My response to the editor.

I got the letter I planned on writing to the editor completed and sent in. I have a copy of it below. I also spent the whole day at the sheriff's office redoing the report writing computer. I put in a new CD-ROM drive and then blew away the HD. Reformatted and started over. It now runs better. I hope that it will not get messed up again.

When I left here I went to Pullman for fire training. We were doing patient assessment. It was a quick training. I got my photo taken for the fire board. I had long hair and I was unshaven. I looked horrible. But Tony wanted to take it, so I said screw it. I don't care how bad I look.

John, Dan, and I went to play cards at my office for a while. We were done at ten pm. I went back to Colfax.

I decided to do push-ups and stretching each night before bed. I am doing three sets of ten push-ups and then a full stretching regiment. This is the second day. I will keep you posted on my results.

Below is my letter to the editor.


Editor,

When I read an article with arguments that are as poorly supported as the one Alex Whitefield wrote, I have to demand that WSU require basic logic or philosophy classes.

The premise of Whitefield's article is that WSU Fire does not meet the needs of WSU. He claims a "logical examination" will shed light on why WSU Fire should be eliminated.

He says that Pullman Fire should cover WSU for fire and EMS calls. The law says differently. Until 2005 WSU cannot contract with the city for that protection. So, WSU must supply this program.

In many paragraph’s Whitefield has no arguments that are valid or serve in proving his premise. In one paragraph, the first part says that WSU Fire does not meet the needs of today's WSU students, because "today's firefighter is also a trained EMT." This claim is false since many firefighters are still only trained to a basic first responder level. However, in WSU Fire’s case, all of the firefighters are EMT's.

The second part is a moot point. Rarely, if ever, do EMT's respond to a rape call. But the argument is that what if the all-male WSU Fire showed up on a rape call. I am not sure how he can logically equate an all-male department with the need for elimination of a program.

In another paragraph he claims WSU Fire should be eliminated because "Pullman Fire left the back doors of the ambulance open". HUH? Where is the logic he promised earlier?

A fire call at the CUE nearly causes the death of hundreds of students. That would be a great headline if he were writing an article for some fantasy newspaper. In reality, the wheel chocks are made to hold the weight of the fire engine. Fire departments all over the world park on steep hills. Does Whitefield think that steep hills only happen at WSU?

If Whitefield believes that WSU needs to have a fire science degree to have a resident program, I think that shows his lack of understanding of the WSU Fire resident program. The statement that WSU is not the place to educate future civil servants is again without logic. WSU is a university. Not surprisingly people of all walks of life and in all fields of study come here to learn. Yes, even future police officers and fire fighters come here to learn.

Whitefield seems to be bitter about something and has a vendetta against the WSU Fire department. This has clouded he judgment and made his arguments illogical, even though in the beginning of his editorial he claims that he will make a logical examination of the program.

I am not a WSU firefighter, nor have I ever been. I have a background in fire services. I know many of the services provided by WSU Fire. I encourage anyone interested in learning about the legitimate and timely services provided by WSU Fire to talk with them. They are friendly people who are here to help all of us.

Scotty Anderson
Senior, MIS