DEAR EDITOR:
I just read the article in Thursday’s Dispatch regarding the
idea of banning fireworks in the city of Gilroy.
DEAR EDITOR:
I just read the article in Thursday’s Dispatch regarding the idea of banning fireworks in the city of Gilroy. Thank you Councilman Bob Dillon! I will say that I have not always shared your opinion on matters regarding our city but in this case, you definitely have me on your side!
I think it is very sad that anyone, especially our mayor, is willing to put the benefits of charity over and beyond the importance of public safety in this town! I will admit that prior to this recent Independence Day, I was unbiased in my opinion towards allowing “safe and sane” fireworks within the city limits.
However, after the Fourth of July, when this basically quiet town of Gilroy found itself in the midst of total chaos, exhausting all public safety resources locally, I am definitely in favor of a total ban on fireworks! We all had the opportunity to experience a wonderful display of fireworks over our city with the spectacular show given at the Gilroy High School this, as well as many other years to come.
I want to ask Mr. Springer if he was listening, as I was, to the emergency traffic that deluged our town that night over the local scanner? I found myself in tears of compassion, for our public safety officers and the victims of fire, at the chaos that I could hear taking place in our town that night! I cannot even begin to recount how many calls for immediate emergency traffic that came out over the radio that night!?
I don’t mean the everyday emergencies that do happen in every town, every day. I speak of the type of call that makes a listener stop and catch their breath as they hear an officer exclaim that something horrific has just happened or is about to. I heard that call come over the radio NUMEROUS times in the course of two to three hours.
Not only did I hear those heart wrenching calls of emergency traffic, but I also heard in and amongst the chaos, an officer in need of immediate backup, which meant that his life was in danger and all other officers were already on other high priority emergency calls at the time! I also within minutes of that call, heard another call to EVACUATE ALL EMERGENCY PERSONNEL in a home where a fire was burning with “live ammunition” stored inside!
Do you leave one emergency situation shorthanded in order to respond to another? The most appreciative THANK YOU goes out to Fire Captain Ed Bozzo and the emergency dispatchers of Gilroy, for their absolutely astonishing ability to know when and where to respond and with whom!
I was amazed at how well they spread our cities resources. Many calls had to go unanswered but those who needed it most certainly got help as fast as was possible among the chaos. I am sure that to this day there are criticisms for non-responded calls. But if they heard what I did, they would realize to what extent our cities resources were already overburdened.
Some of the citizens of this city are too irresponsible to handle the tolerance of “safe and sane” fireworks.
They chose to act out with illegal fireworks instead of, or in conjunction with, the legal and safe ones. The ironic part is that the chaos came out of a celebration of the very holiday that gives us the right to live an independent and civil freedom in this country! Well, whose freedom is more important here? The safe and sane citizens or those who chose to break the law? I did not feel free in my own town that night, and I am sure the victims of illegal fireworks still are feeling less free today because of it all.
My heart goes out to those who lost their home that night! I do not feel that their loss, or the cost of resources that night, warrants the fundraising benefits of any firework sales on behalf of charity. Yes, I realize that the money raised for PAL, booster clubs and such are a wonderful resource in behalf of fireworks sales in this city, but in all honesty HAS ANYONE DONE AN ACCOUNTING OF THE PROFITS VERSUS EXPENSE OF OUR CITY REVENUE IN KEEPING OUR TOWN SAFE AND SANE THAT NIGHT? Not only do we have extreme overtime paid in fire and police personnel, but how much property was destroyed, and how many unknown costs have come to light since?
I no longer feel it is a valid justification to say that we would lose charity benefits if we lose the revenue from firework sales. This is Gilroy folks! That means that we have access to one of the most profitable charity events in this state! If the Gilroy Garlic Festival doesn’t offer the fundraising opportunities that would benefit these organizations then let’s try other avenues that do not put our city at risk.
Someone isn’t looking at the whole picture if they are only looking at the up front benefits of firework sales. There is a lasting expense that needs to be accounted for here.
I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all the fire and police personnel of this city for a wonderful job.
Jeannette Stimac, Gilroy
Submitted Sunday, July 20 to ed****@ga****.com
