Woman who blasts use of fire trucks for funeral tells TV station we can’t handle the truth
Not quite a quote from “A Few Good Men” but Rhonda Appelgate let’s us know we can’t handle the truth. The woman from Nevada, Iowa who plans to run for City Council in the Fall told KCCI-TV’s Rose Heaphy yesterday (Thursday), “I tell the truth. They don’t want to hear the truth.”
Lots of firefighters across the country let Appelgate know it’s not that they don’t want to hear the truth, but they would just rather not hear her. The video Appelgate posted of Wednesday’s funeral procession for Colo Fire Chief Mark Farren, who died of cancer Sunday, now has almost 350,000 views and more than 3500 comments. As I predicted after looking at her past, there would be no apology from Appelgate for saying it was not appropriate to have fire apparatus in the procession honoring Chief Farren.
Appelgate not only didn’t apologize, she doubled down. After being so widely criticized Rhonda Appelgate posted this on her Facebook page:
And then Appelgate capped her day with the TV interview reminding us if we don’t like her opinion we can move on.
While I wish the firefighters in Nevada no ill will and admire the department’s director, Ray Reynolds, for his classy response to this idiocy, I sure hope Appelgate wins the election. It’s just hard to find this type of quality entertainment.
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Rose Heaphy, KCCI-TVAfter a fellow citizen reached out to her, she posted a video of the procession on her Facebook page and said it was “an inappropriate use of emergency vehicles.”
“Shouldn’t we hold them accountable for these things? How come they can use it and other people can’t use it? Many people do things good and honorable, but we don’t go to these extents and put people on a pedestal,” said Appelgate.
Nevada Fire Department leaders said processions like these aren’t a question of cost, but one of tradition.
“I would think after 40 years of dedicating his entire life to someone other than himself, boy the last thing we could do was dedicate a little time,” said Ray Reynolds, director of the Nevada Fire and EMS Department.
