Don't forget about this little outing...
Bel Alton VFD Kids Wreck Half Million Dollar Tanker on Joy Ride
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from Billy G's secret list.
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By Kenneth C. Rossignol
ST. MARY’S TODAY
BEL ALTON, MD --- Another incident which is all too familiar has taken place in a Southern Maryland Volunteer Fire Department, that of younger members going wild with fire department facilities and equipment which has been purchased with a great deal of public and donated funds.
On Sunday, June 5, 2005, on Bel Alton-Newtown Road, a Bel Alton Volunteer Fire Department tanker truck was being operated at a speed greater than reasonable when it left the road on a curve and overturned, with the $500,000 vehicle virtually demolished.
The tanker, which has the purpose of carrying water to fires, hopefully had water in it and as it was operated at higher speeds, the water, according to one source close to the investigation, apparently began to slosh back and forth and at one point made the truck keel over.
The truck was not on a emergency call and according to one source, was being used to take members of the department to a birthday party.
Police report that the truck was not on a call and that it was operated by a number of young members of the department, including a 17-year-old girl.
Young members of various departments have been attempting to take over La Plata, Mechanicsville and other area departments and their biggest focus has been on spending money unnecessarily, such as Hollywood Vol. Fire Dept., when it bought a ladder truck, or having beer bashes at the various department’s social halls. Younger members complain that the old guys who have been running the departments are "dinosaurs" in various internet chat rooms and forums on fire service, while the older members fear the younger members are reckless with both money and equipment.
Hollywood Vol. Fire Dept. is surrounded by fire companies with ladder trucks and to put the money out for a ladder truck when as many as five trucks could be in their first due area within 15 minutes constituted a gross misuse of public funds which are designated for the department’s activities and come from taxing districts with no controls or strings attached. That was the feeling of many veteran firefighters who have worked hard for decades to build up the volunteer fire companies of the area.
Bay District VFD lost money it made on donated funds in the stock market with the loss equaling the cost of a fire truck.
Mechanicsville VFD advertised a beach party at which young people under age were invited to attend.
A beer bash at La Plata went bad when a man was stabbed at the affair while it’s chief reportedly wrecked the chief’s car while out of county on personal business. An allegation that the chief was operating the official vehicle while intoxicated has not been verified by officials and La Plata’s chief has never returned a call seeking comment. A La Plata officer used a company vehicle to go bar hopping in past years, a practice which supposedly has been curtailed.
Taking fire equipment to birthday parties is inconsistent with the purposes for which public funds are appropriated to the volunteer fire companies.
In Sunday’s incident, there were no serious injuries or was their any reported contribution from the use of alcohol. According to the Charles County Sheriff’s Department, the incident is still under investigation but speed was a factor.
Bel Alton VFD Kids Wreck Half Million Dollar Tanker on Joy Ride
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from Billy G's secret list.
--------------
By Kenneth C. Rossignol
ST. MARY’S TODAY
BEL ALTON, MD --- Another incident which is all too familiar has taken place in a Southern Maryland Volunteer Fire Department, that of younger members going wild with fire department facilities and equipment which has been purchased with a great deal of public and donated funds.
On Sunday, June 5, 2005, on Bel Alton-Newtown Road, a Bel Alton Volunteer Fire Department tanker truck was being operated at a speed greater than reasonable when it left the road on a curve and overturned, with the $500,000 vehicle virtually demolished.
The tanker, which has the purpose of carrying water to fires, hopefully had water in it and as it was operated at higher speeds, the water, according to one source close to the investigation, apparently began to slosh back and forth and at one point made the truck keel over.
The truck was not on a emergency call and according to one source, was being used to take members of the department to a birthday party.
Police report that the truck was not on a call and that it was operated by a number of young members of the department, including a 17-year-old girl.
Young members of various departments have been attempting to take over La Plata, Mechanicsville and other area departments and their biggest focus has been on spending money unnecessarily, such as Hollywood Vol. Fire Dept., when it bought a ladder truck, or having beer bashes at the various department’s social halls. Younger members complain that the old guys who have been running the departments are "dinosaurs" in various internet chat rooms and forums on fire service, while the older members fear the younger members are reckless with both money and equipment.
Hollywood Vol. Fire Dept. is surrounded by fire companies with ladder trucks and to put the money out for a ladder truck when as many as five trucks could be in their first due area within 15 minutes constituted a gross misuse of public funds which are designated for the department’s activities and come from taxing districts with no controls or strings attached. That was the feeling of many veteran firefighters who have worked hard for decades to build up the volunteer fire companies of the area.
Bay District VFD lost money it made on donated funds in the stock market with the loss equaling the cost of a fire truck.
Mechanicsville VFD advertised a beach party at which young people under age were invited to attend.
A beer bash at La Plata went bad when a man was stabbed at the affair while it’s chief reportedly wrecked the chief’s car while out of county on personal business. An allegation that the chief was operating the official vehicle while intoxicated has not been verified by officials and La Plata’s chief has never returned a call seeking comment. A La Plata officer used a company vehicle to go bar hopping in past years, a practice which supposedly has been curtailed.
Taking fire equipment to birthday parties is inconsistent with the purposes for which public funds are appropriated to the volunteer fire companies.
In Sunday’s incident, there were no serious injuries or was their any reported contribution from the use of alcohol. According to the Charles County Sheriff’s Department, the incident is still under investigation but speed was a factor.
