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Age, infirmity thin ranks of traffic volunteers
By JENNIFER FARRELL
© St. Petersburg Times, SPRING HILL -- Donald Smith turned 80 in June. And that's just too old, he says, to stand in the road and sidestep traffic. Smith, a 20-year veteran of the Spring Hill Fire Police, is one of a handful of elderly members recently forced to hang up their orange vests. Ticking off a list of names, Smith said most of the longtime volunteers who have helped direct traffic at fire and accident scenes since the early 1980s have been sidelined by age and infirmity. "(Henry) Brunjes is 82. I was 80 in June. Angelo (Liparito) is about six months older than I am. Harry (Painter) is in his late 70s. . . . Harry went out last year when he had his bypass; that put him off the road. I've got arthritis so bad that I can't dodge traffic anymore. I'm not bumper-proof." All of which means the group's numbers are dwindling fast. On call around the clock, the fire police respond to emergencies, directing drivers around sinkholes, wrecked cars, burning houses and flashing police and fire lights. At one time, there were 25 active members. About 10 remain. "It's the same old story," Smith said last week. "Nobody wants to volunteer anymore." Spring Hill Fire Rescue Chief Mike Morgan said his department relies heavily on the fire police during emergencies. "They perform a very important function," he said. Morgan added that Spring Hill is one of the few departments in the state to have the luxury of a volunteer fire police unit. During a recent storm, he said, fire police waited near several downed trees until utility workers showed up to make repairs. That, in turn, freed up firefighters to respond to other emergency calls. "If we lost it, we'd lose our ability to function as well as we do on scenes," Morgan said. "It would be missed." Lt. Joe Paez, spokesman for the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, agreed. "We like to have them out there," Paez said. "It allows the deputies to concentrate on investigating the motor vehicle crashes. Their help is invaluable really." Smith is hoping to attract some new blood by appealing to younger residents' sense of duty. "We have no real young members at all," he said. "But we need some more." People interested in joining should fill out applications at Spring Hill Fire Rescue District headquarters at 3445 Bob Hartung Court. Donations of money and equipment are also welcome, Smith said. -- Staff writer Jennifer Farrell covers Spring Hill and can be reached at 848-1432. Send e-mail to farrell@sptimes.com.
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From today's Hernando Times |
