We Didn’t Start the Fire
I grew up in and around a fire house. I would hear stories of my dad, at 14 years old, waving to his school bus as it passed him by on the morning that he was on scene for a huge barn fire as a junior firefighter. I still remember, vividly, the sound of the tones used to call Station 64 into action—all hours of the day and night. They were just as much a part of my home as the sound of our dryer going off or our own doorbell. My baton twirling team rehearsed in the firehouse, and every year we’d perform at the Norco Fire Company Fair. The fire department has been a familiar part of my life for as long as I can remember. You can still find Bob Roberts driving the traffic unit.
I have heard rumors flying that people are being scared into believing that if the democratic candidates for Parkside are elected, our goal is to disband the firehouse. No one has asked me directly if this is true, but I feel that if this is being said or not, I need to clarify my stances. I have no desire to disband the fire department in Parkside. No democratic candidate has any desire to negatively interfere with the operations of our fire department in any way. In fact, it is our goal to ensure that the department is supported to the best of our ability. I am personally bothered by the assumption that I would have any desire to harm the fire department, and I know from conversations with my co-candidates that they are equally as disheartened. Two of us have had personal experience with the Parkside Fire Department when their homes caught fire in past years. The Parkside Fire Department is an integral and valued asset to our borough, and this view is held strongly by the Parkside Democratic Party as a whole. The history of the department is long and storied, and we all wish to see its legacy carry on indefinitely.
If there are any questions or concerns about this issue, we encourage you to contact us directly to discuss. Speculating into the airwaves will only breed more assumptions, which tends to lead to unfounded fears. Please let us put any of those fears to rest.
