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The
Chief's Corner

Chief’s Message
Each day a
firefighter goes to work they expect to see devastating fires, personal
injuries and motor vehicle accidents. Most are exactly that:
accidents. We must consider, however, the possibility that some of the
accidents can and should be prevented.
Fire Prevention
and Public Education programs in our county have reduced the fatality
rate by educating the public about having working smoke detectors, a
family safety evacuation plan and each family having a predetermined
safe place to meet in the event of a fire.
Why have we
dismissed the need to educate the public about motor vehicle accidents?
Maybe it’s too close to home. Maybe fire and EMS personnel exhibit the
same behavior that causes accidents in the public sector. Although we
require drivers in our state to wear seat belts, how do we teach them to
pay attention?
Many of the motor
vehicle accidents, “MVA’s” that we respond to seem to follow a pattern
of driver inattention. Firefighters hear again and again that a driver
was talking on a cell phone, eating a meal, smoking or even putting on
makeup! The combination of any of these acts plus speed
equals disaster.
American car
manufactures do not help us in this endeavor. While our vehicles are
equipped with 16 cup holders and two DVD players with flat screens,
European cars only put cup holders on cars destined for the United
States. Why? In Europe, drivers concentrate on driving, not eating and
watching TV. Recently, a crash on the Autobahn Highway involved 30 cars
in one accident. Only one person went to the hospital with minor
injuries. Maybe we should take a lesson from our European brethren.
Drive like your life depends on it.
The fire service
must accept the responsibility of pubic education in the safe operation
of motor vehicles. We as a service see far too many bodies on the
roadway. Wearing seat belts have made a dramatic difference in highway
fatalities. We must convince the public that paying attention and
slower speed will keep more of us alive!
Chief Donnie
Sexton |