Fire Fighters deserve a voice in changes….

I am not a person who is afraid of change, nor do I like to stand in the way of true progress.  But not all change is considered to be progress.  Take, for instance, the Kenosha Fire Department.  I know that the KFD has gained a bad reputation in the past couple of years for a few high-profile cases (not related to their work at emergencies.)  But there are changes being made, it seems, that now could affect job performance and therefore public safety.

             Fire administration decided, without consulting the people who actually respond to the emergencies to fix our problems, to shut down a fire engine and replace it with a Basic Life Support unit, which means if you are not too badly hurt this ambulance may have to come across town to help you, and if you get worse they may have to call another ambulance to come get you and take you to the hospital.

             Administration also cancelled a program designed to help solve department problems with both firefighter and administration input, choosing instead a path that seems like “my way or the highway”.

             I have some friends who are firefighters and I can tell that morale is low, extra stress (their jobs are stressful enough) is too high, and for the first time they see protecting this city as just a job.

             I want the people who protect us to be happy, healthy, motivated and committed.  I want them to be professionals, of course, but I think they should have a say in their work environment.  Because these people are professionals, these changes have made very little difference so far in the safety of this community, but as stress grows I fear that will not always be the case.

             Please let the firefighters and paramedics of Kenosha know that you value them, and as people who live, work, own property, or have businesses in Kenosha, you may want to find out what changes are taking place in the KFD and especially how they are affecting the people who show up when we are in trouble.

 Name withheld

Taken in its entirety from Kenosha News – Voice of the People - December 20, 2004