Vote for new Antioch fire district

There is an untruth in the news about the fire district that needs to be addressed. I would like to set the record straight.

The first fire district did not buy the Old Stoughton fire engine. The village of Antioch purchased the 1923 Stoughton fire truck in May of 2007. It was the first fire truck that Antioch ever had. It was made available to Antioch, and the village bought the completely refurbished truck for $15,000.

The truck currently has a value of $45,000. The people of the township did not pay one dime for that 1923 fire engine.

The fire district is trying to man three stations with too little budget to get the job done. I realize that no one wants his or her taxes to go up, but what happens in the face of a true disaster? I would not want to wait for a fire truck to come all the way from the other side of Antioch, much less from Fox Lake, Trevor, Wis., Kenosha, or McHenry, if my home were on fire, especially if I lived down Grass Lake Road, or down 173.

The Antioch station is manned because it is centrally located, and a crew can go in any direction if an alarm goes off. But what happens if there are two different emergencies called in close together? Would you want your house to be the second call into 911 emergency? I wouldn't!

We aren't protecting the investments we have in our homes, if we don't increase the money that those stations require to run properly, and efficiently.

Without an increase to the fire district, the people of the township are at risk, whether you want to believe it or not. If you have property out in the township, please find out for yourselves, what this means to you, and your family. Don't let other people convince you to vote no for something that could not only save your home, but members of your family in that home. I sincerely hope that you really look long, and hard at this before you go to the polls. Please vote yes, for the first fire district.

Mary Turner

Antioch