labor firegeezer on 17 Jul 2008 09:33 am
Last Firefighter Leaves
THE TOWN OF BOXFORD, MASSACHUSETTS IS HAVING a problem finding people to go to their fires.
Fire Lieutenant Robert Corthell is a call-firefighter in the West Boxford station who recently told the Board of Selectmen that he is leaving after 26 years with the department.
He said that during the past two years he has been the only call firefighter to respond to daytime fire alarms. During the period June 9 through June 19 he responded alone on 7 of the 8 fire calls in the station’s first-due.
West Boxford Fire Station (BFD photo)
The Boxford FD website tells:
The West Fire Station at 585 Main Street is home location for our West Captain and two West Lieutenants. Both fire stations have twenty firefighters each. All fire supression personnel are emergency medical trained at the First Responder level with over half the department trained as EMT’s.
But the fire reports are telling a different story. The West station is currently unmanned and relies entirely on 13 call FF’s for coverage. But 12 of them have been cherry-picking the calls and only responding to selected alarms that sound interesting. “It’s not a safe situation,” Corthell said, “It’s been getting worse.”
In giving the Board his resignation, he said “It’s time to move on.”
The Tri-Town Transcript has the full STORY.
Boxford Fire Department WEBSITE.
