Ah, it's that old familiar time of year. Spring, well sure, that too, but we are talking about the primary elections held each May. This year, a seat on the County Commission is up for grabs. For the first time in as long as I can remember, the Mercer County Fireman's Association is backing a single candidate for County Commission. Dr. Steve Akers, principal of Princeton Senior High School is running for the available seat, and we as the County Association are in full support of Dr. Akers. After suffering the results of years of bad leadership and bad decisions, we have decided that enough is enough. Dr. Akers brings professionalism like none other, leadership qualities that far outweight the incumbent and the other candidates, and an attitude that is consistent with our mission and that is a better approach to running Mercer County. Please join us and vote for Dr. Steve Akers this election day and help us get a person on board that has the future of Mercer County in mind.

For the past several months we have seen a trend born, and watched it grow into what is quickly becoming an epidemic. Training, or the lack thereof, has become a serious problem within our department. But before, we blast the current members, we have to look at the whole picture. Yes there are some individuals that call themselves Athens Volunteer firefighters just to hear it said, yet rarely ever show up for calls, trainings, or other meetings. But there are those that are dedicated and committed to honing their skills and being ready at moments notice to get the job done. But our problem extends beyond that and includes the lack of recruitment. Times have changed and it appears that the attituded of a town that once resembled a "mayberry of old" where people enjoyed helping their neighbors, has changed to an attitude of griping and complaining, and unwillingness to put forth the effort. We are in a real crisis and the town is at risk. On an average fire call in 1996, you would have anywhere from 12 to 20 firefighters respond within the first due time period. Today, we are lucky if we get 12 from a multi-alarm, multi-company response. Something has to be done to improve this. Fires still burn like they did 10 years ago, and the most basic requirement to combat that is a fire department that responds with people aboard the engines ready to do battle with the flames and smoke. Maybe you have been thinking of joining, but just don't see the point. Well, think about that and think about how you would feel if you were outside your home watching it go up in flames, because there wasn't enough manpower to make successful attack. Volunteers get no compensation for their time, no compensation for their efforts, and often no praise for their job well done. But to be able to save the home, hopes, and dreams, of a fellow neighbor or complete stranger is the ultimate reward anyone could desire. If you would like to learn more about our department, feel free to stop by on any Thursday evening after 7:00 p.m. and discuss membership with a line officer.

The Athens Volunteer Fire Department is working on a schedule of activity opportunites for the Athens and surrounding areas. These opportunities will be educational classes offered free of charge to help the citizens of the Athens Fire response area learn valuable life-saving skills. Classes that will be offered include:

• First Aid / CPR for the citizen responder
• HomeChek: Preparing for emergencies
• Bike and Helmet safety
• Fire Safety in the Home

These classes will be offered free of charge and are a great opportunity for the community to take a pro-active approach to safety. Living in a rural area, can present unique challenges to local Fire and EMS agencies as response times are often longer than for those that live in the immediate town limits. For more info email us at: info@athensfireandrescue.org.

The 2008 Relay for Life came and went with very little participation from our team this year, yet we still have the unique opportunity to help raise money for awareness, and research in the battle against the deadliest killer of all time - cancer. If you stop and think for a minute or two about how cancer has affected your life, you will most likely remember your own battle, that of a realative, or a neighbor, or a friend. In fact, almost 98% of all adults have experienced some sort of relationship to cancer in their life. What better way to help combat that deadly disease then by donating to the research that is constantly working day and night every day of the year to find the cure. There have already been great leaps in the medical field with regards to treatment, and diagnostic procdures for early detection, but the cure is still out there waiting to be discovered. Join in the fight today, and donate. You'll be glad you did. If you would like to make a secure online donation through the Athens Fire and Rescue team, you can do so by clicking the link below. Thank you for your support of this cause!

Donate Today!