Vinita, Oklahoma

Hi y'all,

I'm so sorry I'm late putting this down on paper. I've just been soooo busy! When you get my age it's very difficult to multi-task.

A slight interruption to my personal thoughts because I want to put this bit of information out for the citizens of Vinita.

I don't know if anyone but me notices how much the big green fire truck scats around town. It's not on emergency calls either. It seems to be the new mode of transportation for the firemen.

I'll be quite honest, it irks me and gives me a pain right in the old derriere. They take it to exercise, to Wal-Mart, you can even see it trolling up and down city streets in the neighborhoods. I have mentioned this to a couple of council people and they come back with, "It saves time if they're out of the fire station when a call comes in."

My view is they shouldn't be out of the fire station when they are on duty. I believe they work 24 hours on and 48 hours off. What a schedule! They can't even maintain enough maturity to stay on the job for the duration of their shift. I've also heard the excuse they are out getting supplies. That should be the job of the fire chief since the city provides him a vehicle to drive.

My next question is do they have their bunker suits in that truck when they're out fooling around? These are expensive pieces of equipment and they shouldn't be driven casually. Emergencies and maintenance driving is the only acceptable use I approve, but I'm not the chief!

You may ask what brought on this little tirade? Back in December, 2011 the council had an emergency meeting and approved over 12,000 dollars in repairs to the big green fire truck. It had a broken head. I ask my husband(retired long distance truck driver) what could have caused this. His opinion is:

normal wear & tear
overheating
lugging the engine
improper maintenance

Tool man wants you to understand he's not an expert, but I think he's pretty darn smart.

Of course this truck was bought used, so we don't know the treatment it had before the city of Vinita purchased it. I guess my point is, this was an expensive repair and those trucks should remain parked except in emergencies and maintenance drives.

I feel this is the responsibility of the fire chief and if you agree and you live in Vinita, Ok, then contact your council person or the Mayor or the Director of Operations and voice your opinion. After all, we pay for all of this and they are to serve and protect the city and its people.

Glad I got that off my chest!

Note:   I had a comment on the cost of repairing the one head. I do have to say that I was told they went through the complete engine for that cost, and if they did, then the price wasn't too far off, unless my commentor has something they can add. If you do, please let me know.

Until Later,
Okie Girl @ Home