Maple Shade

Members letter to Town Council

This is a letter I sent to each Town Council Member this evening and the whole thing makes me very sad. Dear Mayor & Town Council Member, It is clear that you and the Township Manager, Susan Danson have had some type of agenda against the current Maple Shade Fire Department for some time and you chose to do it during restrictions of COVID 19. There was improper handling of this on both sides. No one likes bullies. You all professed at the special session on 8/4/21, how appreciative you were of the services the members of Independent Fire Company No. 1 have provided over 100 years. Excuse mean but I call BULLSHIT! If you really did, you would not be creating a whole new department and obliterating the time, service, blood sweat, tears and cost to personal and family life many of these member have provided the past 100 years. We are the longest existing volunteer service organization in this community and you are just wiping it all out. Shame on you all! Change happens and sometimes whether we like it or not. I get that. When changes are needed or wanted you can work with the infrastructure that is there to make those changes. You do not need to erase all the years of service and dedication that have been in place since before we were all born and that is exactly what you are doing. In your ordinance you are requiring all current Independent Fire Company No 1 members to reapply to be a part of the "new" Maple Shade Fire Department. Why would a 90+ year old man with over 60 years of service to the fire service reapply? He most likely would not be able to pass a physical now but he is a life member full of experience & guidance and a valued member of the current fire department and community. We have many members with over 20 years of service, some still run calls and some do not. We have younger member who soak up the knowledge of these experienced members. Since you will be appointing the new Fire Chief and Deputy Chief why in good conscious can you not grandfather in all current members of Independent Fire Company No. 1? You also need to amend the fact that if actively running calls, members must submit to a yearly physical for continued qualification. Many of our life members no longer run calls but still participate in things going on around the fire house such as Fire Prevention Week and other things like having input at meetings. They are just no longer physically able or do not desire to put that stress on their bodies of running calls any more, but they are still valued members. You came up with this ordinance awfully fast after the meeting with the consulting group and their report so do not try and tell me you did not have an agenda from the start. You have disgraced the people of this town with your selfish actions of needing ultimate control over everything. Nicki Pappas