Imagine waking to the scream of a smoke detector in the middle of the night and smelling smoke. You call 911, and you gather your family and get outside.

The Winthrop police arrive and inform you of a mechanical failure at the old fire station. The Winthrop volunteer firefighters are trying to get the equipment out of the old and failing station.

The fire trucks arrive not long after but the house is fully engulfed and will be a total loss.

Gone are things like wedding and engagement rings, property deeds, wills, birth certificates, the cars, the cash reserve you kept at home for “just in case,” and everything else. Everything but the pajamas you are wearing.

The items that help define lives are gone forever. And forever lost are items that are intra-generational bridges that help define a family.

Winthrop waited far too long to rehab the old police station. No one wanted to spend the money. Finally that need was satisfied and the capital expenditures were monies very well invested. The Winthrop Police Department needed and deserved the renovated facility.

The Winthrop volunteer firefighters deserve to have a safe and adequate fire station. There never seems to be a “good” time for a community to invest in infrastructure. But there never will be a time in the future when it would cost less to build than taking action now.

My wife and I live on a fixed income and we do not look for ways to spend money. But there comes a time when reasoned need must make the decision.

Winthrop, can we please build a new fire station?

Michael Cameron

Winthrop