Regarding, Volunteers fail to show for potential emergency (Sept. 30).
As a member of the firefighters’ association executive during the annexation process I must take exception to Ben Veel’s statement, “the firefighters’ association wanted no part of volunteers.”
Part time firefighters in Westminster were given an opportunity to go through the recruit-hiring examinations process and to date two former Westminster firefighters have been hired. Veel must realize that while Westminster would take almost any applicant, London professional firefighters must meet stringent standards in both physical and mental agility.
To correct Virginia Chevalier’s assertion that the “city firefighters are paid and volunteers aren’t,” Westminster firefighters are paid based on points accumulated through attendance at alarms and instructional training.
Finally, London professional firefighters, who fight fire from an aggressive interior position, depending on the buddy system for their lives, are naturally hesitant to depend on someone who does not exhibit a professional commitment. This is not the first time “volunteers” haven’t responded when the alarm was sounded and I am sure it won’t be the last.
KEN GASKIN
London
Source: Letter to the editor | The London Free Press
