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Click here to watch KOAT-TV video as firefighters resign
Eighteen of 21 volunteer firefighters from New Mexico’s Cuba Fire Department resigned last night. The town’s mayor denies there is a lack of support of firefighters. Training seems to be the big issue. According to KOAT-TV, the town is left with virtually no fire protection:
“It’s hard for us as well, as you can tell we love this department. We love this community, (the) people in the community, and that’s who we’re there for,” Cuba Fire Chief Alyssa Short said.
The firefighters said politics are to blame for their departure.
Some firefighters are telling us they’re sick of a lack of support from city leaders, who they claim are refusing to send them to EMT training and are not getting them new equipment.
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Cannot wait to hear the follow up, is walking away ever the right thing to do in our businesses??? It may be me but it did not look to me at face value that there equipment or station was that bad.
There’s gotta be more to this story then equipment or training, if not show where equipment is lacking to add teeth to the mass exodus. Unfortunately there is ALWAYS going to be politics in the fire business. I believe that last blurb at the end about the hiring of a new fire chief may have something to do with it.
Gonna be heard to hold back when you can see the smoke column from a fire or hear the sirens of the next dept. responding and hope it’s not your place that’s on fire!
Sorry but they kept saying how they love the neighbors and the department but still walk out?? That is no way to prove your affection in my opinion. The famous clip from backdraft when he is talking to Ronald “funny thing about firemen is they are always firemen” excuse me if it is not exact but close. I have had to go on leave; it killed me to hear those Q2b’s and air horns knowing it was my rig responding on a run.
are you paid or volenteer,
makes a difference
if your a capt you are paid
officers are treated well
fire dept vet, i know
Capt 45-2 and Clay.. With all respect. I was a member of CVFD (moved a year ago) and it was bad then, this has been going on for years; Lack of training, lack of equipment, lack of PPE, lack of well,,, any kind of support from the Mayor and council. There are also suspicions of embezzlement. This has been building for years, way before I was there and has continued. You don’t know them. I DO. This is killing them. BUT I promise this, if I were still there, I would have walked too.
All they will prove is that they CAN be replaced
Yes, they can be replaced, but with who? Cuba is a tiny little town in central New Mexico, and the pool of folks that they would have to choose from to replace these firefighters is very small. I live in New Mexico (Albuquerque), and the problems this department faces are not new. Shannan Butler is right, it’s been going on for years. Unfortunately, many of these small New Mexico towns are run by thugs and crooks, and most people, including those that live in these communities, turn a blind eye. Is walking away the right thing to do? Absolutely not. HOWEVER, sometimes it takes something like this to open the eyes of the “right” people in order to effect a change. Will it work? Maybe. But at the same time, the backlash from the residents they serve will likely be severe, especially if a structure burns and no one responds. Good luck to these folks.
Nope, because no one else in that village will do it… I promise you THAT!
Sweet beard bro!
I believe I read an article recently about another town in NM that had a convicted felon as police chief. When it was discovered, he had to turn in his weapon. His sidekick had also recently been convicted or it too had just been discovered was a felon out of Texas or something.
So Agates might just be on to something.
PC9. It will really not make much of a difference. Hardly any protection there to loose anyway.
So sorry to read these comments,
thank god for the adm in citys and villages that RUN their
depts well…..
Then their are depts that are bought and paid for by outside interersts-and internal corruption-no competion from outside closed loop of vendors ( under table moneys )
i personally know chief short,and her father 100% pure firefighters. trained at the academy in soccorro-know whats going on.
people of the city of Cuba need to complain to the st of new mexico santa fe, and get a wrong righted. loss of a firedept
is very important !!
Its easier to replace a Mayor than a dedicated fire chief
agate -they WILL be replaced , maybe for the better ,maybe for the worse. Check back in a year
Check back today. The station is manned and responding.