To the editor:

In the last few weeks there has been a considerable amount of debate in Bristol regarding social and historical issues regarding monuments in town, and while I have very strong feelings on these issues, and feel they need to be addressed by our town leaders, I read an article in last week's Warren Times which could have a profound impact upon every citizen of Bristol and needs to be addressed immediately.

The article highlighted the Warren Town Council approving next year's preliminary town budget, with a major item being the approval of a wage increase for members of the Warren Rescue Squad to $18.00 per hour, which is far more than what Bristol pays its rescue squad members. Once Warren's budget is finalized, the line item for payment to the to the town's rescue squad members will be approximately $509,000, compared with Bristol's current year line item of $172,000.

With this large disparity, many Bristol Rescue Squad members will be drawn to Warren, and with the Bristol Rescue Squad already having a problem with recruitment and retention of members, this huge pay difference will only make things worse. Keep in mind, both the Bristol and Warren Rescue Squads allow members to live out of town or out of state, so it would not be difficult or inconceivable for Bristol members to simply move over to Warren and their much higher pay.

I also realize some people may argue that Bristol has the benefit of a private company who provides initial response to medical emergencies, but keep in mind, that company responds with an SUV which has no patient transport capabilities, and it's the rescue squad members who actually do the heavy lifting and transport the patients to the hospital.

While this was not an issue in the early days of the Bristol Rescue Squad back when emergency calls were few and far between and the rescue squad was little more than a taxi service to the hospital, times have changed drastically, and the rescue squad members of today are highly trained medical professionals who should be compensated accordingly.

As Warren Town Councilor Joe Depasquale stated at the meeting where the raises were approved, "I don't want to buy a hamburger from somebody making more money than somebody coming to save our lives.” The members of the Bristol Town Council should pay close attention to those words, and also pay close attention to the huge pay disparity between the Bristol and Warren Rescue Squads, and take immediate action to make the Bristol pay more equitable with Warren, and make service with the Bristol Rescue Squad more attractive. It's a public health and safety issue that our town council cannot overlook or ignore, and needs to be discussed sooner rather than later.

Mike Proto
245 Chestnut St.
Bristol