Orange Park ladder truck
Given current gas prices, Orange Park residents - and at least one Town Councilman, said they are irked to see the town's new 41-foot ladder truck at restaurants all over town. "They go to breakfast, lunch and dinner. I see them everywhere, every day," said Orange Park resident Larry Carter during the public comment portion of Tuesday night's Orange Park Town Council Meeting. "I got a problem with that. They are wasting fuel, starting that truck up 20 times a day. You can save a lot of taxpayer money if you park it." Town Manager John Bowles said the town's fire fighters, who are also the town's paramedics, need to train and practice using the 6-month-old truck, for at least a few more months, as recommended by the $800,000 truck's manufacturer. "If we park it, and don't train with it, we are doing a disservice to the town," Bowles said. "How much training is required to drive a truck?," said Councilman Pete Morgan. "I don't see Clay County or Duval County fire trucks riding around." Vice Mayor Jim Renninger, a longtime flight instructor, said he realizes the truck is a sophisticated machine and that this isn't a trivial matter. "It's not a bicycle you can just jump on and ride," he said, suggesting the town look at the simulator machines he uses for flight training at Florida Community College at Jacksonville. He said there are fire truck training programs. Bowles agreed to look in to that. In other business, the council: set a public hearing for 7:30 p.m. May 20, to hear an appeal from an attorney representing residents who are opposed to having Waste Not Want Not relocated to a residential area. Waste Not is a 17-year-old food redistribution center that salvages trash-bound food and delivers it to needy people. The town's planning and zoning board approved a rezoning that would allow Waste Not to move to vacant property on Carnes Street. Residents are asking the Town Council to over rule the planning and zoning board's approval.
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Submitted by Zipper on Wed, 04/23/2008 - 3:15pm.
Come on Larry Carter; twenty times a day, everyday, breakfast, lunch and dinner!!!!! I don't think that is correct. Do whatever you want; I think before I get up in front of a group of people or before i speak with the local paper about something i disapprove, I might want to try and have aleast a little factial information. Nice move!!! Pete Morgan your question is "How much training is needed to drive a truck?" you know if anybody was going to ask this type of question it would have to be you. I mean all these firefighters have to do is drive the truck to the scene and like some kinda voodoo magic the fire goes out RIGHT!!! HEY maybe those guys should get one of those video game simulators so they could sit around the fire house to practice fighting fires. I am sure it is just like the real thing. Perhaps you should find something else to do in your spare time and quit bashing the very folks that we the citzens depend on daily in an emergency. People are talking about ...Here are the recent blog postings with the most comments. |
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While training is a very good reason to have the new ladder truck on the road, an equally, if not more important reason is in case a call comes in while the fire fighters are at a meal, or testing hydrants, or any number of legitimate reasons for them to be away from the station. If they are in some vehicle other than the equipment that is designated to respond to calls, they would have to return to the station to get the truck or engine needed. That would significantly delay the response. Not what we want. The on duty crew should always be on their equipment when they are away from the station.