Sirens, airhorns in Woodstock

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
October 12, 2010

About 8:45PM I wondered if the entire town of Woodstock was on fire. The sirens and airhorns of several pieces of emergency equipment could be heard near the Woodstock police station, and they didn't seem to be moving all that quickly.

After they passed, I called the Woodstock Fire Rescue District (WFRD), but the ambulance driver who answered the phone didn't know. All he could suggest was to call back later. Smart career move.

Next I called the Woodstock PD. I thought about asking if I should prepare to evacuate but, instead, I only asked the nature of the emergency on Lake Avenue. His answer? He thought it had to do with the return of a soldier from Afghanistan. Then I remembered seeing a notice in the paper.

I wonder what it is going to take to put a stop to this nonsense of a lights-and-siren parade/escort for a soldier coming home on leave.

No. 1 It is illegal to use emergency lights and sirens to escort an individual to his home. It's a nice honor, but it's illegal.
No. 2 It is a waste of taxpayer assets (City of Woodstock for police car(s) and WFRD for fire trucks).

Now, I'm glad the soldier is coming to Woodstock. But he's coming home from work, so to speak. I'm not sure where the nonsense of a Patriot Guard escort and emergency equipment supported by tax dollars got started.

But it needs to stop, and it needs to stop now.

Checking the WFRD website, I see that the next meeting of the Board of Trustees of WFRD is Thursday, September 23, at 7:00PM. Oh, wait. This is already October 12. Are the meetings on the fourth Thursday of the month? If so, then the October meeting will be Thursday, October 28. Check later this month at www.wfrd.org or call 815.338.2621 for the location.

If you think that the fire trucks belong at the fire stations, ready for a call to a fire, and that they shouldn't be used for escorts, I hope you'll speak up and say so.