Fund Cloverdale fire department

The Cloverdale fire department does not need to be a state-of-the-art fire department, but it does need to be brought into this century. Residents of the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District should support the fire district's request for $2.47 million in bond funding.

The district has patched itself together with duct tape and baling twine for years. A tour of their facilities readily reveals that the fire department is below a reasonable standard in terms of equipment and facilities for a 21st century fire department in a growing community.

The district's board and staff are to be commended for working so hard for so long to avoid going to the taxpayers for additional funding. But relying on aged equipment, some of which will have to be retired soon, and on facilities that are clearly outmoded and inadequate is not fair to either the volunteers or the patrons of the district.

It's time to act, and with Measure 9-103, the district has put together a request for funding that is fair and reasonable and a worthy investment for its patrons.

Jim Cornelius, News Editor