2007 CONVENTION MINUTES

 

Saturday, September 1, 2007, 121st Annual Convention of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association, Montville Township High School, Montville, N. J. at 9:10 in the morning. President Joseph Pawlak presiding.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to call the Convention to order, please.

     Announcements of the exits, my left, your right; to my right, your left; two in the rear.  If there is any problem, there will be an announcement made from the podium here.  We will now have the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag led by Vice President Robert Myers.

 

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

     Pledge of Allegiance led by Second Vice President Robert H. Myers Jr.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  We will now have the Boonton Color Guard present the colors.

 

PRESENTATION OF COLORS

     Presentation of the Colors by the Boonton Color Guard.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  We will now have the National Anthem sung by soloists Anthony Questa, Stefon Gaines and Sherri Brown.

 

NATIONAL ANTHEM

     The National Anthem sung by soloists Anthony Questa, Stefon Gaines and Sherri Brown

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Color guard, retire colors.

 

Colors are retired

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Now, the opening Prayer given by Past President Bill Doherty.

 

OPENING PRAYER

 

     PAST PRESIDENT DOHERTY:  As we begin our proceedings today, let us begin asking for God's blessing for all that we will accomplish. Let us pray.  Almighty Father and Everlasting Father of us all, and our hope for years to come, We who You have called to a service of others, ask Your blessings on each of us as we gather on this occasion of the annual meeting of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association.  Give us wisdom to understand and direction as we discuss the issues of this convention, and let us make decisions which will affect the life of this association and those it serves in the years ahead. May a spirit of harmony, peace and mutual respect prevail over the meeting so that this association may move forward in serving others.  In God's name we pray.  Amen.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  We will now have a welcome address from Executive Committeeman and Past President Frank Wheatley.  Everyone can be seated.

 

WELCOME ADDRESS

 

     PAST PRESIDENT WHEATLEY:  Thank you, Mr. President.  Fellow firefighters, delegates, life members and guests, I'd like to welcome you to Morris County and the 121st Annual Convention of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association.  On behalf of all the delegates and life members, I wish to extend my gratitude and sincere appreciation to the Boonton Fire Department and the Boonton Exempt Firemen's Association for being our host for the convention, along with their 116th anniversary and firemen's parade.  This past year they worked very hard and have had many meetings.  You and your family and all are invited to the festivities at their carnival at Boonton High School at the end of the parade.  In closing, I would like to thank you for attending today.  Enjoy the convention and the day, and have a safe trip home.  Thank you.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  We will do a little change in the program here, we have scheduling conflicts.  I'd like to bring up next, Senator Anthony Bucco to give a short address.

 

     SENATOR BUCCO:  Thank you, Mr. President.  Good morning everyone.  Today's service is intended to honor and remember the many men and women who put their lives on the line fighting valiantly against the devastation wrought by fires.  On the eve of our country's celebration of Labor Day, marking those who have worked to build this great country that we live in, it's very fitting to take a moment to give thanks for the courageous actions of our state's firefighters who protect our home and our families often at great personal sacrifices.  It is not enough, however, to just reflect upon their heroic efforts. It is everyone's responsibility as citizens of this state to ensure that your noble efforts are not overlooked or undervalued.  I am very excited to have this opportunity to speak to you today as you mean so much to the safety of our children and families.  Along with our police officers, no one else jeopardizes their own health as much or works harder to protect our safety as much as the men and women of the municipal fire departments here and throughout New Jersey.  All of us, elected officials to hard working taxpayers, to school children and their parents, owe you a debt of gratitude for your tireless diligence and selfless dedication to your communities.  Volunteering to be a firefighter is both a physical and emotional commitment that requires a great deal of time and energy.  This fact is often overlooked until we as residents notice these valiant firefighters during an emergency in their community.  You rush into the fire not away from it, to protect those things that are most precious to all of us.  I thank you, God bless you and keep you all, and keep up the good work.  I want to apologize for not being able to stay for your meeting; I have another commitment that I have to go to, and I thank you for allowing me to come on early to speak.  God bless you all and thank you again.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  We will now have the community service award.

