I don't want to be a firefighter.

And I probably wouldn't be good at it.

Most people aren't firefighters, because of the physical, time and training demands, and the risk of dying or winding up in a burn hospital.

Or maybe, like I do, they just know they probably wouldn't be good at it. And only those who are should do it. It’s not a Tuesday night softball league. It’s hazardous work and other people's safety depends on you at fires, accidents and downed lines.

One of the few things a firefighter does that is not in the hazardous realm is washing a vehicle. I am pretty sure of this because it's about the only thing I would feel safe doing if I were a firefighter. In Wiscasset, liability has been cited as a reason not to let firefighters wash their personal vehicles.

That doesn't pass the straight-face test, and it doesn't say much for the stock Wiscasset puts in its firefighters. If they can't be trusted to wash vehicles without something or someone getting hurt, we really shouldn't be sending them to burning buildings.

Probably no one in Wiscasset became a firefighter for the perk of washing their car. But the selectmen's no-you-can't, back-to-back, majority decisions on this in recent weeks could arguably be enough to make some department members feel unsupported enough to walk.

We hope not. And because of the caring they show for us by doing their job, we doubt it will.

In 2014, selectmen went along with naming a road Redskin's Drive. Some people felt the decision didn't reflect well on the town. The board changed the name, at the offer of the road's residents.

How does this chapter with the fire department reflect on Wiscasset? Maybe it can have a different ending, too.