begins with today...

Ladies and gentlemen, fellow firefighters and fire officers, elected officials, family and close friends; it gives me great pleasure to stand here before you tonight to accept this position as fire chief. The Gates Fire district and Gates-Chili fire department are entering a new era in the fire service and I am honored to have been offered this opportunity to move our originations forward.

 It’s hard to believe that 31 years ago I was a rookie volunteer firefighter riding on the rear tail board of the fire truck with my coat, helmet and boots in tow. At that time I was told, “here’s your gear, shut up, do what your told and don’t get hurt”.  Dave LaForce, Mark Morningstar and I were known as the “Kiddy Corps” at the time. The old timers kept us kids on the straight and narrow, Tommy Young ( who we just laid to rest last week) Herb Statt, Hank Smalle, Pete & Leo Resch, Stu Williams, just to name a few,  all keep a close eye on us and guided us through the years.

 Jack Haley & Jim Werth were one of my first mentors in the fire service along with several dear friends who are no longer here. Dick Ambeau was the first fire chief I served under; at that time I was Chief of the Fire Explore Post. My role model Mike Sadden taught me so many lessons in such a short period of time that he was with us. All of you guys helped get me here today, and for that I am forever grateful! 

 There is another group of individuals that I want to acknowledge for all there efforts, energy and countless hours they put fourth over the course of the years, that’s our past fire chiefs, I would like to acknowledge each of them and ask that they stand to be recognized as I call your name

Jim Werth, John Haley, Jack Smith, Ralph Ross, Dave Stone, Sam DeRosa, Paul Statt, Kevin Kassman, Dave Richards and John Merklinger.  I will turn to you gentlemen over the course of my career to ask for your wisdom, guidance and advice.

 To the Board of Fire Commissioner,

I want to thank you for showing your vote of confidence in me as fire chief. I will give 110% of myself during my tenure as fire chief. I look forward to working with each of you on new projects and initiatives in the years to come. 

 To the Board of Directors of the Fire Department;

I will do my best to work with you and strengthen the relationships with the chief’s office on matters relating to the good and welfare of the Gates-Chili Fire Department.

 To our Line Officers;

It will be my objective to manage, mentor and guide you; I will do everything to lighten the burden of your jobs in relationship to the paper work and administrative duties that are tagged to your positions. I will encourage you and challenge you to be effective and efficient fire ground managers, this is where you are the most productive.  

 To the firefighters;

I will solicit your comments and ideas to assist me in guiding this organization forward. For years, our department has been considers one of the leading fire service originations in the county, I want to continue this tradition by asking for, and listening to, your constructive comments and recommendations which will move us in a direction to meet our common goals & objectives.

 To my friends from the PSTC;

I will have many fond memories of our days at the Damon City Center and our transactions to the PSTF on Scottsville Rd.

These people who work for the PSTC don’t get the recognition they deserve. Behind the scenes they coordinate and develop the training programs for numerous public safety professionals that pass through this center. My boss & friend, Mike Karnes has done an outstanding job in managing and administering the center. Sue Nupp, Karen Wilson, Guy Rossi, thank you for being a part of my professional life and your friendship.

 To the MCFB & OEP: Steve, Ed, Kevin, Sam, Muffy, Sandy, Christine and Larry. Thank you for all your help and guidance you gave me during my time as a fire instructor. I look forward to the next phase of my career as I will work with you on a regular basis.

 To the RFD Training division; I remember starting with Dep. Chief Privetria as the new kid on the block when went out to Scottsville Rd. Ralph was a real help as we navigated through the first few months at the PSTF. Chief Madison, I want to thank you for the fine men and women who have been assigned to the training division over the years. I especially want to thank Captains, Russ Merrick, David Kaltenbach and Bill Holtz for their cooperation, knowledge and friendship they have extended.

 To my family & friends;

Thanks for being at my side over all these years. There will be times that I will need your ear to bend, or a confidant to talk with. Thanks in advance for being there.

 NOW TO THE TASKS AT HAND:

People have asked me what am I going to do when I get here, what changes am I going to make? I plan on doing some serious listening for the first 3 to 4 months and then formulate an agenda. It will be an exciting time for this organization. Your input will guide me in pointing us in the right direction as we move forward. We will no longer be just a fire department, we will begin to transition into an efficient service organization, providing life safety, property protection, hazardous materials responses, homeland security initiatives and emergencies medical services to a diverse population and community that we have chosen to serve. We will need to provide the best resources and deliver the most efficient services that protect the lives and properties in the Gates Fire District.

 I ask each of you to assist me in establishing a mission statement in order to meet these objectives. I will soloist the input of all our members in order to guide us in reaching the objectives of this mission statement. There will be changes coming and these changes must be managed by established objectives.

 There will be 3 key areas I will pay close attention to and evaluate in my first few months on the job.

 First, Firefighter Health & Safety

I will promote the health, safety and welfare of all our firefighters. I will work with the safety officers to develop an aggressive health and safety program for our staff. On an average, over 100 firefighters lay down their lives in the line of duty each year while an additional 150,000 are injured. It will be my goal and part of this originations mission statement not to have any member of this department become part of those statistics.  

 Fire prevention;

The loss of a mother and her 2 innocent children during a structure fire earlier this year has driven home the importance of an effective fire prevention program. Our current programs place us in schools, businesses, industry and numerous community events on a weekly basis. We will promote the positive aspects of an effective outreach program in our community relating to fire prevention and public education.

 Training;

There are many new and dynamic training programs available to our firefighters through the Monroe County Fire Bureau, The State Office of Fire Prevention and Control and the Nation Fire Academy. All of our firefighters will be encouraged to attend these programs to upgrade their skill sets and enhance their knowledge. I will also concentrate on going back to the basics for some of our in-service training programs. 

 In closing, I would sincerely like to thank every one of you for taking time from your busy schedules to be here with me tonight and for showing me the support, guidance and friendship over the years. I will cherish this evening for many years to come.

 I want to thank Chief DiPoli and Wendy, and the IAFC for being with us tonight. I know you have a very hectic schedule this week and I appreciate you make the necessary arrangement to be here. I look forward to being with you in Denver in 2 weeks to attending you testimonial dinner and recognize you for all your accomplishments as President.

 Lastly, to 2 very special people who have put this all together, Bill Gillette and Karen Uttaro. My heart felt thanks for the countless hours you have put in and for everything you have done to make this a special evening. 

 Ladies and gentlemen, I wish you all the best and may God bless you.   Thank you.