 

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

 

     MR. GLUCKLER:  Firefighters on earning their exemption, have already shown their willingness to help their fellow citizens in the dangerous job of fire suppression.  Most have never had the opportunity to be a hero, but the one we want to honor has been the backbone of his company, not only at a call but in keeping with the company's work.  He might spend extra time attending meetings of mutual aid or county or state organizations.  He might be the one that does all of the work for Fire Prevention Week, or in other contacts with the community.  He might just be the one who grabs a broom and keeps the truck bay neat, or who putters around outside the firehouse keeping the landscaping looking good. Perhaps the most important part of his activity will be his activities in the community.  He will be active in Little Leagues, Scouting, church activities and any other place he finds that he can help.  He volunteers for the personal pride that he feels and not for the publicity.  He will be a currently active member of an Exempt Firemen's Association.  The award will be based on:  Service to his fire company or department.  Service to the fire service in general, and service to the community.  The award this year is given to Thomas P. Sheridan of Morristown.  Mr. President.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Thank you, Frank. Tom?

 

     Standing ovation

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  This is a three-part Award: The first part is the plaque.  The plaque says "New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association Community Service Award 2007 presented to Thomas P. Sheridan, September 1, 2007."

 

     VICE PRESIDENT EGBERT:  The Association would also like to present a small token of our appreciation monetarily.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Mr. Sheridan would like to say a couple of words.

 

     MR. SHERIDAN:  I'd like to thank the committee for presenting this award to me.  And I'd like to thank Norman for including my name in for the candidate.  These are my two sons along with me in the fire department in Morristown.  This is very nice, I appreciate it, and thank you all.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Thank you all for coming, we appreciate it.  Next, we will have the reading of the Call to the Convention by Secretary Thomas J. Haborak, Sr.

 

CALL TO THE CONVENTION

     SECRETARY HABORAK:  To the Local Associates of the Exempt Firemen affiliated with the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association, Incorporated.  The 121st Annual Convention hosted by the Boonton Fire Department and the Boonton Exempt Firemen's Association will be held at Montville High School, 100 Horseneck Road, Montville, New Jersey, Saturday, September 1, 2007.  Convention convenes at 9 a.m. sharp.  Thank you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Thank you, Tom. Now, we are going back to the addresses of welcome.  We have Chief Peter Herbert, Boonton Fire Department.

 

WELCOME ADDRESSES CONTINUED

 

     CHIEF HERBERT:  Good morning.  On behalf of the men and women of the Boonton Fire Department, I welcome you here to Morris County and wish you success on your 121st Convention of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association.  I'd like to take a minute and thank our president of the Boonton Exempts, ex-chief Ray Ryerson, and the Convention Committee of Kevin Osborne, Dick Dandrea and Ron Taylor for the work in coordinating today's meeting.  The event, of course, would not have happened without the cooperation of brother and sister firefighters down in Montville, led by Chief John Osborne.  Boonton Fire Department thanks the Montville Township Board of Education and especially their custodial staff, thanking them for letting us use their very nice facility here.  Thanks also go out to the Montville Township Ladies Auxiliary for the coffee this morning.  They are a wonderful group.  I have had the opportunity over the last couple of years to be fed and watered by them very late at night at fires and they are a very welcome sight and they are a wonderful organization, an asset to the Montville Fire Department.  As Frank Wheatley mentioned this morning earlier, we are hosting the Firemen's Parade on Main Street, Boonton, it starts off at 1:30. We have over 70 fire companies registered for the parade this afternoon.  The weather looks wonderful, so we hope to see you all on Main Street and continue on down to Boonton High School where we continue with our annual carnival.  Hope to see many you of there.  Have a successful convention and a very safe trip home. Thank You.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Thank you, Chief. Now, we have Chief John Osborne from the Montville Fire Department.

 

     CHIEF OSBORNE:  Good morning every one.  I'd like to welcome everyone to Montville High School.  I think my compadre over there, Pete Herbert, said it all.  Have a successful convention.  We have a beautiful day and we hope to see you on Main Street also, I'll be there to cook cheese burgers, so stop over to see me.  Enjoy the

day.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Now, Ray Ryerson, President of the Boonton Exempt Association.

 

     MR. RYERSON:  I'd like to welcome every- body here for the Convention.  Hope you have a good day here.  The weather is good; come down to the field after the parade, eat healthy, and have a safe trip home.  Thank You.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Thank you, Ray. Now, we have the mayor of the town of Boonton, Cyril Wekilsky.

