LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Need for West End fire station seen

Submitted
Published: April 30, 2008

In the early morning today, friends of mine lost their home in the West End to a tragic fire. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the property loss was extensive, if not total. From what I could see, the firefighters and rescue staff from Waynesboro, Augusta County, Wilson, New Hope, Fishersville, Stuarts Draft and Dooms were all terrific. Our thanks go out to these many fine people.
As the smoke was dying away, I tried to talk my friends through their tears. Two people and a dog made it out safely. I won’t attempt to guess what caused this tragedy as they were sleeping. However, something won’t leave my mind. How long did it take for the first fire truck to arrive? I know that it was long enough for my friends to escape the house, which wasn’t yet engulfed in flames, and after calling 911, to find a garden hose and then futilely attempt to put water on the fire. I heard quotes of between 15 and 20 minutes, with the first response coming from Waynesboro. I don’t think that they could have arrived any more quickly.
One overwhelming question continues to bother me. What would the outcome have been if there were a West End fire station in place today? I am certain of the answer. The damage would have been a fraction of what they suffered. The response from the proposed new fire station would have been minutes, making a huge difference. A huge difference in a terrible fire, and a huge difference in two people’s lives.
How much longer do we have to wait for this station? Yesterday, it was an abstract budget item, which I thought was very important. Today it has a terrible face on it for me, and much more for my friends. Ironically, my husband wrote a letter yesterday and he wondered if we would only build the station “when we are forced into it [by] a tragedy.” Little did he know that such a tragedy would occur so soon.
My thanks go out to the firefighters who were there last night and to all the others who do this critical job for us. Now, it is up to us to provide them with the tools they need to do the most effective job. Shame on our community for procrastinating.
Sheila Litsinger
Waynesboro