To the Editor:

In response to the Aug 10-16 Sound Off “Unfriendly Firemen,” it is too bad that your experience during this small tree fire situation was not a good one.

You live in West Potsdam. You find a small tree fire on a hiking trail in Hannawa Falls during the daytime hours. Yes, you did it right. Calling 911 was the proper thing to do. Yet, you have the audacity to publically write this anonymous letter faulting the very volunteers that you asked for.

Did they put the fire out? Did they owe you anything else?

I’m not going to speculate how you were greeted or treated. You seem to have your mind made up that somehow these volunteers screwed up.

Please join your local West Potsdam Volunteer Fire Department. Attend the hundreds of hours of training at your own expense that it takes to become a volunteer. Once you have done all of this then you have a right to complain about your personal experiences involving local volunteers.

Until then stop writing anonymous letters complaining about people who volunteer their time not only to help the public but to also deal with people like yourself.

I am very proud to be a volunteer.

Robert C. Haggett

Norwood