 

     MAYOR WEKILSKY:  Thank you very much.  I think by now you do know that you are not in Boonton, you are in Montville; however, Boonton is hosting the convention.  I'm very Pleased to be able to come here and welcome all of you and invite you to the parade and to the carnival that takes place in the high school field. It's a beautiful day and I appreciate everybody coming out here.  Thank you very much and have a good time.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Now, Robert Looker, Fire Commissioner, Town of Boonton.

 

     MR. LOOKER:  Good morning, gentlemen. Thank you for attending and thank you for bringing some good weather; last night was really a disaster, so, everybody is enjoying the nice weather.  I have a proclamation I'd like to read from the Town of Boonton.  WHEREAS, the Town of Boonton is proud to welcome the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association which today holds its convention in conjunction with the Boonton Fire Department's Labor Day Celebration, a long-honored tradition in our town; and WHEREAS, the Governing Body and the People of the Town Boonton recognize the tremendous sacrifices you have all made for the safety and well-being of the great State of New Jersey; we admire your bravery, your years of hard work and dedication; and. WHEREAS, the Town of Boonton wishes to recognize the mutual respect and camaraderie that exists among firefighters.  This convention is evidence that this friendship extends beyond local fire companies and includes the entire New Jersey firefighting community; Now, therefore, I, Fire Commissioner Robert Looker, on behalf of the Governing Body and the people of Boonton do hereby extend our warmest welcome to the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association and express our deepest gratitude for its service to our state and its constituent communities.  Thank you.  And, everyone, have a good day.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  We will move onto The guest list from the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association.  First on the list is Christopher Assenheimer, President of the New Jersey State Fire Chiefs.

 

     PRESIDENT ASSENHEIMER:  Thank you very much, Mr. President.  Thanks for inviting me to your 2007 Annual Convention.  I'm honored to be here representing the New Jersey State Fire Chiefs Association.  As you may know, the New Jersey State Fire Chiefs Annual meeting will take place on Thursday, September 13 at one o'clock in the Wildwood Convention Center.  I'd like to invite everyone here to that meeting.  In addition, anyone interested in joining our Association can contact me or another officer.  Information is available on our web site at www.njchiefs.com. Have a great convention and remember to stay safe.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Next, we have C. Kenneth Anderson, who is filling in for Paul Roman, president of the New Jersey Fire and Emergency Medical Services Institute.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT ANDERSON:  Thank you, Mr. President.  I was really just going to include this in the report but, President Roman was invited to the convention as a guest, and one of his other duties is as EMS coordinator in Monmouth County, and he has to be there over Labor Day Weekend.  So he has asked me to express, first, his apologies for being unable to be here, but also to represent him and thanks for the cooperation of this Association through the years and hope that we will continue to support the work of the Institute.  Thank you.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Next we have Mike Kendzierski, Vice Chairman of the Board of Managers of the New Jersey State Firemen's Home.

 

