Petsche, Angela ltr - Fire Dept ReductionJuly 4, 2003
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Mayor Terry Duggan
Mr. Mike Van Milligen
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City of Dubuque
50 W 13th Street (ti
City Hall
Dubuque, IA 52001
Dear Mayor Duggan and Mr. VanMilligen,
I can not begin to express enough gratitude and heart felt thanks to our Dubuque Fire
Department. I feel that the fireman that have recently assisted us are doing a wonderful
job and consideration should be made not to cut any of our law enfori;ement or fire
fighting staff.
I would like to share with you the encounter we have had with our Dubuque Fire
Department. We had recently purchased a boat and had taken it for :t cruise on the
Mississippi River. My husband, two -year -old son and a friend were with me on
Thursday, June 26, 2003. We went out for a short ride and became sti anded on a beach 5
miles south of Massey Station. After trying to start the boat for two hours we knew we
needed help. We did not have an exact idea of where we were until we did a S.O.S. of a
barge heading south. He gave us the beach coordinate and day marker number to help
identify where we actually were. It was late and dark out. No one was hurt. We called the
Dubuque Sheriffs department who in turned called JoDaviess County and Jackson
County to find out whose problem we were due to our location. After many phone calls
and determination, the Dubuque Fire and Rescue (River Rescue) came to our aide. It was
almost midnight before they arrived. When they did arrive, they helped secure our boat,
moved our belongings to their boat and aided us with blankets since it had gotten cold
out. Needless to say our two -year -old son slept through all of it. The fireman were
concerned for our safety, health, and getting us back home. THEY DID JUST THAT. If
we would have not been rescued that night we would have been stranded overnight.
The fireman that aided us were, Randy Rick, Mark Ludescher and Dan Gansen.
I can not repay or thank them enough for the service they have provic ed. I can only write
about the service they provided to my family and me. Yes, I am a ti ; payer. Yes, I would
continue to pay taxes to keep these highly trained personnel. Yes, I want to see our city
prosper and move forward. PLEASE do not cut any of these positions. They provide a
valuable service, without hesitation, ready to serve the common person and their needs.
Thank you for your time and consideration of reading this letter. I know that other people
in our city feel the same way about NOT cutting these valuable positions.
Sincerely,
Angela J Petsche
2301 Prince Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
(563) 583-0095
cc: Fire Department Headquarters
11 West 9th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001