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Re: Firefighters, please stop the complaining and just do your job, letter, Aug. 21.
I must say, the letter writer holds a remarkably strong opinion regarding firefighters for someone who clearly has never spoken to a firefighter at any great length.
If he had worked alongside hundreds of firefighters, as I have for the past 10 years, he would know that each of us is well aware we are blue-collar workers, and never once have I heard a single one of these competent, caring professionals refer to themselves as "heroes."
He has overlooked the core reason the vast majority of firefighters enter the fire service. We want to help others and consider it a privilege to be able to do so.
If he has formed his opinion of firefighters merely through hearsay or negative media, I can certainly understand his perspective. However, I would like to suggest a different approach to developing an opinion of firefighters: Get to know one - or several, for that matter. If he'd like, he may begin with me. I'll even buy the coffee.
Re: Firefighters, please stop the complaining and just do your job, letter, Aug. 21.
Interesting letter. Here are some points to help the letter writer.
Point one: Times editors select what goes on the letters page. Unless you are in the Times family, you do not know the volume of letters received or from where. Obviously, Spring Hill has a group of effective writers and that is good.
Point two: As an inexperienced negotiator, you obviously do not know that the spirit of the negotiation is just as important as the issue on the table. The new Clearwater fire chief and the city of Clearwater did what they were supposed to do.
Point three: Lumping each department's isolated problems in with the elected East Lake Fire Commission fiasco shows a lack of understanding of what the fire service is all about. An elected official is not the firefighter who goes out and does the job.
Point four: The prima donna hero attitude you mention I have not seen on the two 911 calls made from my home this past year or at a car crash I saw this past week. Maybe it was an isolated incident and maybe it is what prompted your letter.
Lastly: You obviously have never done the job nor have you seen the effects of fire and long-term damage done to responders of 911 emergencies. I have. I live in Clearwater. I have never fought a fire and none of my family is in the fire service. I know of what I speak. In the 1990s I worked for a fire department as a public education officer.
The derogatory terms of "blue collar and white collar" have no meaning in today's society. Your bitterness and lack of understanding anger me. You have had your day in the sun; now sit down and shut up.
Re: Firefighters, please stop the complaining and just do your job, letter, Aug. 21.
The letter by Robert Prescott got my attention. "Stop complaining and do your job," as well as, "it's a blue-collar job" were some of my favorite parts.
Mr. Prescott is a narrow-minded individual who seems to base his opinions of blue-collar workers only on the news that appears when one does something wrong. Gee, what big news: Firefighters and police do things wrong! Most children know that 99 percent of the time they are trying to help people. They are also human and make mistakes. Hundreds of times a day they do things right. Once in a while they get in trouble, and that certainly will make the front page.
Keep living in your perfect bubble, Mr. Prescott. Keep your windows rolled up and your air conditioning on next time you pass a crash on U.S. 19 where they are trying to save a life, hopefully not your relative. Jump on the bandwagon and judge others from the comfort of your couch.
Let the prima donna hero take on the suicidal bank robber with a gun. And then, worst of all, you will have to suffer through the letters of support coming from wives, neighbors and friends.
I am a taxpayer and I want all blue-collar workers to receive the best pay that they can, within reason.
Here is a final thought: Go on a ride-along, jump in and help save a life; do something other than criticize people trying to do a hard job.