     MR. KENDZIERSKI:  Greetings from the New Jersey Firemen's Home from all our guests, staff and the Board of Managers.  We have the honor of having several of our guests at this convention today.  We thank the Exempt Convention Committee for inviting them, especially, since our Firemen's Home is in Boonton.  This is very personal to us all here. At present we have 70 guests at the Firemen's Home.  This number does vary month to month. We are constantly improving our facilities at the New Jersey Firemen's Home.  We have completed two major renovations at the present time; one for the antiquated kitchen and dining hall, and one for Dormitory B.  Dormitory B is being renovated to Increase our long-term beds from 69 to 76.  Both major projects are addressing the present and the future needs of our firefighters to better serve them to make their stay at the Home much better. There has been discussion by various firefighter associations concerning a firemen's facility serving south Jersey in addition to our facility in Boonton.  The Board of Managers is addressing this option and other options as to their financial impact and feasibility.  If an option can be justified and funds are available, then this would become a joint venture of the New Jersey State Firemen's Association and the Board of Managers. Our professional staff operates 24/7 and totals 105.  Managing the Home and making sure the care of our guests is superior to the rigid requirements as required by the State statutes and the New Jersey Board of Health is demanding for the staff and Board of Managers, but, believe me guys, it's extremely rewarding.  Presently, there are expensive private insurance plans available that will cover future nursing home care.  New Jersey firefighters do not require an expensive insurance plan for the New Jersey Firemen's Home.  Your plan is free.  Please keep this in mind.  No one here at this convention, delegates, life member or guests wants to be a resident at a nursing home, but presently there are 70 guests at the Firemen’s Home who once thought the same way.  Remember one thing, in the future you might be a guest of the Firemen's Home.  Support the Home because the Home belongs to you.  It could be the greatest financial benefit you have as a New Jersey firefighter.  To be eligible to be admitted to the Firemen's Home, you only have to be a New Jersey firefighter for one year, you do not have to be in a local Relief association or a life member or an exempt firefighter to be eligible.  This is important.  Keep in contact with the various associations, keep the contact with your senior firefighters who are no longer associated with their fire company because they are still eligible to be admitted to the Firemen's Home if required.  Remember, once a New Jersey firefighter, always a New Jersey firefighter.  On a lighter side, in May 2007 the Firemen's Home had its first annual golf tournament which was a huge success in both sponsor and golf  participation.  The 2008 golf tournament will be next May.  We appreciate your support in 2007 and looking forward to your continued and increased support in 2008.  There are many items concerning the Firemen's Home, however, there's not enough time to discuss it all in detail.  If you have any questions or concerns, see me after the convention or contact your local county Manager.  In conclusion, thanks for having a representative from the Firemen's Home at your annual convention and, again, our guests from the Home thank you.  Thank you.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  The more I think of it, we were supposed to have six guests here from the Home today, I honestly don't know if they made it.  Are they here?  Yes, they are.  Ladies and gentlemen, please give them a hand.

 

     Standing ovation

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Thank you very much.  It's a pleasure to have you here, gentlemen. Believe me, we will do everything we can for that Home.  It's not going away.  Also, with us today, we should have the Superintendent from the Home, Frank Infante, for introduction and recognition only.  Frank, would you just stand so every one can see you, please?  Thank you very much.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  I spoke with Frank the other day, he's doing a fantastic job.  If you haven't been to the Home, you should get there. Frank brought a lot of stuff out of the attic and all types of memorabilia are now hanging on the walls.  He's done a very good job.  Next, I'd like to introduce to you the President of the New Jersey State Firemen's Association, H. Leigh Peterson.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PETERSON:  Thank you, Mr. President.  Good morning.  It's a pleasure to address you, the delegates and life members and officers, here in Montville this year.  I have a few updates from the New Jersey State Firemen's Association, although many of you might have heard this at your local county caucuses, I apologize for that, because I think these things still need to get out.  The first thing, I have neglected to mention it at most of the caucuses, was that past Counsel Barry Parker took on a project to put the history together for the New Jersey Firemen's Home -- yeah, I'll be all right – well, that's true too, New Jersey State Firemen's Association, but it does include some of the history of the New Jersey Firemen's Home also. This was a big endeavor.  He spent a lot of hours in it.  The booklet has been presented to us and printed and distributed to all the local associations. Thank you Mr. President; he happened to have a copy with him.  Unfortunately, we can't mail these out in mass.  But within the last couple of weeks, I took it upon myself and I had it added to our web site.  So, if you do go into the web site, it's there, and right on the top, before you start the report, there is a PDF file.  If you click on that, you can print it out, you can make all the copies you want. Again, I'd like to thank Mr. Parker and all those that assisted to get this done.  At the Convention this year, once again, there will be a blood drive Friday morning and, also, Deborah will be there to do blood pressure, blood screening.  I encourage you all to take advantage of those services.  As of July 1, 2007, the burial fund was increased to $9,000, with line of duty increased to $27,000. This year eight resolutions were received and were reviewed by the Resolution Committee in June

