I dont personally know the inner workings of the fire department, but I do respect their job and role in our community. I have been downtown when they go through, and I have never seen them be reckless. I will say this, if you see or hear a emergency vehicle running signal, get out of the way. I like the statement, "Move over, it might be your family they are going to save." If it was my family in distress, I would pay whatever the cost to have those men and women arrive as soon as possible. To all our emergency personnel, keep up the good work and I for one appreciate your willingness to put your life on the line to protect mine and my family's.

A.J. Carr

Why not put weight and exercise equipment in the stations. Wellness programs are great. The more fit you are, the healthier you stay. The military proves that beyond a doubt.

While reviewing the recent post about Fire Trucks on Main I thought I would post a comment or reply if you will about this subject.

 

Let me say I really do not read the remarks posted by those who wish to not add their name.  I feel these people are for one cowards and just want to be heard, but dont want people to look at them when they are talking. If they truly wish to have their opinion heard or complaint filed they might want to go to the city commission meetings. The honorable Mayor McBurney always opens the floor to the public prior to the meetings end.

 

With that being said I will comment some on the things I have heard or read posted on the forum.

 

First off; I believe someone made a remark about our pay.  Well for one I have been with the City Fire Department for fifteen years.  Up until the last few years our raises here at the fire department had been very minute.  For those that do not know, the fireman until the last couple few years started out making minimum wage.  Yes, minimum wage for putting your life on the line each and every day.

 

 Being there since 1993 I am still making less than ten dollars an hour. So for the person that for sure knows nothing about the pay scale please refrain from making those comments about it. If you were deeply concerned with the pay of the fireman you could go to the clerks office and do a little research about what we really make before making these silly remarks for everyone to read.

 

Second I would like to for everyone to realize that us as fireman spend a 3^rd of our lives away from our family. There are things that happen during this precious time away that cannot be replaced. Imagine missing your childs first steps or the first words they speak; to be available to respond to the aid of a stranger during their time of misfortune. We do this for total strangers because the simple fact, we care about them almost as much as we do our family.

 

My third point I wish to make is for those that apparently have no clue about anything to do with the fire service.  Those arm chair quarterbacks if you will, that like to sit and criticize our procedures.  To these people I will just say, I have been fighting fire for twenty years, apparently I know a little bit about firefighting and it is obvious you have no clue. 

For those wondering why there is so many fire apparatus that respond to an incident it is really quiet simple. Being understaffed and having only two personnel to the station at a given time you have to send the other apparatus to get the other personnel to the incident. 

If you reference NFPA 1710 being the staffing guidelines for the fire department you will see that the recommended staffing for an engine company is four. Engine being those big red trucks we ride in when we come to help you all out. If you would like to see all of NFPA 1710 please contact me, I will be more than happy to send you the standard for you to read yourself.

Maybe the citizens might like to see more personnel on these fire trucks on the initial response. This would help ease the congestion on the traffic accident scenes and might eliminate the possibility of someone getting run off the road on their way to McDonalds.

 

I hope no one takes offense to the way I am spelling it all out to you, but I want to make sure that most of the simple minded people that post all these anonymous comments understand what I have to say.

 

Fourth and finally, I have been doing my job for so long and there are just a handful of people that ever say they appreciate what we do. Most of them say what took you so long, or did you have to break my window out when my house was on fire. I would love for those that are so quick to judge to put on our hat and walk a mile in our boots. 

I wonder if anyone knows the feeling you have walking into the building while everyone else is running out.  Do you think you have what it takes to go into a smoke filled structure to look for that lost love one that is missing during the fire? Do you know how it feels to have you ears starting to burn as you crawl your way back into the abyss heat and smoke filled darkness; knowing not lurks in the darkness around the way.

Keep in mind the adrenaline that is running through the fireman as they are responding to what might be the last breath a person may take. If you are driving around, be more attentive to your surroundings; turn down your radio so you can hear the warning signals of the emergency response vehicles coming up behind you. Give us the right of way that we are asking for.

Please try to understand that when the call goes out and we respond to a call for help, that it could be the last call we ever make!  I keep a picture of my kids in my helmet for this very reason. It is the last thing I look at before I don my hat to make entry into a structure to look for a strangers kid that may be missing. It puts things in perspective for me and makes me remember why we do what we do for such a minute amount of pay. You cant put a dollar amount on life. Please remember this the next time you start putting down the fireman for doing a job that so few would or could do.

Think about this. What if the next time you call the fireman to come help you, no one came.  Then maybe you would be happy to see those trucks running up and down the road. Maybe you wont think we arent doing nothing but watching television and are a waste of your money.

