In defense of first responders

In response to “Communications left something to be desired,” those firemen and police that you are so personally acquainted with spent the entire day handling the complexities of a situation that you claim to understand. Several of your points concern me beginning with people driving down a one-way road where children were outside playing...in a hurricane. I would have hoped that simple common sense if not a reasonable intelligence would have led people to stay home in such inclement weather. Driving down a one-way road is dangerous, agreed. However, allowing one’s child to play in the street during a hurricane in close proximity to a downed wire, is significantly more concerning to me. JCP&L are responsible for their customers. They employ a full-time service department to handle your concerns. If you were dissatisfied with the way in which they imparted information, please feel free to advise them of your concerns. From your letter, it appears that you were hoping the fire department or police would come door to door informing residents on three roads,in a town of hundreds of roads, to remain inside due to downed wires and hazardous driving conditions? Would they have done this before or after they responded to the 1,000+ calls that came in that day? Instead of “not meaning to criticize” you should thank those who stayed overnight at fire headquarters to take the night calls so others could sleep, those who spent all day running endless calls, those who gave up time with their family so that they could help someone else’s family and those who gave their time to others rather than be home cleaning up the mess in their own yard. I believe a thank you is in order for anyone who risked their own safety rather than criticizing them for not personally informing residents on three roads of JCP&L’s plans on power restoration, preventing ignorant people from driving in a hurricane or preventing society from inevitably coming to their own erroneous conclusions regarding how information is transmitted. Thank you to all Sparta first responders for your efforts on behalf of our town. Kira Arnold Sparta