and July, as previously agreed.  Six of them are in order and will appear on the ballot.  Although two of the resolutions will not appear, one was recently withdrawn by the local association that submitted it.  An invitation was extended to Governor Corzine to address our convention.  We received a tentative time schedule for the first session on Friday.  Again this year the memorial service will be the first order of business on the second session Saturday morning.  Also, a firemen's mass will be held again on Saturday evening, St. Ann's Church in Wildwood at 5:15 p.m., and we encourage all to attend.  Again, through the joint efforts of the New Jersey Firemen's Home Board of Managers, staff and the Bergen County Firemen's Association, we are pleased to report we have received a list of guests, 27 guests, to attend the Convention this year.  We should all extend our thanks for all who make this possible.  Also take a moment on Friday to stop and talk to these gentlemen, as they are our brothers.  As most of you already know, I'm not running for re-election this year, as I believe it's time for me to step down as president. I have had the pleasure of serving the past 13 years as secretary, vice president and currently president.  It has been a most rewarding 13 years and I feel we have made progress in the best interest of the New Jersey State Firemen's Association.  I thank each and every one of you that supported me in the past and request that you extend the same courtesy to the incoming officers. In closing, I thank you all for your undivided attention and again for your past support.  I look forward to seeing you all in Wildwood.  Thank you and God bless America.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Kevin Finnegan, who is the Executive Committeeman from Morris County for the New Jersey State Firemen's Association.  Kevin.

 

     MR. FINNEGAN:  Thank you, Mr. President. Officers, delegates, life members and guests, on behalf of the 37 local Relief associations, I would like to welcome you to Morris County.  I wish you success with your Convention, a safe trip home, and see you in Wildwood.  Thank You.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Next, we have Pat Wiles, President of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Firemen of the State of New Jersey.  Pat.

 

     PRESIDENT WILES:  Good morning.  Thank you for inviting me to your 121st Annual Convention in Boonton.  I'd like to tell you about a project called "Pennies for Play" that was brought up at our meeting.  Several months ago I read an article in the newspaper describing how a group of firefighters from the New Jersey State Firemen's Mutual Benevolent Association were involved with New Jersey school children raising funds to build playgrounds for children hardest hit by natural disasters.  The "Pennies for Play" program had New Jersey school children collect pennies and other loose change, which these firemen used to build the playgrounds.  This great effort made a big difference to the young boys and girls in the Gulf Coast that had their lives tragically touched by Hurricane Katrina and other children similarly affected by other disasters nation-wide.  The article described how this touching effect began. After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the young school children from the North Bay Elementary School in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, decided to send some support to the New Jersey firefighters who had contributed their help to New York City.  When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast two years ago, the firemen that were touched by the same thoughtfulness of those same children, went to visit them in February 2006.  While there, the firefighters saw firsthand not only the children's physical community destroyed, but also how emotionally difficult it was for them as well. When asked by the firefighters, the students told them what they wanted most was a new playground to replace the old one destroyed by Katrina.  Twenty-one New Jersey FMBA members returned two months later in April 2006 and built them a state-of-the-art playground. These men returned again to the South to build more.  The New Jersey FMBA helped raise funds for the charity "Save the Children" to support their after school, child care, and structured activity programs in the Gulf Coast as they continue to help the children work through their trauma.  When I first read the story in the newspaper in March, I was touched by the firefighters' generosity and commitment to the young children who were truly devastated by Hurricane Katrina.  At our State Convention next month, I will ask that this program, "Pennies for Play" be added to our agenda so we can discuss ending them a donation.  Once again, our New Jersey firefighters volunteer after a natural disaster and truly made a world of difference.  Thank You.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Next, we have Barbara Wylie, Second Vice President of the Ladies Auxiliary of the New Jersey State Firemen's Association.

 

     MS. WYLIE:  Good morning and thank you for inviting me here.  It is a pleasure to be here. Our organization is in the process of having our annual convention in October.  And last year we got involved with the Sunshine Fund for children that are either critically ill, terminally ill, or severely under privileged, and it's sponsored by police and firemen of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.  The children that we sponsored last year flew out of Mercer County Airport to a farm or a ranch in Orlando and then went either to Universal, or Disney, whatever their wish was. And we struggled this year to hopefully send five

more children.  If anyone knows of a candidate, they can get in touch with me or my organization and we will submit that name.  Anything that we can do to help you, we are here to support you. God bless you and have a very healthy year and a very safe trip home.  Thank you.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  I need to know is Bill Lavin here from the FMBA?  Okay, very good.  Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to move on to our keynote speaker.

