Tonight on KUSA

[jimmnn]

GRANBY - What has three brand new flat screen TVs (which each cost more than $3,000) with outdoor patio speakers, a brand new pool table ($4,485) and a fully loaded 50s style kitchen and dining room with a jukebox and a gourmet Vulcan range ($3,179)?

Would you guess a small town volunteer fire house?

9Wants to Know surveyed fire stations across the state and discovered the Granby Fire Department's volunteer fire house is the most expensive volunteer station in all of Colorado.

In fact, among all fire stations in Colorado whether they're volunteer or full-time, Granby's new digs ranks as the second most expensive ever.

And YOU PAID FOR IT.

Tonight on 9NEWS at 10, see what $4 million will buy, and hear what the fire chief says about what he calls the extra "pops" in his brand new firehouse.

 

[rckydenver]

I watch that last night on KUSA, that was one FINE fire station, if i was a fire fighter i would take that for place to work. See where Netherland FD is having a hard time getting firefighters.

 

[jfab]

I watch that last night on KUSA, that was one FINE fire station, if i was a fire fighter i would take that for place to work. See where Netherland FD is having a hard time getting firefighters.

It was a very nice station, but you don't think that's a little over the top??? One of those women on there made a very good point, the engines, equipment, ect are what save lives, not a '50's style kitchen..

 

[dougjgray]

The TVs should help in training and I think the kitchen is a real moral booster and pool is a good exercise hehe

 

[Moosemedic]

Their Chief did a piss-poor job of explaining that in a Volunteer system having a nice hang out for the VOLUNTEERS will decrease response times. All he needed to do was explain that and it would have begun to justify the elaborate decor. He just stared in the face of the taxpayer and practically dared them to complain.

BTW, Have you seen the EMS station in the same town? Kinda makes you wonder where the priorities are in that county.

 

[kc0kp]

What?

Let me get this straight. This county saves money by having volunteers respond to calls. With the money they save, they put some stuff in the fire barn to encourage the vols to stick around to answer the calls. I have a hard time seeing where's the beef.
Now if they were missing calls by using their kitchen or watching 9News in HiDef I could see an argument against the money spent.
They would not be able to hire one paid guy for one year with their TV budget. I bet some of the departments that cannot get enough volunteers are now thinking "Why don't we do that?"
Good public service tool, I guess.
BTW, the VP/general manager of KUSA has a big screen in his office. Since they are slipping in the ratings, maybe they need to remove it so they can get to covering real stories.

 

[firescannerbob]

I like the "AND YOU PAID FOR IT" blast on KUSA's website...what a load of crap.
Unless you are a taxpayer in their district, YOU didn't pay for it, THEY did. And if THEY don't have a problem with it (and those taxpayers may or may not care), then it's no one elses business.
It's like living in Denver and *****ing about how Boulder spends their own tax money. If it's not your money, it's not your concern. KUSA seems more interested in pushing buttons than anything else.
I spent many years as a volunteer FF, both before and while being a paid FF. Some volunteer stations I worked for were *really* a barn. Obviously no one hung around there. Some were nicer, and the volunteers would actually hang around the station, and even stay overnight. Guess which one served the community better? I don't expect such extravagances at work, but I get a paycheck for being here, and thats my motivation. One way to motivate volunteers is to provide nice digs for them. Is this place more extravagant than most? Sure, but it's certainly cheaper than hiring a bunch of FF's.

 

[jfab]

I like the "AND YOU PAID FOR IT" blast on KUSA's website...what a load of crap.
Unless you are a taxpayer in their district, YOU didn't pay for it, THEY did. And if THEY don't have a problem with it (and those taxpayers may or may not care), then it's no one elses business.
It's like living in Denver and *****ing about how Boulder spends their own tax money. If it's not your money, it's not your concern. KUSA seems more interested in pushing buttons than anything else.
I spent many years as a volunteer FF, both before and while being a paid FF. Some volunteer stations I worked for were *really* a barn. Obviously no one hung around there. Some were nicer, and the volunteers would actually hang around the station, and even stay overnight. Guess which one served the community better? I don't expect such extravagances at work, but I get a paycheck for being here, and thats my motivation. One way to motivate volunteers is to provide nice digs for them. Is this place more extravagant than most? Sure, but it's certainly cheaper than hiring a bunch of FF's.

Very good point!

 

[Toneslider12]

While I think that some of the areas in the Granby station may be a little over the top, the reasons for doing it make sense. Volunteer fire departments all over the country and in our own backyards have been dying for the past several years. The "old timers" in what used to be rural areas who did it to protect their communities are retiring and the new generation moving into the huge houses just don't care to volunteer. The core of most modern volunteer departments are young 18-25 year olds that love the job and want to make a career out of it.

If a town or city actually wants volunteer firefighters to staff their rigs when a call comes in, they have to make it worth their while to be there. Having pride in their great fire house and bay full of new rigs will attract the volunteers they need. Many places have found that volunteers & resident firefighters can provide more effective staffing than career paid firefighters anyway. Visit www.kentland33.com & www.manassasfire.com to see how great volunteer fire departments can be.

If everyone (including 9News) supported what volunteers do; maybe places like Kiowa, Elbert & North Central in Elbert County wouldn't have to wait 20-30 minutes for neighboring agencies to make it to their calls.