web1_TTL041916Baseball2.jpg

Wyoming Area baseball busts out the bats against Dallas

Our Opinion: Pennsylvania takes center stage in 2016 presidential drama; seek facts amid the frenzy

I am 66 years old. I have observed both the very good and the very bad in the world. I couldn&#8217;t care less about a person&#8217;s position, his financial status or his unsubstantiated words. I strive to look at circumstances with educated, well-measured and analytic eyes; I am very much unimpressed with most of what I see.Having said that, I have nothing but admiration for the paramedics and firefighters who have earned the extraordinarily great reputation that the Wilkes-Barre ambulance service enjoys.When I reflect upon what I have witnessed of their exemplary work, I stand in awe of them.I was hired by the city of Wilkes-Barre as a firefighter in 1975. For more than 30 years of active duty, I was present when Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s paramedics delivered compassionate and incredibly skillful care to patients desperately ill or severely injured. Daily, these men and women do the difficult easily; they accomplish the seemingly impossible without fanfare.During my five year tenure as fire chief, the Wilkes-Barre Fire Department answered a little more than 25,000 calls for medical help; in that same time frame I received one, and only one, complaint from a family. It was not about the quality of aid that was rendered; it was about the flippant attitude of a young firefighter. The very next morning he was in my office. I explained that the only acceptable standard was one of excellence. He was told that any deviation from this would not be tolerated, and that no one would be allowed to reflect negatively on the long-established and enviable record of the paramedics and firefighters who are committed to the welfare of the residents of Wilkes-Barre.I want to believe that Mayor Tony George has good intentions. I fear that he is being advised by people who are, at best, poorly informed or, at worst, inept. I hope that the mayor remembers that his paramedics, firefighters and police officers do not work simply for a paycheck; they have all taken an oath to help their fellow man. Some cannot understand such a commitment, but be assured that such dedication does exist.Finally, I request that the mayor ask the people of Wilkes-Barre if the ambulance service is worth the money. I am confident that there are thousands of residents who will answer that question with a resounding, unanimous, unequivocal &#8220;Yes!&#8221;Jacob LismanWilkes-Barre fire chief, retiredMountain Top

Letter to the Editor: Former Wilkes-Barre fire chief urges appreciation of city’s ambulance crews