 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

 

Ron Kanterman entered the fire service in 1975 in Brooklyn, New York.  In 1980 he was assigned to the FDNY Fire Prevention Bureau, where he served as an inspector, senior inspector, supervising inspector, deputy chief inspector and assistant chief inspector.  He commanded the FDNY fireworks unit and the Manhattan Suppression Systems for six years.  In 1989, he took a position as the Assistant Chief of Fire

Protection for a Fortune 100 company in New Jersey and was promoted to Chief of Emergency Services, in 1994.  He has a B.A. in Fire Service Administration and an MS in Fire Protection Management both from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.  He also holds a Master's Degree in Environmental Science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.  Chief Kanterman is an adjunct professor of Fire Science at Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey and the John Jay College Graduate Program of Protection Management.  He is a past President of the Union County Fire Chiefs Association, the New Jersey Society of Fire Service Instructors and the Linden Industrial Mutual Aid Council.  Chief Kanterman holds memberships with the NFPA, IAFC, SFPE and is a nationally Certified Fire Protection Specialist.  He is also on the Executive Leadership Team and is the Administrator for the

National Fire Academy Alumni Association and is an Adjunct Instructor for the National Fire Academy.  He has published numerous articles in periodicals such as Industrial Fire Safety and Fire Engineering, where he is listed as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board.  He also writes for Fireengineering.com and sits on the Educational Advisory Committee for the Fire Department Instructor's Conference (FDIC, FDIC West & FDIC East.)  Chief Kanterman is a volunteer Call Force firefighter in, and the OEM Coordinator for, the borough of North Plainfield.  Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce Chief Ron Kanterman.

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN:  You put them to sleep.  Joe, thanks.  Good morning.

 

     CONVENTION BODY:  Good morning.

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN:  This is the first place I have ever been to when anybody got up and said good morning and people actually said good morning back.  Couple of observations of things before I get on with my formal remarks. Everybody got up here and took credit for the nice sunny day, but nobody thanked Father Ryan. Thanks Father Ryan, number one.  Number two, where is Glenn Wilson?  I never met Glenn before today.  Glenn is walking around giving out cards, he's running for office of an organization.  Glenn, if you run out of cards, you already gave me seven.  Glen is running for something, I'm not sure what it is, but good luck, buddy.  The 121st Convention.  I just need to know right off the bat,

because I'm going to talk about history here, and I look around the room and history is in the room.

But, Kenny Anderson, how was the first convention?

 

     Laughter

 

     PAST PRESIDENT ANDERSON:  I can't remember.

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN:  Thank you, can't remember.  If you have a cell phone, by the way, turn it down or vibrate; two reasons:  You won't disturb what's going on here and it feels good when the phone rings.  So President Pawlak, Executive Board, most important, fellow firefighters, we have had a bad year, so far. Eighty-six line of duties to date.  The Charleston nine, three in New York, two in Boston on Wednesday, and a volunteer chief of paramedics right here in New Jersey in July.  The thing about this is somehow we always seem to bounce back. We've had dark days, 9/11; Worcester, Massachusetts; Keokuk, Iowa; the Waldbaum's fire in Brooklyn in 1978; the 23rd Street fire in Manhattan in the '60's.  I think it's our rich history that helps us to regroup and go forward.  You knock us down but you can never count us out. The American firefighter will not crawl up in a ball and go away.  We come back harder and

faster; it's who we are and what we are.  I have a little saying, it's not -- maybe I did invent it, I'm not sure, I will take credit for it, it's okay.  You can't know where you are going until you know where you have been.  So why don't we all buckle up and take a bit of a ride?  For those of you from out of state, welcome to New Jersey, where a stop sign is merely a suggestion.  Caesar Augustus in 23BC organized the first fire fighting force of 600 men, which was formed and stationed at the gates to the City of Rome.  Great idea.  But our boy Caesar had some problems:  First off, they were slow to respond and had a hard time putting themselves in harms way.  Well, that shouldn't be a surprise.  How many of you here have fought

fires in a loin cloth?  Anybody?  Nobody, okay? Just asking.

 

     A DELEGATE:  Ken Anderson.

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN:  Ken Anderson, right.  Eventually these slaves were replaced with volunteers.  What a concept, right?  In 6AD another bad fire had spawned a group of full-time professional firefighters.  That would be Local 1 of the IAFF.  They were set up in battalions and the chief wore a gold loin cloth.  Does that ringing in my ear bother anybody? (Cell phone ringing in audience.)

