Local heroes plead for help

To the editor:

As the wife of an on-call responder, I know the risk these heroes take and their dedication to serve you, the people of this community. And it’s because of you we ask for help.

Firefighters and EMS personnel have one thing in common — we risk our lives to save yours. When the pager beeps and we’re physically able and available to respond, there’s no question as to whether we will or not. The scene is frenzied as gear is donned and the truck rolls out of the bay with sirens blaring and horn blasting.

All because we care.

The borough is asking us, as emergency responders, to stop doing what we’ve always done — respond day or night, sick or well, dark or light — to your emergencies. By capping our hours to less than 30 a week, who will be there to respond when the call comes out? An active structure fire call takes about five hours to extinguish and for the trucks to be back in service.

An average ambulance call takes about two hours. If it’s the end of the week and the pager beeps, it’s your house burning, your is suffering a stroke, your spouse in a rollover, your 3-year-old choking and in need of CPR. Responders will have already put in their max number of hours and will not be allowed to respond. Who will be there for you? Our goal is to give you the best service we can, to be there when you need us, to save lives while risking our own, to be the heroes firefighters and EMTs have always been.

We are serving you with honor, pride, courage and duty. Help us fight for your community. I ask you, the public we serve, who will it be next? Your 5-year-old played with matches, your home is on fire and it’s spreading quickly. As you watch your home and belongings go up in smoke and flames, you wonder why the fire department isn’t responding. Your spouse is involved in a multiple-car pileup and is seriously injured. As you stand by helplessly, you wonder where the ambulance is. You may not have a 5-year-old or even a spouse, but you have a home, a family and belongings that are worth fighting for.

You, whom we serve with pride, deserve better. You deserve responders for your emergency. It takes courage to be who we are and to do what we do, but we are who we are because of you. Help us fight for you. Don’t let the borough politically burn us until we lay in ashes and debris on the plush carpet beneath their feet. We need your help!

Contact Mat-Su Borough Assembly members and demand that they make positive steps toward appropriately protecting your community. Attend all public borough meetings.

Your local heroes are asking for your help. Act now.

• Borough Mayor Larry DeVilbiss — 745-9682; Larry.DeVilbiss@matsugov.us.

• Borough Manager John Moosey — 861-8689; john.moosey@matsugov.us.

• District 1, Jim Sykes — 354-6962; jimsykesdistrict1@gmail.com.

• District 2, Matthew Beck — 355-3223; matthewb@mtaonline.net.

• District 3, Ronald G. Arvin — 373-6685; ronarvin@mtaonline.net.

• District 4, Steve Colligan — 373-1502; stevecolligan@mtaonline.net.

• District 5, Darcie K. Salmon — 232-8080; darciesalmon@mtaonline.net.

• District 6, Jim Colver — 746-5300; jimcolver@mtaonline.net.

• District 7, Vern Halter — 495-1197; vernhalter@mtaonline.net.

Heather Carter

Meadow Lakes