My name is Jim Fiedler. I'm a lifelong resident of Seneca and a member of the Seneca Fire Department. Over the past few years I have read a lot of criticism of the Seneca Fire Department by a person who hides behind the pen name of McHale (as a commenter on The Times Web site). It's time I stand up for myself and my fellow firefighters of ALL departments.

McHale claims Seneca does not enter burning buildings and make interior attacks. Sir, I have personally led teams on aggressive interior attacks on structure fires here in Seneca. People are living in those homes today. We have about the same success rate as other volunteer departments. We are no better or worse than anyone else. We don't win them all and neither does anyone else.

McHale claims the only training Seneca firefighters do is watering the lawn with a fire hose. Seneca firefighters are trained and certified the same as Morris, Marseilles, Coal City and most other communities by completing the Illinois State Firefighter II program. This program includes training in all aspects of firefighting, including live burns and aggressive interior attacks on residential and commercial structures, not just burn towers. Our firefighters also are trained in rescue technique and are well-respected in the area for their abilities when it comes to extrication and disentanglement of accident victims. Yes, from time to time you will see us flowing water from a hose line with no apparent point. What you didn't know is that the actual training taking place had nothing to do with the hose and everything to do with pumper operation, hydraulics and drafting. No, we don't normally do training at Mobil oil's burn tower. Instead, we attend the Illinois Fire Service Institute at the University of Illinois along with most of the firefighters in the state.

Regarding buildings right next to the fire station. I beg to differ with your assessment. I have my doubts that you were on that interior attack, so since I was, let me tell you a little about it. We lost the second story of the bar. We made multiple interior attacks when we initially arrived on scene and continued even when personnel from neighboring departments arrived. The fire was trapped between multiple ceilings and also inside walls and pipe chases. We and firefighters from other departments endured extreme heat while chopping holes and suppressing fire between wall studs, false walls, false ceilings and layers of brick and finally had to evacuate the second floor. The first floor, however, was a save. As far as the old city garage, several gallons of gasoline spilled on the floor at the time the fire started and additional fuel spilled as the fire progressed. A team from Seneca made an interior attack and was pushed back as the interior flashed over. The force of the flashover pushed firefighters backwards through the door and bent the metal doorways against their hinges. The building also had a bow string truss roof. You should know that in a fire, the bow string truss is recognized as the most dangerous design ever constructed and responsible for the death of more firefighters than any other structural element. With a building full of fire, gasoline, acetylene torch cylinders, burning vehicles and god only knows what else, AND the fact that NO life was at risk, it was decided to go defensive and save the surrounding buildings.

McHale, you really don't know what you are talking about in spite of all your attempts to give yourself credibility. By the way, annual training in the controlled environment of a burn tower does not make you a structural firefighter. You don't have all the facts and even worse, you choose to omit certain little items that would completely change the story. The continuous barrage of negative criticism and half-truths you throw about while hiding behind a pen name misleads people. In my book, you are crossing the line from just stating opinion to committing slander. You speak of your 40-plus years in Seneca and all you have seen. I've been here well over 50 and can only conclude that you must have a personal vendetta against the fire department or someone on it.

Step up McHale, put your money where your mouth is, join the fire department, get qualified and show the community what a positive contribution you can make.