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN:  The chief wore a gold loin cloth, by the way, and they were paid from the city coffers.  This is my favorite, if you were negligent as a homeowner, where the fire started, you became dinner for Simba and the pride; to the lions, if it was your fault.  That's what I call accountability.  Caesar had a hell of a sense of humor.  (Cell phone ringing in audience.)  That ringing in my ear doesn't bother anybody?

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN:  Early conflagrations in our new-found country got people to take notice.  First the Jamestown settlement burned in 1608.  In 1622 Plymouth, Massachusetts burned to the ground.  The first American firefighters were those people who lived in Jamestown.  They were going to jobs 100 years before Ben Franklin was born.  I guess aluminum studs, dry wall and asbestos roof shingles weren't invented yet either. So, that's the way it goes.  What you heard was "we are going to need more buckets," that was the battle cry.  And then Governor Peter Stuyvesant, New Amsterdam, later to become New York, got the first fire prevention code prohibiting wooden chimneys.  Hello.  My daughter would say, "duh." There's a lot of guys about my age or better; anybody a little bit younger that might have a teenager in the house?  Anybody have a teenager in the house?  You didn't know how stupid you

were until you have a teenager, right?  I found out how stupid I was from my teenager.  People were

assessed fines for fires they were found to be negligent for.  Well, that's better than being thrown to the lions any day.  Good old Peter set up a fire watchman system, patrolled the streets at night looking for fire.  The first law pertaining to arson was passed in Maryland in 1638 and carried the death penalty.  That's what I'm talking about.  So, who started the first organized fire company after he started the first

insurance company?  Everybody knows this.

 

     CONVENTION BODY:  Ben Franklin.

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN:  Ben Franklin, right. What year?  Kenny?

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN:  I'll give you a break, 1736.  He wrote papers on fire prevention and said, "one could hazard their neck jumping from a window while the house would be burning."  Well, yeah.  He lived in a completely combustible era, wooden houses, wooden walkways, wooden furniture and even wooden teeth.  What did he expect?  More insurance companies popped up and each had its own fire company which would respond to the insured's place of business or home denoted by a fire mark on the doorway.  You collectors out there know what I'm talking about. Things really got going, because the insurance company now had a vested interest.  They promulgated their own regulations, looked for non-combustible structures and even fixed systems, but they'd have to wait for 100 years for Parmalee and Grinnell to invent the automatic sprinkler system.  They also had guys called, these are my favorite, they were called plug uglies. Anybody ever hear of plug uglies?  Check this out, these were the guys that were connected to the individual independent fire companies who would run ahead and claim a hydrant or claim the fire

plug, and then they would kind of duke it out with another guy from the other fire company. Anybody have plug uglies hanging around the firehouse still?  I got three or four.  The 19th Century brought us the Great Chicago fire, Peshtigo, Wisconsin fire and the Boston conflagration.  I wonder what happened to those fire watch guys Stuyvesant set up in 1600? Oh, well.  20th Century, Hoboken, New Jersey waterfront, Jacksonville, Florida industrial fire, the Coconut Grove Night Club in Boston, the Navy carrier USS Constellation in dry dock in Brooklyn, the Beverly Hills Supper Club in South Gate, Kentucky in the '70s, Our Lady of Angels in Chicago, the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Dupont Plaza Fire in Puerto Rico, 9/11, and the Station Night Club in Rhode Island, just a couple of short years ago.  You know, we reach turning points in our career as firefighters.  I was speaking at the National Fire Academy and I met a chief in his 50s, the first day in my class, and everybody is introducing themself, and he says, "I'm the chief of such and such in Kentucky but I grew up in a town called South Gate."  And the light went on in my head.  And I interrupted him and said "what do you know about the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire in '77?"  He says "I was on the second engine."  I said, "we need to talk."  I heard it right from the horse's mouth.  He also graced us with a 50-minute presentation good for the price, ”Turning Points."  I'm with the FBI six or seven years ago standing in a convention center, somehow we got on historical fires.  We started talking about Our Lady of Angels school fire in Chicago in the '50s, where a lot of kids and a lot of nuns were killed that day.  Frank Brannigan comes walking down the hall.  Everybody know Frank Brannigan?  God bless his soul.  Comes walking down the hall, I said "Hello Francis, we are talking about the Chicago fire Our Lady of Angels school."  "Frank, you were there?"  "Oh, yeah, I was there."  We had class in the hall that day for two hours, Frank Brannigan told us about that fire, he was there.  These are defining moments in our history and in our careers as fire service people. We savor our history.  We still got work to do. Prevention first.  Because you can't know where you are going until you know where you have been.  So who came up with the first usable fire engine and caused us to say good-bye to bucket brigades?  Was it an inventor who saw dollar signs or the needs of the fire service?  No, it was a  firefighter named Ruben Haines from Philadelphia who came up with the hose wagon that carried 600 feet of hose and cost $98.  They had to raise money to buy the hose.  We are still raising money to buy hose.  Isn't it about time we didn't have to raise money to buy fire hose?  How many police departments do you know that sell hot dogs to buy guns every year?  None.  Speaking of which, I was talking to a county police officer -- any police officers in the room?  None?   None?  I don't believe it.  I know you are out there.  We will flush you out, don't worry, I will speak a little slower.

