I would like to reiterate what an Aug. 15 letter to The Aspen Times stated regarding salary for our Aspen firefighters (“Aspen firemen’s time is money”). I am unclear when the Aspen Fire Protection District Board decided to develop an all-volunteer fire department; however, it is 2019, and I firmly believe our firefighters should be paid.
In California, all firefighters earn a salary and generally work alongside a volunteer force. In some cases they work with inmates from local penitentiaries. I would ask the Aspen Fire Protection District Board to reconsider its decision. You are giving the residents of this town — and the world — the impression that you use people, or that you have fiscal mismanagement.
In other states, firefighters, with the exception of law enforcement personnel, are considered to be the most revered members of our communities.
Catherine Cardiff
Aspen