The doors rolled down this morning
 |
| Ben Whitener, Karen Israel, Captain Robert Ruddick, Joni Fraga-Pratt, Page Pratt, Bob Kenny |
It was a sad goodbye. A volunteer fire department started on
the Island in 1948. In the early 50s, a Quonset Hut was
erected to house the engine. In the 1970s a paid chief and an assistant were
hired and the station was manned 24/7 with paid-on-call volunteers. The
firefighters have been protecting the Island for 64
years.
A single medical emergency person will be on the site for a
while. Engines will come to the Island from the nearby
towns of Oakley and Brentwood (over 5 miles away). The
reason for the closure, we are told, is that a bond measure on the recent
ballot did not pass.
This morning, about 45 minutes after the station closed, a
medical call came in. The firefighters just stood there. They could not go to
give aid. About 10 minutes later a fire truck from Oakley arrived on the Island .
Plans are afoot to preserve the station and get it
designated as an historic structure. You will learn more about this in further
posts.Labels: friends, history, home, island life, odd facts
posted by Christine Thresh at 3:38 PM
9 Comments:
So sad and so dangerous. I am sorry. You have seven people in the picture, but only six names. I have been wondering how you are doing - hope all is well. Love.
I've been doing fine. I have been working very hard to get an application in to the county historical committee so the station can be preserved. It can be used as a staging area when we have fires, a storage place for equipment, a cooking place, and a restroom for the firefighters when there is a large event. There is a possibility of getting some paid-on-call volunteers by the end of the year. They would need a place to gather and rest.
christine, I am proud of you and your fight. Keep it up...the future will unfold.
I hope the historic preservation plans work. This is a sad event for your small community.
as a volunteer EMT for our community, i am sad to see this happen in yours. Our volunteers are a very important part of our community, and we appreciate having QRT's close by. I hope you can get things going again.
All these initials! EMT, QRT, and around here QRV.
I guess EMT means Emergency Medical Tech? Today I learned that QRV means Quick Response Vehicle. What is a QRT?
Training to be a volunteer firefighter in our county takes 230 hours, plus more hours for medical training, and then 100 of driving training. Ongoing classes have to reach 200+ to keep on working as a volunteer.
It is a wonder that anyone volunteers.
Keep up the good work.
how sad that we don't always see the need for taxes that protect us - especially when the amount is so tiny for each household. It is a good thing to preserve the history and remember those who served.
QRT might be Quick Response Team.
There are certainly a lot of details like that to take into consideration. That is a great point to bring up. cara menyembuhkan kurap dan panu
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