As a former New York fireman, I worked at Colleton River Plantation as a security officer for approximately 18 months. We had a handful of emergency medical calls and several fire alarm calls that were the result of faulty smoke detectors or accidental alarms.

The response time that I saw from the Bluffton Township Fire District was always very fast and professional.

To spend this kind of money in these financial times for increased fire service to Colleton River and Palmetto Bluff makes no sense. They are considered exclusive gated communities, and it shouldn't be the fire district's responsibility to provide them with an on-premises firefighting unit because they choose to make their homes there.

There are rural communities throughout the United States that depend on volunteer firefighters, and I can assure you those response times are generally much greater than anything that Colleton River or Palmetto Bluff face.

Why not consider reducing property taxes in these communities, so they can hire and maintain their own private fire departments to include both equipment and personnel. Right now, both communities provide their own private security officers, so why not their own fire departments?

Just as security calls for town police help with certain incidents, they could call for mutual aid assistance as required in the case of fire or other types of emergencies. This makes much more sense then adding to taxpayer burdens that will only increase in the future as the township continues to grow.

Les Nagel

Sun City Hilton Head