LETTERS: ORAN'S FIRE PROTECTION IS TOP-NOTCH

To the editor:

It was with great disappointment that I read the negative comments made in Speak Out concerning the Oran Fire Department. I feel that a reply, addressing the points brought forth by the caller in Speak Out, is necessary.

The statement that a little inconvenience of closing a railroad crossing is worth it for saving lives is an admirable statement. However, in this situation it has little or no bearing on the crossing in question. Both of the tragic train accidents which have occurred recently were on a different crossing on the opposite side of town. The city, along with relatives of those killed, has worked hard to ensure that improvements will be made to help avoid this terrible situation again.

It must also be remembered that added warning devices such as will be installed or closing down crossings will not eliminate the possibility for additional deaths at the railroad tracks. We must acknowledge that the ultimate safety lies in the adage of "Stop, Look and Listen." As simple as this is, it is the last and best line of defense in preventing another horrible incident at our railroad crossings.

The closing of this crossing would have a severe negative impact on the Oran Fire Department in responding to emergencies on the southwestern part of town. It would necessitate us to detour an additional half-mile through the middle of town to respond to homes two blocks from our station. This would be unacceptable due to the critical factor that a quick response often plays in firefighting. Often, seconds play a difference in our success or failure.

It is true that we are an all-volunteer department, as the Speak Out caller stated. We are quite effective, though, in saving houses that have caught on fire. We are one of the most professional departments in the area, and we pride ourselves on our aggressive interior attacks, which have saved many houses through the years. I would welcome the caller to contact me so that I may show him personally the many houses which our department has effectively protected.

The implication that, because we are volunteer, we do not provide a quality service is also an area I would like to provide some information on.

Our department has the best ISO rating in Scott County. This rating is determined by an independent company which is used to determine fire insurance ratings in that department's area. We, along with Sikeston, have a rating of six. In Cape Girardeau County, only the city of Cape Girardeau at a four and Jackson at a five are rated better than Oran. This good rating saves our community much money in lower insurance rates compared to our neighboring communities. It is also worthy to note that this was accomplished with one of the lowest budgets in the area.

The Oran Fire Department has an intensive training program which requires new members to complete 240 hours of training in addition to the regular department meetings they must attend. Seventy-five percent of our department is certified at the firefighter 2 level. This is the highest professional certification recognized for a firefighter in the nation. We are subjected to the same testing and certification you would find in Cape Girardeau, St. Louis or anywhere in the U.S.

We have also had members complete training well beyond the firefighter 2 level. This includes instructor level 1 and 2, fire officer 1 and has-mat technician. In addition, we have sent members to the National Fire Academy in Emittsburg, Md., for more advanced training than available locally.

I would also like to give the full story on the house that burned down next to the fire station. This was a controlled burn on a structure that the owners wanted destroyed. We utilized this for training as required to meet our certification for firefighter 2 class. We have performed many such training exercises since 1990 to maintain our high degree of readiness.

The response time and staffing of the fire department are also a strong point for our department. The average time from when we are paged to when we are on the scene of an emergency in Oran is around four minutes. This is comparable to what paid departments have in response times for larger cities including Cape Girardeau and St. Louis. We average a response of nine firefighters to all structure fires. We also receive mutual aid from N.B.C. Fire Protection District to augment our personnel.

The Oran Fire Department has, along with the Oran public schools and Guardian Angel Catholic School, established a fire education program in kindergarten through the eighth grade. This program has been in place since 1990 and utilizes the best material available from the National Fire Protection Association called "Learn Not to Burn." We are the only department, volunteer or paid, I am aware of that has lessons taught on fire prevention on a regular basis by school teachers.

As you can see, I have demonstrated that, while we are volunteer, we still maintain an extremely professional service which I feel is second to none.

Our department welcomes constructive criticism from our citizens. Comments based on ignorance or an intentional distortion of the truth, however, are not productive for our department or our community. The next time someone wishes to be critical, I would suggest that they research more thoroughly before they comment on a subject they no very little about.

MICHAEL RAMSEY, Fire Chief

Oran Fire Protection District

Oran