Answer
To the Editor:
This letter is in response to the letter headlined “Question” in the June 9th issue of this newspaper.
Answer to Question: If I were a hunter in the woods surrounding Patriot and needed help I would think an ATV would assist me faster. If I were up Goose Creek, or on Reese’s Hill (that’s what we affectionately called it) and needed help, I’d say the 6 x6 would get to me faster. I don’t believe that anyone would have approved the funds if it was solely going to be used as a Parade vehicle.
Have you ever been behind the old school, down the hill playing, swinging on the grapevines or swimming with other kids? No you haven’t because you didn’t grow up in Patriot, you don’t know all the places kids go, or hunters go, that are not accessible by trucks or cars, that’s why kids go there.
The divisiveness is caused by those that want to complain about every little thing instead of getting along. I am proud to be from Patriot and when I take people back there I want it to look like the wonderful place where I grew up. I have received wonderful compliments on the improvements to the town.
In pricing the ATV’s did you also price new Firetrucks and/or Emergency Vehicles, that $20,000 would not even cover the downpayment of those. If I, or a member of my family, was in need and only an ATV could get to me, the $20,000 would not even be an issue. And as far as the Patriot News, that’s not news, it’s drivel, more of a personal journal than news, and usually covers the same people over and over, it’s embarrassing. I’ve taken or had the paper sent to me for decades and now just skip the Patriot section so as not to waste my time.
Patriot has an opportunity to expand and take advantage of all the traffic on the River Road, from Grand Vic to Belterra, but this constant complaining will be the deciding factor between feast or famine.
Patti Shannon Viers
Rising Sun (formerly of Patriot
Great community
To the Editor:
We would like to thank everyone in the community who helped us after our house caught fire after the April 20th tornado. The fire started in the basement which caused fire damage to the basement and smoke damage throughout the house, before it burned itself out. Due to the damage, we needed to vacate our home. With no immediate family in the area, Don and Lulu Belle Thomas opened their home for us to stay with them until we found temporary housing.
We were overwhelmed by the smoke damage to our home, but church friends, neighbors, and the community met our daily needs. Many provided food, clothing, babysitting, yard cleanup and lots of prayers. With the help of many hands, we were able to move back into our home in six weeks.
Special thanks to the Posey Fire Department who were here within minutes of calling them, the Switzerland County Red Cross, Concord Community Church, Gary and Judy Copeland, and a special friend, Bonnie Schriener.
Please make sure your smoke alarms are working because they woke us in time to get out of the house before we succumbed to smoke inhalation.
Sincerely,
Allen, Janice, Liz, Kassidy and Emily Widner
Near Patriot
Threat
To the Editor:
Last week I exercised my constitutional right to express myself in the form of a Letter to the Editor of this paper. Subsequently I am now in receipt of an anonymous letter in which I have received a threat to burn my house down while repeatedly referring to the weekly Patriot article as a smut column. Numerous false accusations were made by the author identified only as “Patriot Town Folk” but some are difficult to read due to the grammatical errors, improper word usage and misspelled words.
In reviewing last week’s comments, I referred to no one by name, only as “certain individuals (who) persist in perpetuating their own personal agendas.” In reviewing all of the Patriot articles, I have found no derogatory comments made ever about any one person or organization.
My professional background in journalism spans several decades and includes writing for The Indianapolis Star. Everything I submit is read and approved by the newspaper staff prior to being put in the paper and such conduct would not be allowed. To this person who has likewise threatened to take the article away from me, please do. I volunteer approximately five hours a week to the writing of that article but be forewarned, you will have to be able to compose an article that is both legible and unbiased and I’m pretty sure you would have trouble doing either.
The State Fire Marshal and the Switzerland County Sheriff’s office have both been notified about the anonymous letter and threat that I received Monday.
Kay E. Cook
Patriot
Fire equipment
To the Editor:
I am responding to the letter to the editor posted last week by Kay Cook. In the third paragraph she asked for someone to explain to her why Patriot Fire Department needs $20,000 to purchase an ATV rescue vehicle. So here goes:
Yes, it is true that similar ATV’s can be purchased for somewhere in the $13,000 range. However, this amount of money would be for a factory direct model without the modifications needed to serve as an emergency response ATV. Emergency vehicles do cost more, look at police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks. Civilian versions of these types of vehicles are usually a lot cheaper than those that are outfitted for emergency service. So this hopefully answers the question as to why $20,000 was needed to purchase an ATV.
The ATV that has been purchased by Patriot Fire Department has many features that will make it an exceptional piece of equipment once it is in service. As for fire suppression it has a 95 gallon water tank, 5 gallon foam tank, fire pump, and tools and appliances to conduct small fire ground operations. It also has the ability to pump water from a static supply source (i.e. the river or creek). This ATV will be capable of getting into spots where large fire apparatus cannot maneuver. It also has the ability to get near the river and creek banks to then pump water back to a fire scene or fire tanker fill site. As for medical emergencies, the vehicle is equipped with a Stokes Basket and medical supplies which do come in very handy in our rural community where ambulances are not always able to get near the patient. The fact that the ATV is so versatile is the biggest benefit not only to firefighters, but the people of Patriot and the rest of the county. So I would say that the 15 firefighters of Patriot Fire and the local community got exactly what they deserve, the best.
As far as its usage, the inability to predict the future has always been an issue for emergency service personnel. We hope for the best and plan for the worst. The ATV may not be used for a year or it may be used tomorrow. What we try to do in the fire service is have the needed equipment in a state of readiness prior to an emergency event. Does every fire department in the county need an ATV? I think we could all agree no. But to have one ATV on the west end and another on the east end, with the ability to utilize both resources county-wide as mutual aid, we are fortunate in our county to have firefighters that think that way. The east end of the county has plenty of areas where this ATV may be used: river bottoms, creek banks, Hilltop Basic Resources, Dagaz Acres, public events in the town of Patriot, the path along the large power lines, numerous farms, and hunting acreage are just a few places that come to mind where this ATV may become a valuable asset.
Emergency service personnel constantly conduct needs assessment and quality improvement reviews to see how we can all work together to better serve our community. The fire service is a constantly changing profession that requires a lot of time, effort, training, and dedication to be successful. What people don’t understand is that the volunteer firefighters in this county are held to the same standard as paid/career firefighters. Emergencies are no less dangerous to volunteers as they are to the big city guys. The firefighters of Patriot Fire Department are trained and certified in fire and emergency service applications. Most of the local fire departments have regularly scheduled business meetings, which are open to the public, where these decisions are discussed and voted on diplomatically. If the majority of the membership decides an emergency response ATV is needed to better serve the area, then why wouldn’t we support that decision?
I have 10 year experience as Volunteer/Industrial/Career/Military Firefighter.
Chris See
Near Patriot