

I truly suspect that you did not. If you had, you would have found out about the status of the county's building. If you had, you would have learned that our members strongly support the need to have more training, and more realistic training, and not have to caravan outside of our city, reducing our firefighter force during this time.

I suspect you simply assumed that you know all there is to know. Since you are a resident of Peachtree City, I will be happy to provide you a volunteer member application and invite you to join our ranks and learn reality firsthand. It is also interesting to note that you do not seem to have any objections to plans to build a new fire station on the western side of Peachtree City, closer to where you live. Is that a "nice" addition or a "necessity"?

Mr. Beverly, I have to admit that I am sorely disappointed in you today, and not because I find myself in disagreement with you ("been there, done that" in the past), but because your simple addition to your editorial was a insult to all the fine folks of the Peachtree City Fire Department, career and volunteer, who train, and train hard, to become the best they can. I am insulted by your opinion.

You have, though your apparent ignorance to reality, done a great disservice to the hard-working members of our department. It is amazing that you did that with your simple inclusion of "A 'nice' smoke and burn training center (duplicating one already built by the county): $85,000." It is amazing, but true.

Note: It should be obvious, but if not, my opinions are just that, my opinions. I do not claim to represent the official opinions of the Peachtree City Fire Department and its leaders.

Ed Ferguson

Peachtree City

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