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April 29, 2005
COMMUNITY VIEWPOINT Give Pahrump Fire Chief Lewis the tools he requiresBy S.P. CULSHAW He was right. People don't give any thought to emergency services. Or they give the subject the same amount of thought they give the spare tire on their vehicle. They simply assume it will be available when an emergency occurs. But, here is something to think about. That spare tire needs its air pressure checked at least once a month to make sure it is still properly inflated. I learned this lesson the hard way. One morning I walked up to my pickup truck and was going to drive to work. That's when I noticed a front tire was flat. I quickly changed tire. But, my hard work was of no avail. My spare tire was also flat. In the 11 years my wife and I had owned the truck, neither of us had ever checked the air in the spare tire. We had simply assumed it would be there when we needed it. Do you view emergency service in Pahrump the same way? You simply assume someone will be there when you dial 911. Well then, here are some issues for you to think about. First, your fire department was organized approximately 30 years ago. That is well before the phenomenal growth rate started in this town. It also means your department was set up to serve a community with less than half the population, building density and service area. And, unless additional long-term funding is secured, the department may not progress much beyond that current state of readiness. Chief Lewis is trying to turn the situation around. He has, for example, spent months fighting to get two new fire engines. These units were purchased with federal funds. They are also the only new fire engines ever purchased by the department. The rest of the department's other fire engines and emergency vehicles are old and worn out. The main reason for the condition of these vehicles is simple. These vehicles were purchased through government surplus auctions. And, as might be expected, every piece of equipment sold at these auctions was old and worn out. That is the reason they were offered at auction in the first place. Why was this type of equipment purchased? Money! These units were cheap and required minimal investment of county and town funds. However, initial cost savings were soon overshadowed by lengthy down times (units not available for emergency calls) and high repair costs. It should also be noted that many of these fire trucks and engines could no longer be repaired. They were mothballed in the town yard years ago. These units also required extensive rehabbing to meet current state and federal safety standards. These standards are not recommendations. They are laws that must be met. One used fire engine has already cost the town $120,000 in retrofits to meet these safety standards. The department's four fire stations also do not meet current safety standards. Indeed, three of the station houses are nothing more than barns designed to store equipment and vehicles. They were built when the department was an all volunteer department. At that time, when a fire occurred, the volunteers would race to the barn nearest the fire. They would then jump into the fire engine stored there and drive to the fire. This type of emergency response program was adequate when Pahrump was a small community of 6,000 people, but no more. Especially since the town's population now sets at 32,000 people and is projected to reach 56,000 within 10 years. These people also will be scattered over 400 square miles. The town needs manned fire stations to serve this large of a population. Currently though, only one stationhouse is manned. This building was originally a service building used to house the fire department engines and trucks. Several years ago, members of your fire department remodeled the building and put in living quarters. If it weren't for their effort, Pahrump would not have a single manned stationhouse. There is a plan to convert the remaining fire barns into manned stations. But again, this will take long-term funding the fire department does not have. Even if all the stations are converted, they still could not be manned. The main reason for not manning these stations is lack of personnel. Currently, there are only seven firefighter/ EMTs on duty per shift. All seven work out of one stationhouse. Four of these firefighters are assigned to ambulance transports to Vegas. That leaves three firefighters available to handle emergency calls in the 400 square mile response area. Chief Lewis has studied the problem and proposed upping the staffing levels to at least 10 firefighters on duty. Six would be quartered at the main station with two each at the north and south stations. But, without additional funding for facilities and personnel, this is not likely to happen. Chief Lewis' findings are also in line with three separate groups that did an extensive review of emergency services in Pahrump. Each one of these groups was commissioned by the town board to make the study. And, each group reached the same conclusions. The fire department is understaffed, poorly equipped, lacks adequate facilities and is under-funded. These are the issues you should be thinking about before you have to dial 911. There is nothing you can do after you make that call except hope someone will be available to come to your aid. Culshaw writes from Pahrump. |
