1. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. A short retirement speech will allow you to be concise and still convey your message. ET. At one point, a fight broke out, after which Menlo Park firefighters insisted that nobody could save spots in line. The honor guard then led the Mastandrea family back into the firehouse as the crowd cheered. RETIREMENT Opportunity is first, to start that first day of drill school, be given a chance to show what you have learned, and prove, what you can do with that knowledge, an opportunity to make the difference in someone's life, most likely on the worst day of theirs, to be the Company's Front Firefighter on the nozzle of a good hot building on fire, putting it out and being able to say, " We did that." Today, we celebrate and recognize someone exceptional who has made an invaluable difference in our organization. The Almanac Larry It's the most comprehensive and trusted online destination for fire service professionals worldwide. In his Executive Fire Officer Program research paper "Problems and Success Factors Inherent in Fire Service Retirement," Gerald Bates wrote that he found a significant relationship between the participants' rank at the time of retirement and their perception of their personal and social relationships. All rights reserved. - Andrew Bernstein. he was told.He passed the other physical assessments and joined the district in June 1981, beginning his long career with the district that culminated with his retirement June 30 after 40 years of service, the last 15 of which he spent as the district's chief.The Almanac sat down with him on his last day to hear his reflections on a career spent dedicated to protecting and rescuing community members in their times of gravest need.Schapelhouman was born in Canada, and his family moved to Barron Park in Palo Alto when he was about 3 years old. Enter https://www.firerescue1.com/ and click OK. Swing into Spring is Thursday, May 4 in Downtown Palatine! "I almost quit about six months in.". Today, I have many mixed emotions. WebAssistant Chief A.D. Vickery retires after 53 years of dedicated service. "It does take on a rhythm," he said. Over time that equals hours, then days, then weeks that you spend doing nothing but thinking about what shirt to wear. 781-428-3299. Covington Fire Department Captain Dan Frederick Issues It can also be a difficult adjustment for your spouse and family as well; as my wife still tells me from time to time, "You're not the chief anymore." The Best Retirement Speech - The Roanoke Fire Blog NY Senate Resolution | NY State Senate But the physical test was another story. Little did I know that while accomplishing the tasks at hand, I was also gaining something much more valuable friendships with people who have become like family to me. He was cognizant that he only had a few years left until he could be fully vested in the district's pension system and didn't want to get fired or become a "casualty" of the district's board. It was around that time that he stepped back from medic training to focus on search and rescue work and work toward more management-focused roles.Over the years, Schapelhouman kept working in his chosen field, developing a specialty in urban search and rescue operations. "They gave it the best college try they could give it, but he didn't make it," he said. Vickery's Retirement Speech Although I wont be in this office anymore, there are still plenty of contributions yet to come from me and those like me who will carry this legacy forward into our respective futures. It wasn't an easy job, and there were plenty of dangers and lots of internal pressures within the department. Lexipol. Expand on your ideas with the right tone. Remarks at Bloomington Fire Department Awards Ceremony Page last updated on February 18, 2020 at 10:15 am Thank you for the chance publicly to acknowledge my gratitude to all of you, whether you are receiving an award today or not -- all heroes, and we are all grateful to you. He still remembers graphic details from the first death he witnessed on the job, of a man involved in a motorcycle accident on Constitution Drive. Home & Real Estate The district had agreed to let in 100 people, first come, first served, and while in line, the friends were alarmed to see their positions grow farther and farther back as people arrived and cut in with friends who'd been saving them spots. He also thanked Eastons firefighters for their continued hard work and commitment to the community: The bottom line is that were all here to help the residents of Easton. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Hostage situations.And, in the 1980s, there were many difficult calls due to the heroin epidemic and high crime rates, yielding a grim and repeating rhythm of "shooting, stabbing, assault, overdose," Schapelhouman said.There were also challenging calls that came from scientific laboratory sites like Raychem and SRI, he said. But life goes on and while Im grateful for the wonderful memories with all of you, I also look forward to new challenges ahead. "Somebody has to do the dirty work," he said. Its a time to reflect on all the amazing moments experienced over the years and celebrate the future ahead. At one point, he said, he and his wife had a serious conversation. Spotlight Experiences like that were especially scary because the responders didn't know what hazardous chemicals they might have been exposed to.And then there were the regular house fires with their own complexities, like when two overlapping roofs at a house on Altschul Avenue created a hidden fire, causing the roof to collapse immediately after a new fire chief had commanded him to step away. Woman charged for fatal wrong-way crash on I-280 last weekend, Foothill-De Anza names four finalists to be next chancellor, Around Town: Palo Alto gets ready to celebrate 99th annual May Fete Parade, Take a look back at April with our month-end local news quiz, Special-education classrooms destroyed in possible arson at Cubberley Community Center. Woman charged for fatal wrong-way crash on I-280 last weekend, Foothill-De Anza names four finalists to be next chancellor, Around Town: Palo Alto gets ready to celebrate 99th annual May Fete Parade, Take a look back at April with our month-end local news quiz, Special-education classrooms destroyed in possible arson at Cubberley Community Center, "They gave it the best college try they could give it, but he didn't make it," he said. Meanwhile, those risks Schapelhouman was taking also had an impact on his home life, he said. Another 40 years from now, he said, he's hoping the district will continue to adapt by gaining knowledge, technology and convenience through automation. Visitor Info, Send News Tips