The last few months have been very productive with committee and neighborhood meetings and spending time with community leaders to better understand the perspectives and needs of the city. I am very encouraged to see the positive activities throughout Westfield.
Thank you to Chris Padden and Barb Giroux for inviting me to the Hampton Ponds Neighborhood Meeting. Also attending were Senator Don Humason, members of the Westfield Police Department, the Environmental Police, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
The meeting was held at the Hampton Ponds Association building. The meeting clearly demonstrated the benefits of an active community working with city and state officials to make their neighborhood, and Westfield, a better place. Instead of just complaining to each other about their problems or simply blaming others, the Hampton Ponds residents decided to proactively involve themselves, and local officials, to help solve the problems. This organization has been active long before I was elected so I am proud to be part of what was already a well oiled machine. Questions and concerns included thrash, loitering on state property, boat patrols, and Milfoil weed reduction in the ponds. The neighbors did their research before the meeting and supplied detailed data on problem areas and the law enforcement officials immediately responded with what they would do to help. Over the years, this type of collaboration and energy has cleaned up Hampton Ponds and the surrounding area.
I also had the opportunity to spend time with Westfield Fire Chief Mary Regan. Chief Regan explained details of the Fire Department that helped me better understand the logistics of the department. If anyone had old school views of the Fire Department, they would quickly be changed after speaking with Chief Regan. Safety, training, cross training, and efficiency are major components of the Westfield Fire Department.
The Fire Department is financially split into fire and ambulance service. The ambulance service is a revenue generator because it is reimbursed for services by insurance companies. Because much of the department is cross trained for the ambulance and fire service, reasonable financial sharing takes place. In other words, the ambulance service can supplement some of the fire service which lessens taxpayer burden.
How is the Fire Department able to effectively respond to fires and major incidents when they happen infrequently? Training. Training. Training. During my few hours with Chief Regan at the Fire Department Headquarters, there were no fire calls. Actually, there were very few personnel in the station. Most were out training with the equipment to prepare for a real emergency. During the training times, Westfield is still protected because everyone is with the fire equipment so there is no delay in response times.
Chief Regan has also employed some less obvious training techniques which don’t appear to be training at all. Why are the windows washed weekly at the fire station? A requirement for the cleanest windows in Westfield? No—this provides hands on use of the fire equipment which helps train the personnel. Why does a ladder truck sometimes go out on an ambulance call? Can’t the Paramedics take care of a sprained ankle? The Paramedics are well qualified for medical emergencies but the driver of the ladder truck is gaining more hours, and training, operating the vehicle while providing a third professional at the scene. Why do fire personnel empty their vehicles weekly only to repack everything in the same place? Training. This seemingly menial task helps personnel to check the equipment and allow its location to become second nature which will save time, and possibly lives, at the scene of an emergency.
I’d like to thank Chief Regan and her team of firefighters and first responders for the great job they are doing and protecting our lives and our property.
The City Council and Legislative and Ordinance Committee have been debating the merits of a motion that originated in December 2014 that would extend the terms of the Mayor and City Councilors from two years to four years. Some of the arguments have included the duration of time itself–is two years or four years the “right” amount of time? Another consideration is whether the City Council itself should vote on the matter or should there be a referendum on the ballot where the voters make the decision directly. More detailed points are the possibility of staggering four year terms where At Large Councilor and Ward Councilor elections are held two years apart or whether term limits should be imposed. All of these are valid points of view. Since I was elected to represent the people of Ward 6, I would welcome your input on the subject.
Thank you for taking time to read this. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 413-568-7747.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
