Chief: Firemen’s morale is low

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WVFC Fire House

By Matthew Saari

Even as the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Company and the village of Whitehall continue to battle over the village-owned property on which the company’s fire house is situated, the company’s firefighters are fighting a more subtle and elusive foe: dwindling morale.
“Morale in the fire service is constantly evolving. It is very temperamental and varies with current events and call volume,” said Fire Chief Bryan Brooks via email. “It seems that the more serious calls we respond to, the better morale is. During emergency situations members are forced to work together as a team and put their training to the test.”
Despite the officers’ efforts, Brooks said, morale continues to slide down a slippery slope of negativity.
“Everybody is an individual and expresses their emotions differently,” Brooks said. “I often witness many ways members act; non-participation, gossiping, disgust through written media, and in some cases, outright quitting.”

This is only a preview of the story published in the Whitehall Times. To read the full story, pick up a print copy of this week’s paper at the newsstand or read it online here.