Editor:

With regard to Mr. [Al] Casteen’s comments on the recent decision by the IOWBS to vote down titling prior vehicles back to the county, some clarification is necessary. First, his concerns regarding insurance. Each agency insures vehicles for what it would take to replace it. That is done so we will not have to go back to the county if we suffer a total loss. He would not know what current replacement cost are, but we do. I do not know of one agency that has underinsured a vehicle, so I am not sure where he sees a problem here.

Second, he references an “ambulance Windsor Rescue resold to another county agency” and references a truck “Carrsville sold and kept Smithfield Fire from using.”

Both are erroneous statements and open communication between our county and the volunteers would have prevented misinformation from being spread. Some of our Board tends to believe whatever administration tells them and therefore never communicate with us at all until we have a mess like this.

As to the ambulance, Windsor had a support truck, not an ambulance paid for with private donations. When they did not need it any more, they sold it. Is that not normal business? Taxpayers never paid for the truck the first time. As to the Carrsville Engine, no one from Smithfield Fire ever asked if they could use it. Had they asked, we would have gladly let them use it. Why do I say that? Because that is what I happening with that truck now. We never sold it. We still own it….and, guess what? It is being used by Carrollton FD now while one of their trucks is out of service.

As to all the hard work Ms. [Anne] Seward did, she never consulted with us once. She told our chief 7 months ago these were some things she wanted to work on.

Each time our reps asked about them at the Association meetings, they were told by staff that we would address them later. We heard nothing from her until Mother’s Day when she sent us agreements she drafted and was planning to take to the Board the following week.

I think some of the supervisors need to stop believing everything administration is telling them and communicate with their constituents. None of the ill feelings and discontent rained down on our volunteers was deserved.

A study completed by the county in 1999 estimated volunteers saved IOW over $12 million. The National Volunteer Fire Council has a calculator that takes our information and calculates that in today’s dollars, we save over $25 million. Is that not an asset to be proud of? Why try to tear it down?

Thank you to all the citizens that came out in support of us. We will continue to be there for you. We do not do this for the pay because, as you know, there is none. We do it because we are proud of our community and we want to support you.

Kevin Duck
Commissioner
Carrsville