I was saddened and ashamed of my hometown newspaper when I read the comments from Chris Curtis’ follow-up article on the tragic Orange fire.
“Dirth, husband Mike Chaplin and Jesse Jorgensen, a Fountain Street resident who watched the fire, were upset with the fire department’s response. From what they saw and heard up the street, they believe the girls were still alive when firefighters arrived and that they did not act quickly enough in connecting a hose and entering the home.”
As the wife of a police officer and the stepmother of a volunteer firefighter, who WAS one of the first responders, I am appalled that you would print this comment. The cause of the fire has not been determined nor has the investigation been concluded. I know how devastated each and every first responder must be knowing that they were not able to save those two precious little girls.
It takes mountains of courage for each police officer and firefighter to put on that uniform and run into situations that the average person would run from. They give up holidays, birthdays, family time to risk their own lives to keep others safe. They don’t do it for the money or the notoriety. They do it to make a difference in their communities.
I know many of the firefighters and police officers that responded to this tragedy and I know they will not soon recover from the terrible loss and images that will be forever seared into their minds. They certainly did not need to see this kind of public judgment.
Cynthia Hunter
Gill