Letters to the Editor
departments
EMS Believer
Cleveland, Ohio
I wanted to write this letter to apologize for a letter I wrote to Mr. Casey last March about EMS in the fire service. I told him that I thought EMS was a bunch of baloney and that it should be a separate service from the fire department. I felt we should stick with fire fighting and inspections.
Well, eventually I got cornered and had to take an EMT course because my department runs the ambulance, and the state of Ohio requires EMTs to be on the ambulance during a run. After I got into the course and started studying, it turned out to be very interesting. I finally realized that EMS and fire rescue can work together.
Just call me a reformed fire fighter on EMS in the fire service. From now on, it’s o.k. in my book. Keep up the good work on Fire Engineering it’s a great magazine.
Donald A. Hicks
Fire fighter/EMT
Hotel Fire Safety
Garnerville, N. Y.
Much has been written about the recent fatal hotel fires. As fire fighters, we are familiar with the effects and background of these types of fires. We know that the technology exists to prevent many of these fires. Code changes will take time and hopefully will be effective in reducing this needless loss of life and property. Stricter codes will force hotel/motel owners to spend money for fire protection. As individuals concerned with fire protection we too can apply some leverage toward improved fire life safety in hotels/motels.
What we can do is simple. Before you make a reservation at a motel/hotel ask about the fire protection of the building. Ask direct questions such as: “Does your building have a complete sprinkler system? Alarm system? Can you guarantee me a room on the first or second floor? Are there smoke detectors in each room?” If you are not satisfied with the answer to these questions tell the hotel representative that you are not staying in their facility because you believe it is not “fire safe.” It will not take too long before management gets the word that they did not get your business because you (and increasing numbers of the public) are aware of basic fire-life safety principles that their building does not meet. Another effective technique is to note any fire violations of the hotel and send them to the president of the company on the hotel services survey card you find in most rooms.
Jerry Knapp
Fire fighter/EMT Public Relations Officer
