Menlo Park Fire Protection District Chief Harold Schapelhouman in his office on this third day back at work, Jan. 9, 2014. "We got as close to 60 kids getting incinerated that day as you can get," he said.It was even through the fire district that he met the woman who would later become his wife. "Heck yeah, that was awesome!" In the aftermath of the Green Oaks Academy fire, he pushed legislators to mandate that automatic sprinkler systems and fire alarms be installed on school campuses. Fire Schapelhouman's daughter, now 21, was born just months after he returned from a trip abroad to provide search and rescue aid during the Chi Chi earthquake in Taiwan in 1999. Menlo Park Fire Protection District Chief Harold Schapelhouman at his retirement party at Station 1 in Menlo Park on June 28, 2021. Short Retirement Speech 3. It was even through the fire district that he met the woman who would later become his wife. 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. When he first found his way to the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, which serves the communities of Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto and unincorporated areas including North Fair Oaks, it had what he described as a paramilitary culture. "The primary determinant of a successful and satisfying retirement appeared to be directly related to the level of planning that went into it," he wrote. Ceremonious Send-Off For Retiring Fire Chief Terry Mastandrea He pushed for other common-sense measures from local agencies like for the district's emergency response vehicles to be exempted from FasTrak fees and fines when crossing the Dumbarton Bridge during emergency responses. The Fire Service is not just a job or just a profession but rather it is a Calling. As firefighters, we know the value of conducting pre-plans for target hazards in our district and there's great value in applying that strategy to your second career. Photo by Daniela Beltran B. Speech (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Email info@jgpr.net if you wish to be placed on a SPECIFIC email list for your beat, agency or community. Larry Shapiro photo. Your contribution matters. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, If you need further help setting your homepage, check your browsers Help menu, Chief shares details about Calif. firefighters' strip club scandal, I cant breathe: Patient dies after 5 Calif. FF-medics violate policy, Fla. FF files complaint over photo of chief with 'Hitler-style mustache' giving Nazi salute on duty, Video: 6 DCFEMS members placed on leave after physical fight on scene, , "Successful Transformational Change in a Fire and EMS Department: How a Focused Team Created a Revenue Recovery Program in Six Months, Open the tools menu in your browser. The sense of satisfaction and accomplishment was always worth it in the end! WebJ860. Vitas also quietly spoke to Mastandrea as bystanders looked on. Embarcadero Media file photo by Michelle Le. Every department is different, but the common denominator is the people who go out there and do the job. The farewell celebration took place at Easton Fire Station 3. I will look back at my time in the fire service and smile knowing that my service was meaningful. The biggest blessing must be my meaningful collaborations with some of my favorite coworkers over the years. Retirement Speech for An Employee Example: Good afternoon, everyone. The honor guard was followed by Mastandrea, his wife, daughter, two sons and his mother. Over his years as a firefighter and first responder within the fire district, there were plenty of harrowing and traumatic calls, he remembers. Many members of the Whitman Fire Department came out yesterday to show their support, including incoming Fire Chief Timothy Clancy. Most firefighters I've ever had the pleasure to know have worked hard to get their first job. Firefighter Retirement Awards - Tip and Suggestions. With every challenge you face, there will always be someone new at your side willing to help you move mountains if you need it. But there still will be fires, and there will continue to be firefighters. But this department has a great tradition, the fire prevention, and, again, it's not me coming from Washington to tell you that. There were fires in which children perished. Today is a day that we can be very sad at saying goodbye, but instead think of smiling for having Chief Mastandrea for 21 years, and werent we fortunate to have him, said Branding. 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. NY Senate Resolution | NY State Senate At least age 55 with 25 or more years of service you will receive $250 per month. To the members, we have had some good times but change is hard and for me I must step away. Embarcadero Media file photo by Michelle Le. 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. My gratitude extends beyond words as I am leaving behind something thats defined me for over XX years. PR for Police, Fire, Schools and Municipal Government. Your health and wellness moves up on your list of life's priorities. Enter https://www.firerescue1.com/ and click OK. "I took that real hard.". Nothing says you've moved into the second half of life's football game like retirement. It's the most comprehensive and trusted online destination for fire service professionals worldwide. Look for a box or option labeled Home Page (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari) or On Startup (Chrome). It was an emotional and poignant send-off for retiring Lake Zurich Fire Chief Terry Mastandrea on July 15. The Chief touched on it. Schapelhouman was introduced later that night at the Oasis (a beloved Menlo Park watering hole that shuttered in 2018), and the two stayed in touch while she attended college in Santa Barbara. Strength and service: Retired fire chief reflects on his 40-year A firefighter responds to alarms on duty and this ceremony is a reminder of their sacrifice. TheSixFifty.com I received support from all of you.. The others passed on, far too many, not long after retiring, we buried them, folded a flag for the family and placed a gold star on their picture in the Union Hall. Harold Schapelhouman almost didn't become a Menlo Park firefighter.The chief of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, who retired late last month after a 40-year career, was a student when his fellow firefighters in training at the Los Altos Fire Department woke him in the middle of the night and asked him to join them in taking the test for the district.Schapelhouman, then 20, needed some convincing. So please join me in wishing [name] the best as they enter this exciting next phase of life. "After he returned, he said he helped to come up with a five-year agreement with the district's union that provided stability to the organization among other initiatives he's led since returning to the department after his injury. Speech He has remained with the department on an interim basis which concluded Wednesday. I was able to do that. You have to understand that 25 years ago Covington was a different city, and it will evolve over the next 25 years to become whatever it's meant to be and the proud serving members of the Fire, Police, and Public Works will continue to see those changes through. You must enable JavaScript in your browser to view and post comments. 1 and the traditional walk-out ceremony began. Im proud of the accomplishments and improvements weve made in the department and I know Im leaving it in great condition., Client News, Fire News ceremony, Chief Kevin Partridge, Easton Fire Department, retirement. Many others worked for two or three paid-on-call services or comboed a fire department job with an EMS gig before getting that one job that paid enough to make it their sole fire service endeavor. It wasn't an easy job, and there were plenty of dangers and lots of internal pressures within the department. "It's a job where you can find the better part of yourself, if you're looking," he said. I bid farewell to this great organization thats played such a meaningful role in my life. When you return to your former second home, you'll likely feel that you only have visitation rights, especially when you start seeing all those new faces. A short retirement speech will allow you to be concise and still convey your message. Thank you all for everything. Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic. He brought in attorneys to push for his return to the chief position, and took steps to ensure he could still do the job well, like finding specialists to evaluate him and securing the right adaptive equipment. He credits the community and the staff of the district for shaping his life in a profound way. They're getting bigger, and I worry about firefighter safety," he said. In a brief speech given at the annual appreciation banquet in March, he shared She had come to see one of the district's exhibitions with one of the district's administrators. I am confident that if Harold had the choice, he would have been working at the pile in Sunrise Florida rather than being at this retirement ceremony. Easton Fire Department Bids Farewell to Retired The district board also had its own concrete step to commemorate Schapelhouman's legacy in the community. Look no further if youre stuck and need some ideas or inspiration. You can't take it personally or you're going to be a basket case. After Decades of Service to New Yorkers, Fire Commissioner Beyond his writing for FireRescue1.com and FireChief.com, Avsec authors the blog Talking "Shop" 4 Fire & EMSand has published his first book, "Successful Transformational Change in a Fire and EMS Department: How a Focused Team Created a Revenue Recovery Program in Six MonthsFrom Scratch.Connect with Avsec on LinkedIn orvia email.
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