Subject : Whiny Firefighters: Larry, I surely though you knew the difference between "wining" about An issue and making a case for ones point of view. I guess this not being the case maybe you should stop all of your "wining" and "bitching" about all of your perceived injustices in the world! Back to making a case on fire companies and the number needed in Mullica Twsp. It's always easy to say we could get by with one or two less fire companies in the township, the simple fact of the matter is that we probably could. But then the issues of which ones to shut down come into play. Which village is willing to give up their fire company? Which residents are willing to wait a few more minutes for a fire truck to show up at their burning house because the fire company in their town was shut down? What do the fire companies actually cost each tax payer? That's the question one has to be answered first! Is it really worth shutting any down? Is the savings in ones tax bill going to replace the peace of mind of having a fire company in ones town? Will homeowner insurance policy premiums go up because they no longer have a fire company within "X" amount of miles of their homes? If so, then are they really saving anything? I can't deny the appeal of the idea of having one or two fully funded fire companies in the township. As you can tell from my past "whiny" articles I don't like raising funds. Oh and please stop referring to Gary Franklin as the leader of the fire companies, that is a farce. Before Gary, we had an ambulance squad who made 90+% of their calls, we had four fire companies who worked and drilled well together. We had a township fire association that was open to all of the members of all of the fire companies. It would meet once a month, critique any fires that happened to occur since the last meeting, plan future drills, discuss general business, and even attempt to buy mutually needed equipment and supplies in bulk in order to get the best prices. We would hold elections once a year and vote in a President, Treasurer, Secretary,etc., etc. The association would also vote on a township fire coordinator, someone to help the commanding chief on a fire coordinate and manage needed resources. Typically this township coordinator would also be named "township chief", a liaison to handle communications with the press and town council. The title "township chief" was just a label, at no time was this "township chief" above any of the chiefs of the other fire companies. Gary took this title, got the geniuses on town council to draft a letter naming him "Supreme Commander" and then preceded to dismantle anything that might be a threat to his position. First he abolished the township fire association meetings by renaming them chief meetings, where only the chiefs of each fire company are allowed to attend(chief meetings were always separate from association meetings). That effectively did away with the whole democratic process which used to take place at the association meetings. Locking Gary in as "township chief", I guess for ever. A township chief should be voted in by the members of the fire companies not appointed by some political council who by their own admission "have no idea what it takes to run a fire/rescue company". Then and only then would Gary have the respect of the fire company members as a true leader and chief. jdf

RESPONSE: Always appreciate your insights here, as opposed to the titular head of Mullica’s fire companies gary THE MUKTAR franklyn who is obviously aware of the debate here but chooses to cowardly remain silent. You raise issues that are worthy of debating and have been addressed here.

Taxes are obscenely too high in Mullica and the prognosis with one party government, bodes for another large increase in property taxes next year. To quote Phlil Gramm: BALANCING THE BUDGET IS LIKE GOING TO HEAVEN. EVERYBODY WANTS TO DO IT, BUT NOODY WANTS TO DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET THERE.

You can’t be responsible and just say don’t cut my budget in tight budgetry times. Everybody; the police, the fire fighters, the road department, the clerical staff, the school need for the good of our community to make some cuts.

This site has porposed cuts in all of those areas. Cuts need to be made NOW. As the African proverb goes: IF YOU WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW, TOMORROW COMES. IF YOU DON'T WAIT FOR TOMORROW, TOMORROW COMES. As your interest is just in the fire company, maybe the compromise position for the fire company is to restructure the companies as proposed here as Mullica 1 & 2, with the four buildings but with less vehicles…that is where the big wasted expense is.

Hammonton with double our population and perhaps five times the commercial ratables has only two fire companies. As noted here by one contributor (Sweetwater Resident) Shamong with about the same type of community in terms of rurality and landmass and population; has only one Fire Company. As edmund Burke noted: TO TAX AND TO PLEASE, NO MORE THAN TO LOVE AND BE WISE, IS NOT GIVEN TO MEN.