 

I would like to challenge all the quick to post anonymous armchair fire chiefs out there to think about what you write before you write it.  Maybe if more people think about what they write before writing the forum will be a better discuss important stuff.

 

It is my prayer not to ever meet anyone that I am swore to protect, at least not meet them in my official capacity as a firefighter.  But if we do ever meet, rest assured that we will be true professionals.

 

May God bless you and keep you

 

Yours truly,

Lt. Tony Anders 

Corbin Fire Department

 

 

 

Excellent post Mr. Anders.

In my circle of friends, I have never heard one negative thing regarding our fire department, except that you're not paid enough, along with the police officers as well.

I hope you and your firemen brothers continue to post here, and keep us informed of what is going on with the city. Most of us are in the dark most of the time regarding the inner workings or our city government, and we need to be kept informed.

Thanks again, and keep up the good work.

I guess that all the (smart) people that wants to (cut) the Fire Dept down doesnt care if there home owners insurance goes up or if it takes 10-15 min for a truck to get to the scene because we sure couldnt run red lights and siren in our personal vehicle because that would scare the people going to get something to eat . But of course none of those people need the Fire Dept, although someone needed the Fire Dept a little over 500 times this year. Some of you (smart) people dont realize that but the Fire Dept doesnt actually close at 5:00 pm they are there 24 hrs a day 7 days a week , oh they are open on weekends and all holidays . I really think alot of the people writing some of this stuff doesnt know better, But of course that is the way it goes if you do or say good things it last about 5 min. If you do or say something bad it's never forgotten. I hope some people really get a understanding of the Fire Dept. My suggestion is that you go to your local Volunteer Fire Dept and put in an application to join if you think you can do it so much better than those that are actually doing it now. Also when there is a vacancy at the Corbin Fire Dept they run an ad in the paper for anyone to apply. Have a good day Jack Partin

To begin, I would like to say that this is honestly my first time visiting this website, but with the curiosity of the stupidity I have heard is being written about the Corbin Fire Department, I admit it has been an amusement to read such postings by people whom have no idea what the life of a firefighter is.

Being the respectful person I am, I would like to formally introduce myself, rather than hide behind some anonymous screen name. My name is Charlene Neal, and I am the wife of Firefighter Mike Neal. Some of you may know him or seen his name in the paper a time or two...yeah, former Corbin Redhound football player, but now a proud member of the Corbin Fire Department, a member who was recently injured in a house fire, when a he and another firefighter was trapped in a home after a ceiling collapsed on them.

To enlighten those who have no idea why there is one too many fire trucks rushing down main street, or why all firefighters must respond to a smoke alarm, or why they must respond to a "fender bender", please allow me to indulge you.

My husband, just as all the other firefighters at CFD, wakes up early of the morning, puts his uniform on, which is limited on how many can be purchased by the city, kisses his two boys goodbye and heads off to work for a 24 hour shift, 24 hours where he is away from his family. He then joins the other firefighters on his shift, where they prepare themselves for what may or may not happen during their shift.

As many think, they are not always sitting around watching TV or just lounging around, waiting for a smoke alarm to go off. Most of the time is spent training for events they may or may not have happened, they are learning the newest techniques to keep up with the ever-changing world of firefighting and educate the youth at our schools on fire safety. Yeah, the City of Corbin may not be as big as Lexington or Louisville, but homes burn the same, businesses go up in flames, and car accidents happen just the same in Corbin as they do in Lexington or other cities.

The world of EMS and Fire is an occupation that only the strongest and the bravest can handle. If you are not a firefighter or an EMT, do you know what it is like to be awaken by a call that a house is on fire, with possible entrapment? Do you know what is like to to stand in the freezing rain or snow, trying your best to free someone whom is trapped in a vehicle, screaming and pleading for you to help? Do you know what is like to enter a burning building with gear that weighs 50 plus, with no way to breath, and pray your air pack doesn't run out before you can get out? Do you know what it is like to enter a building where the only thing you can see is smoke and the flames that are so intense that even the onlookers from outside must step back for fear of being burned?

Unless you live in the world of EMS or firefighting, you could not possibly understand the emotional strain this puts on emergency personal. The fear of dying, the fear of not knowing where you will be able to save someone, the fear if that was the last kiss you gave your children before you left the house.

