Did you ever notice that when you get people together to complain about something, they rarely know all the facts? We tend to listen to whoever cries the loudest. I am writing in response to Channel 12's news coverage of the expansion of the Hicksville Fire Department's Station 2. Awareness is essential if anyone wants to make a valid point. So, in order to help you make a decision of your own, I want to tell you a few things.

I have two sons, Jim and Pat, who are firefighters. I probably just made you stop in your tracks and say "she's biased." On the contrary, having firemen for children has taught me a lot that I didn't know about the fire department.

For starters, these guys and gals are volunteers. They do not get paid. The firehouse is not a clubhouse. Before a person is even considered to be a firefighter, a background check is performed. Then and only then are they sworn into the fire department. They are not allowed to fight fires until they are trained. Now remember, this is all volunteer.

The training takes about 150 hours. Jim wanted to take the fast track so instead of going away on a vacation, he spent the time training at the Nassau County Fire Service Academy in Bethpage. Pat is also an EMT so he also has to make sure the ambulance is stocked for the next run. He had to take special classes to become an EMT and, again, it is all volunteer.

Since this profession is volunteer on Long Island, it's necessary to make it appealing for the firefighters to come and hang out at the firehouse. I don't know about you, but if I needed a fire truck, I would rather have the firefighters come from the firehouse instead of waiting for them to drive to the firehouse first.

Yes, they have a gym and it's necessary if they want the muscles to carry the heavy hoses while fighting a fire. It takes a lot of strength to fight a fire. They also need a good computer system that gets all the information on the emergency. We are the ones that lose when they don't get the information they need. They are just doing us a service.

I just heard a commercial on the radio for Nassau County Police. A man was telling a woman how his neighbor, a cop, just caught some bank robbers. She wished that she had him, the cop, for a neighbor.

Kathy Walker