Put premium on fire safety for homes A slippery goal

I have been a nursing home administrator for the past 16 years, and it is especially disturbing to me that eight residents died from a recent fire at a nursing home in Nashville. These lives may have been saved if the building had a sprinkler system.

The State of Ohio has always been in the forefront nationally in enforcing fire safety standards. Since 1972, all nursing homes are required to be fully sprinklered. Furthermore, Ohio strictly enforces the use of smoke detectors, fire alarms, and smoke containment. Nursing homes must also follow strict rules with respect to fire drills and maintenance of safety equipment. Although no building exists that is 100 percent fire-proof, Ohio nursing homes certainly are mandated to be as safe as possible.

Federal regulators and nursing home industry leaders should be called upon to follow Ohio's lead. In this day and age, not having a sprinkler system in a building with compromised residents is not acceptable. Multiple deaths in a nursing home as a result of a fire is a true tragedy because they could have been prevented by simply installing sprinkler systems.

ROBERT C. DENNIE

Waterville

Recently I watched shows on CSPAN where Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz were guests at universities or think tanks. Wherever it was, there wasn't much security, because there were several instances of dissenters screaming epithets and swearing at the guests.

It wasn't a bit nice to watch, but the thought crossed my mind: This is probably almost the only way that dissenters have of voicing their objections to the messages of our estimable secretaries of defense.

The cable networks invariably give us the insipid format of two politically motivated pundits or talking heads talking over each other with absolutely no thought in evidence.

Or else we get all the President's men or women talking and talking about the reasons for the war. There is no reasoned dissent. There is, however, plenty of reasoned debate on these issues, but we never hear it.

The war was a complete hype job, with no dissent permitted. Now we are expected to spend $87 billion to straighten out the mess that the administration has caused without consulting us. I won't buy it, and neither should the rest of the American people.

THOMAS G. GREGORY

Sylvania

Got Grease?

I have a suggestion that may prevent injuries to those removing goal posts after football games.

Instead of spending thousands of dollars on designing new goal posts that may still be scaled, the University of Toledo Rocket cheerleaders could start a national tradition by “Greasing the Goals” during halftime ceremonies.

It would be nearly impossible to shimmy up the poles and quite entertaining to watch those foolish enough to try.

BOBBI HANSON

Waterville