I, firsthand, know what it is like to be trapped in a burning home, with only flames and smoke around you. My life was saved by a firefighter when I was only 7 years old. I remember being in the corner of my bedroom, not able to see anything for the intense smoke, I couldn't breath, I couldn't see, I couldn't feel because it felt my skin was melting from the intense heat. But the moment I saw a firefighter reach for my hand and take his mask off to put on my face so I could breath, I knew I was going to be okay. As he carried me outside, he collapsed because he gave his last breaths from his air pack so I could breath... Now let me ask you to those who wish to post anonymous comments degrading our fire department, Would you feel the same if your child was trapped in a burning building with the only thing to save them is the bravery of a firefighter to enter when no one else will?

For those who question why there is firefighters at the scene of a car accident.... I am am EMT and student training as a flight medic, and trust me, when you see a child look up at you with blood covered all over the body, screaming for help and trapped in the vehicle, yet no way to get them out other than with the tools only firefighters are trained to use. While we, as EMTs, are trained to treat medically, and that is our focus, but we cant treat if we cant get to the patient. I have had someone die in my arms while awaiting for a fire truck to arrive so we could extracate the patient from the vehicle, and I live everyday questioning myself if I could have done more to save her life, but I will never know because I didn't have the assistance of the fire department to help me get her out. And by the way, that was in Somerset, where some of you seem to think is a more efficent fire department than ours. So, do you still dare question the fire department next time you see them at a car accident? That person trapped could be your mom, wife, child, husband, awaiting help to get them out before their last breath may be taken or before the car catches on fire. Yeah, even in those "fender benders" in the middle of town, the last time I checked all vechiles have a gas tank that once is impacted, can leak can cause an explosion. Think a fire truck may be needed then?

Have you ever wondered what it was like to see a person dying while you are trying to cut them out of vehicle or have you ever heard the screams of someone trapped inside a burning home? Maybe will only happen once or twice in a firefighters live, but trust me, once is enough. The emotional strain that these firefighters face is unknown to anyone who is not in EMS. Try being away from your family, or try spending your time thinking what you could have done to help someone.

This year, my husband has worked almost every holiday. Kinda hard to explain to your children why Daddy cant attend Christmas dinner or why Daddy cant watch your football game or go to Church with you on Sundays, because they are working...working for the opportunity to save the life of total strangers, which is disgusting to know there are some out there who would rather degrade than acknowledge and better educate themselves about life of a firefighter.

The night that I got the call that my husband had been injured when a roof collapsed on him, my heart dropped because I feared the worst, but thankfully with the help of his brothers, yes firefighting is a brotherhood, they were able to rescue their own before it could have been worse. But explaining to my children why Daddy was in the hospital and having them see his turnout gear burned and his body injured was painful, but we didnt focus on that. I thought them to be proud of seeing their Dad that way, because he was doing what he loves to do- help others.

So next time you see the big red fire truck rush down the street, think about the person or persons trapped in a car, begging for help, or about the person who may be trapped in a fire, taking their last breath. When firefighters get the call, they arent told in detail what they are about to respond to, only that it is a fire or a car accident. Do you think the Chumley fire last year could have been prevented with only one truck responding? Do you think the firefighters were expecting to have that call that day or the call of the CTA fire? Every call is the same for firefighters-expect the unexpected. So next time you see the fire truck coming your way, trust me, they dont think it is some "simple fire" or just another bumper wreck, because even the smallest events can turn tragic with the blink of an eye...thats why we have the fire department...to help ensure that doesn't happen. Maybe that is why there isnt so many fires, did ya ever think they were put out before it erupted into a more diffucult situation?

When you dare to question the ability of our local fire department, find someone who was affected by the CTA fire or who has been extracated from a vehicle so they could receive medical attention and they may give you a different aspect.

And, for those of you who question why you must have lights and sirens while on Main Street or Master Street, contact your government. Look it up. KRS 189.920. Its the law, not an option. All emergency vehicles must respond with lights and sirens.

Yeah, Corbin Fire Department isnt as large as Somerset, Lexington or Louisville, but did ya think about maybe there arent so many fires because they may actually be doing their job- educating others about fire safety, or maybe that small kitchen fire they were racing down Main Street was put out quickly before the rest of the building was engulfed.

Emergency Services is a brotherhood....And to each and everyone of the members of the Corbin Fire Department, I am very proud of you because I know you are not there for the $7 or so an hour pay, it is to actually do what you are trained to do.....help others. And to the wifes and children of those firefighters, I am proud of you as well. Its not easy knowing if today will be that unexpected day. Because it can happen in Corbin, just the same as it can in Lexington, Somerset, or New York, lives of firefighters and paramedics are taken every day, just to save yours.

Here's something else you anonymous writers might also want to read... John 15:13

""Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends".