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Worth Every Penny

For many years I have attended or participated in the Madison Exchange Club's 4th of July Parade. Each year I marvel at, and stand in awe of, the long line of Madison fire trucks and emergency vehicles that pass by. And it occurs to me that, oh my goodness, that is many millions of dollars worth of equipment. How does the town pay for all that stuff, and is it really worth the expense?

On the evening of Feb. 13, I got my answer when a vast array of volunteer firefighters, fire trucks, and fire equipment from Madison, North Madison, Guilford, and Clinton assembled to extinguish a fire in one of the Scranton Library's historic outbuildings, the Ichabod Scranton House at 20 Wall Street. The firefighters arrived within minutes of the fire call and exhibited exceptional skill and professionalism in extinguishing the fire.

Many of us perform community service on behalf of our town, but I have always thought that our volunteer firefighters are the most selfless, dedicated, and devoted volunteers of all. These hearty folks undergo years of training, drills, meetings, and conferences to be ready at a moment's notice to respond to fire calls, day or night, and much of what they do is dangerous. How can we possibly repay them for their dedication to our collective well-being? I take my hat off to all of them.

And is all that fire equipment really worth the expense? You bet — every penny of it.

Bill Stableford

Chair, Buildings and Ground Committee

Scranton Library Board of Trustees