LETTERS: The Chief Responds to Report of Some Complaints

To The Editor:

I find your article not only insulting but irresponsible, you have insulted "ALL" the members of the Groton Fire Department as a result of your comments in your article.

It is the responsibility and duty of a reporter (including the editor of a newspaper) to report facts and accurate information, un-biased and representative of both sides of a story. When people do not follow these rules it leads to articles that are emotional, hurtful, one sided and causes undue fear and anxiety for not only the public but the members of the fire department.

It is irresponsible for you to only talk to a few call members and not the majority of "ALL" members for your article. You were present at the selectman's meeting where the independent investigation report was released, you never approached me, the fulltime or call members that were present before printing your article. It was irresponsible not to talk to fire department members who were present at the selectmen's meeting, there were double the call members than fulltime members present, standing side by side in full support of each other.

I was never contacted to confirm or comment on any of the allegations by you or anyone else from your newspaper before your article was printed. I have always been willing to talk to you or your reporters about the fire department, I have spend time in your office answering questions for you but in this case you chose to print a one sided article which is unfair to "ALL" the members of the department and the public.

The fire department will continue to respond to emergency calls, train together and continue to provide the best response and services possible to the residents of Groton now and in the future.

Joseph Bosselait, Fire Chief

Groton Fire Department