WHO’s in charge?

Kudos to Chief Crowson in Arlington for standing up for the safety of THE PEOPLE, again.

We need more like this.

Read about the Arlington Fire Chief and his plan to keep his town, his team and his citizens safe in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Meet Don Crowson, Arlington's fire chief, who finds himself in a fight with five of those gas companies. He won't back down.

Crowson is right. He wants to build his department's staffing and expertise to respond to emergencies at gas wells in Arlington. It's a matter of public safety, he says.

What's more, he wants the gas companies that operate in Arlington to partner in that effort by jointly paying about $800,000 a year. That works out to $2,454 for each of the 326 wells in the city today.

Not a good idea at all, representatives of Quicksilver Resources, Chesapeake Energy, XTO Energy, Carrizo Oil and Gas and Titan Operating say in a Feb. 17 letter to Mayor Robert Cluck, the City Council and Crowson.

In short, the gas companies want the Fire Department to stay away and let them handle anything that goes wrong at their well sites.

Not gonna happen, says Crowson in his Feb. 21 response letter. Firefighters get the 9-1-1 calls and will respond, and his proposal will give them the training and expertise to do so in a way that will be safe for themselves and the surrounding neighborhood. When they arrive, the Fire Department officer in charge will be exactly that -- in charge.

Some council members are ready to adopt the plan right away.   Remember the names of those WHO aren’t.  There’s always a reason.