Editorial Published in the Eastern Dispatch Didn't know if you had seen it. Never saw this information published in the News Journal. Response to News Journal Commentary regarding DVFA Response from the Honorable Bruce Ennis, Senator – Delaware State Senate SMYRNA, Del. Having recently completed reading the series of articles which has run for much of the past week in the Wilmington News Journal, the overall effect of which is highly critical of the current practices and procedures now in use by our fire companies, my immediate reaction is that the writer should first walk in the shoes of our emergency service personnel before telling us what is wrong with what we do. I agree completely that any organization serving the public needs to be prepared to accept constructive criticism. I also believe that there is always room for improvement in Delaware's volunteer fire service and in anything else. During the course of my career in both the House and Senate of the Delaware General Assembly, it has been my privilege to sponsor and work for enactment of a number of bills designed to improve the operation of our emergency services and to increase accountability among our fire and ambulance companies. For example, I have gotten legislation enacted requiring certification of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel, background checks upon application or certification, and volunteer fire company annual audits. All that being said, I strongly object to much of the undertone that characterizes these articles, that Delaware's volunteer fire companies are somehow enriching themselves to an unjustified degree at the expense of members of the public and state government. The fact is that we live in an age in which a new fire engine can cost upwards of $400,000 and rapid increases in population and development require ever greater outlays of funds in order for fire companies to meet increasing demands for services. The articles are critical of the fact that the fire companies accept public moneys while at the same time holding substantial balances in their savings accounts. I believe that what our fire companies are doing - in maintaining savings accounts, purchasing additional property to meet future growth needs, and similar practices - represent sound financial management practices. Our fire companies must plan and prepare for the future. They can't survive if they go from year to year, never knowing whether they will be able to make ends meet. I strongly believe that the level of state appropriations to our fire companies should remain uniform for each company. These funds represent only a small percentage of each fire department's overall budget. Most departments also conduct many other fund-raising activities, including public dinners, food sales, bingo and charitable gaming. Few of the public fund drives I'm familiar with that are conducted by volunteer fire companies achieve greater than a 30 percent response from those citizens who are contacted. And while the News Journal is quick to find fault with existing practices, little or no credit is offered to our volunteer fire and ambulance personnel for the risks and dangers they face on a daily basis to protect the lives and property of their neighbors. The men and women who serve our volunteer fire companies spend untold hours of their free time not only on duty but undergoing classroom and hands-on instruction to improve their skills. What would the News Journal have us do to take the place of our present-day volunteer fire and ambulance services? Most ambulance departments and some fire departments have already become employers of EMT and/or firefighter personnel to cover those times when volunteer members are unavailable because of their own employment. Current F.A.I.R. labor standards disallow members certified as emergency medical technicians to be employed by their own ambulance companies, which have paid for their training. According to the most recent accounting study by the State Auditor, a fully privatized fire and ambulance system would cost Delaware taxpayers an additional $151 million each year. The News Journal criticizes the General Assembly and the volunteer fire service for the fact that the annual state "Grant-in-Aid" bill did not reduce the amount of money the fire companies receive, even though most other grant-in-aid recipients were cut. The fact is that the fire companies took one of the biggest hits of all. They are entitled by state law to an annual percentage share of the state's insurance premium tax revenues. This year, because of a recent windfall in the state's premium tax revenues, the fire companies should have received nearly $2.9 million from the tax. To date, they have received nothing. The articles are critical of the fire companies for purchasing fitness rooms and exercise equipment for the use of their members as if this were some frivolous perk. In fact, the rapid increase in fatality statistics among firefighters in recent years has caused the National Fire Protection Association to mandate such facilities as part of their Health and Safety standards for fire companies. It is entirely true, as the News Journal reports, that volunteer fire and ambulance departments are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit new members. Recruitment and retention will continue to be a problem because of the great time commitment involved. In addition to the time it takes to perform emergency service, the continuous training and increasing certification requirements make it difficult or impossible for many potential members to volunteer. Having to juggle family and employment responsibilities with the demands of volunteer service proves too much for many people. Finally, many volunteer firemen would strongly contest the suggestion by the News Journal that the State Fire Prevention Commission is somehow a "rubber stamp" for their interests. In fact, those who serve on the commission come both from industry and from the fire service and they are in no way under the control of the fire service. I believe, and I think many of my fellow Delawareans would agree with me, that our state is truly blessed to have volunteer fire and ambulance personnel of the outstanding quality and dedication we have here. With the help of the state government, they are among the best-equipped emergency departments in the nation. We would do well to think long and hard before we bring about major changes and disruptions to a system that has served the people of our state well for many years.