The Ypsilanti Courier
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Much praise goes to firefighters
PUBLISHED: February 14, 2008
If ever there were a couple of days to stay inside, this past Sunday and Monday were it. Wind chill factors reached as low as 30 degrees below zero because of winds of between 30 to 40 miles per hour. Forecasters were giving dire warnings about hypothermia and frostbite.
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But, there were those who were out for important reasons and, no matter how warmly you dress, there are some conditions under which it is never enough. I refer, of course, to our brave police and firefighters who worked so hard and under such nasty conditions to attempt to contain the fire at the American Legion Hall on South Huron Street.
The conditions were brutal even for those of us who just had to walk from a building to a vehicle. To be working with water while braving those winds and temperatures must have been grueling.
When we think of fires, we always think of the firefighters, but the police also respond. In the case of this fire, the police had to shut down one of the busiest streets in our fair city and reroute traffic throughout the night and during the morning commute time.
The fire hydrants are across the street from the hall, so fire hoses stretched across this main drag and, as the water froze pretty darned fast, the street was soon a mess of ice and slush. The street wasn't opened back up until at seven in the morning and then our wonderful DPW guys salted and scraped like crazy to get it useable again.
As the police were using up the department's entire supply of flares, approximately 36 firefighters were doing their best, against what must have been enormous odds, to control a furiously burning fire. Seeing the remains of the hall in the light of day, I saw how encased in ice everything was.
Our fire chief, Jon Ichesco, says the cold hampers efforts in other ways, too. People move slower and hoses are harder to manage in the cold.
As someone who has hung around firefighters all my life (perforce, since several cousins and an uncle were firefighters), I know there are very few conditions that would be considered ideal for fighting fires. Still, the weather we experienced Sunday and Monday has to rank as some of the worst.
As our city leaders continue to look at cuts in the ranks of fire and police, we need to all be aware of how necessary these, our protectors, are to our sense of safety and wellbeing within our homes. We need to appreciate these men and woman who respond to out calls, no matter what the weather or how adverse the conditions.
These cuts don't seem to touch us personally - until we need that quick response because it's our house that is on fire, or our families that are in danger. Then, at that moment, response to our calls cannot be fast enough, no matter how instantaneously it comes.
We need our police and fire first responders more than almost anyone else in our city's government. These are the people who don't keep office hours, but are there for us whenever we call. These are the people on whom our lives and our quality of living depend.
Yet, most voices have been silent on this issue of cuts. Come on, Ypsilanti! It's time to stand before City Council and tell them how important our safety and security are to us. Tell them to cut everything else if they have to, but not our protectors. After all, it might be you, the next time someone needs help.
Kathleen Conat is a longtime Ypsilanti resident and freelance writer for The Courier. She can be reached through editor@ypsilanticourier.com.
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