Once again, as chief of the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department I feel obligated to respond to a distorted letter by Pat DeAngelis (Aug. 19, “Middlebury should not approve budget with hidden costs”).
In a desperate attempt to smear the department’s good name, Mr. DeAngelis continues to misinform residents on financial information and jeopardize our firefighters’ safety by creating a gossip campaign in town that has some residents questioning our needs for fire apparatus.
Luckily, the department has a strong base of support, and residents are not buying into Mr. DeAngelis’ schemes and slanders.
The department always has had an open-door policy with regard to our entire operation. Never once have I been unavailable to answer any resident’s questions. I cannot believe Mr. DeAngelis cannot find time in his schedule to sit down with me and get the truth. Instead, he uses needless Freedom of Information requests that ultimately cost taxpayers thousands of dollars.
The town has had public meetings that address in detail each department’s budget. Mr. DeAngelis has failed to attend any of these meetings.
Here are just some of the elements Mr. DeAngelis has distorted.
1) The $11,000 fuel tank. Currently, Fire HQ is being heated with expensive, high-quality diesel oil that is meant for fire apparatus. This new tank will be installed for apparatus only. The current tank will be filled with less expensive regular home heating oil, which will be used to heat the building. The change will save taxpayers $3800 to $4000 per year.
2) The chrome wheels on Car 1. The MVFD refurbished a vehicle acquired from the Police Department, which proved far less expensive than purchasing a new vehicle. The wheels on the car were unsafe and needed to be replaced. Bob Ford gave the MVFD an excellent deal on used chrome wheels, which turned out to be significantly less expensive than new steel wheels.
3) $40,000 in insurance for the ambulance. This number is a myth and completely manufactured. 80% of those who ride the ambulance are cross-trained firefighters who are already covered under the Town’s current liability insurance. That leaves 12 Ambulance Auxiliary members, plus the actual insurance on the vehicles. Thats it. The previous administration was never able to give a figure as to what that liability insurance exactly is, but it is no where near $40,000.
In return what does the MVFD provide? Besides fuel and insurance, the MVFD funds all other expenses through the Ambulance Billing service. The Department has ordered a new ambulance, which will save Taxpayers almost $190,000. The MVFD pays approximately $80,000 yearly for Advanced Life Support. This is another expense usually passed on to taxpayers, but the Department picks up the tab. All other expenses including pagers, supplies, and training certifications are paid from this Ambulance Fund. Any funds left over at the end of the year go directly into an account and saved to buy the next ambulance.
4) $80,000 towards apparatus replacement. The MVFD currently has three pieces of apparatus over the age of 20 years old, and one piece 30 years old. Engine 1 will be 20 years old in three years. The National Fire Protection Association recommends that front-line apparatus be replaced every twenty years. The MVFD has been working for apparatus replacement since 2002. No action was ever taken by the previous administration to remedy this situation.
5) The MVFD is one of the largest departments in Town with the smallest budget. Over the last two years the Department has cut its budget by almost 10%. That does not include the hydrants that were finally removed from the Department’s budget.
As a Volunteer Department, we save taxpayers millions of dollars each year. Our actions illustrate our dedication to the residents in this community. We are a proud organization with a time-honored heritage, and we will not yield our sworn and sacred calling to individuals who champion the causes of those with political axes to grind.
Paul J. Perrotti
Chief Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department
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1 comment:
Thank God we have an excellent volunteer fire department in Middlebury Connecticut!
And there is no question that this department has excellent response time to emergency and non-emergency situations.
I think that everyone knows that volunteer fire departments are fast disappearing in small communities, to be replaced with paid fire departments which are far more expensive - hundreds of thousands of dollars more per year in the case of Middlebury.
We should be thankful for the members who give up their personal time, and the chief who recruits and grooms young firefighters for the discipline necessary for community service.
It is a damn shame that Mr. Deangelis wants to build his legacy on destroying the MVFD. It is a shame that he cannot be trying to do something useful - anything useful - for the community! But no, he knows only hate -- and he is surrounding himself with willing contributors to that hate.
WAKE UP MIDDLEBURY! WAKE UP!
As Joni Mitchell sings: "Don’t it always seem to go, That you don't know what you’ve got ‘Til it's gone"
Support the MVFD! Support Tom Gormley! Support Middlebury!
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