FIRE CHIEF HINDMAN PROVED A STRONG LEADER

The fire department of Cape Girardeau, or of any other city, encounters a common misconception, one suggesting that nothing much happens if nothing is blazing. The reality obliterates this notion. The measure of a fire department is more completely gauged not by what occurs when alarm bells ring, but by the preparation that goes on before those critical moments. The Cape Girardeau Fire Department excels in all aspects of this criteria, and Fire Chief Gene Hindman, who retires Wednesday after 31 years with the department, has a reason to be proud of the accomplishments of that unit.

The citizens' view of the fire department is most often just of yielding their cars to the occasional emergency vehicle in traffic. In fact, the department in Cape Girardeau seldom stops moving. Training and equipment maintenance take up the slack time, all meant to enhance performance when fire calls sound. Educational efforts, such as continuous teachings on the worth of smoke detectors, are aimed at preventing fires, saving lives and reducing property damage. The fire chief sets the tone for these endeavors. Without suitable leadership and motivation, a well-equipped department can't rise above the average. The taxpaying public wants better than average for its dollars.

With Hindman at the helm, taxpayers got their money's worth. Among other things, Hindman's seven-year tenure as chief was marked by the fruition of a number of long-developing projects. The chief stewarded the much-antici~pated purchase of a $411,000 aerial platform truck, consummated with a cooperative financing arrangement between the city, Cape Girardeau County, Southeast Missouri State University and the two local hospitals. Hindman helped put together a county-wide mutual aid pact between the city and rural fire departments, advanced a central dispatch system that freed more personnel to fight fires and emphasized training programs that contributed to the city's fire insurance rating being upgraded from 5 to 4. Hindman oversaw the construction of the new Fire Station Number Two on Mt. Auburn Road, a key component in public safety for the expanding west end.

A fire department's effectiveness depends a great deal on proper staffing and suitable equipment. An exemplary fire-fighting unit, however, requires appropriate morale, the kind that a good fire chief can instill. Leadership Hindman supplied in carrying through on necessary projects and preparing his forces for their critical jobs is the sort that creates a model department. We applaud him on a job well done and wish him well in retirement.