Only two weeks ago I wrote about the privatization of firefighting services across the country. The lead article in today's Boston Globe makes you wonder whether this phenomenon will become popular in Massachusetts.
The article highlights the city of Gloucester as it discusses a deadly fire to which the city was able to send only one ladder truck with the driver comprising the total crew. Finances are tight in Gloucester and requests for a larger fire department budget have been repeatedly rejected by the voters. To generate revenue the department has become the group that responds to all emergencies, not simply to fires. When the department takes a heart attack victim to the hospital, the insurance company usually reimburses the department. But when the department transports someone to a hospital, the firemen doing so are not available should a fire arise.
Should Gloucester revert to a volunteer fire department?
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