Dear Editor,
Voters attending Rockingham’s March 1 Town Meeting, at 2 p.m., at the Bellows Falls Middle School, will decide the future of our fire and rescue services. Article 9 will ask the voters to approve the creation of a single Municipal Fire and Rescue Department managed by the town. The plan includes three stations located in Rockingham, Saxtons River, and Bellows Falls.
Voters are asked to attend an informational meeting being held at the Rockingham Free Public Library, on Feb. 22, at 10 a.m. This meeting will outline the plan, and provide accurate information. This plan is to improve the emergency service response to the entire town by utilizing trained personnel that work and reside within the town, eliminating the need for responders to drive past fire stations with town-owned equipment. Currently, responders’ use of resources is limited by their department membership and its response zone. Working together, we can eliminate response zones, reduce response times, and provide services quicker. Moving forward, taxes will be reduced by working together as one, eliminating redundant apparatus and equipment, and spending taxpayer money on firefighter safety, training, and up-to-date equipment, instead of equipment that is unused and costs money to maintain. This creates a safer and more positive atmosphere for responders, helping with recruitment and retention.
Rockingham’s current emergency service model is outdated, costly, and lacks any town oversight. We ask you to attend town-hosted meetings to get accurate information. Fearmongering and the spreading of misinformation are no way to improve the quality of our emergency services. Get informed, and get out and vote.
Sincerely,
Peter Golec
Saxtons River, Vt.