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN:  Is he going for his hip?  Let me know if he's going for his hip. Talking to a county cop yesterday down in Union County.  I said to him, when did you guys install those big heavy duty electromagnets in the doors of the patrol cars?  He starts to give me that look, the head to the side. "What?"  I said I know the police cars here in Union County have installed heavy duty electromagnets, is it, like, to pull a gun or a knife out of a perpetrator's hand sneaking up on you or something?  He said, "What the hell are you talking about."  I said, I ride the roads in Union County every day and there's always two police cars stuck together on the side of the road like this.  So, don't tell me they are not installing magnets. 

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN:  In order for us to be good at what we do we have to study other groups. We do studies on the police service, like we call them our cousins in blue.  We are cousins.  We found out why they keep the 9mm locked sideways like this, it's the way it comes out of the box.

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN:  What was the first career fire department in the country?  Anybody? First career department?

 

     A VOICE:  Cincinnati.

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN: Right, Cincinnati. Great.  Who went to completely motorized first? Savannah, Georgia.  They called it the days of  wooden ladders and iron men.  What about the chemical engine?  Anybody belong to a chemical engine company now?  Thank you ma'am.  That's my aunt.

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN: We formed hazmat teams.  The Chemical engine caused a reaction to cause pressure to put the water out of the engine. We formed hazmat teams in the '80s to combat chemical reactions.  So I'm not sure what's going on.  The French scientist introduced chemical engines to us in 1864.  We used them for 50 years. American LaFrance, Mack and Seagrave led the charge in manufacturing motorized apparatus in the early 1900's, and the horses pulled their last steamer in 1927.  See, you can't know where you are going until you know where you have been. The Halligan bar; not a candy bar; not a place to hang out and have a cold one after a fire.  A three-point pry bar, everybody has used a Halligan bar in the room, I'm sure.  It kind of went something like this, "Hey, Halligan, you and O'Brian get through the door.  Halligan says "I'm having trouble with the door, Captain, the 2X4 keeps breaking."  "After the fire, go back to head- quarters, come up with something."  And the Halligan bar is born.  "Hey, Cooper, the hose is leaking, can you stop the leak without shutting down the line?"  He says, "Cap, duct tape hasn't been invented yet but I'll put my Cooper hose jacket around it, maybe that will work."   "Good job, Cooper."  You see, this is all about leadership at every level, doesn't matter what you have on your collar.  Shit, they made me a chief, you know.  Leadership at every level, that's what this service is about.  We got to find a way to put a lot of water in a basement or other hard-to-get-to places.  Hey, Bresnan, you think you can come up with something?  And it's Bresnan, guys, it's not Breslin.  Jimmy Breslin was a writer and a movie producer.  That's a Breslin.  There is no such thing as a Breslin distributor.  Are we sure on that?  It's Bresnan, B-R-E-S-N-A-N.  Bresnan comes up with the Bresnan distributor, it's a big sprinkler head, you drill a hole in the floor, put water in the basement without going in to get hurt.  Leadership at all levels.  We have to find a way to spray water forward and backwards at the same time to protect the guys.  So a guy named Hannigan comes up with the Hannigan  forward and reverse spray. The Kelly cellar nozzle; the Detroit door opener; the Browder life net.  The list goes on.  By the way, does anyone know what city in the world looses more people with a life net than any other city in the history of using a life net?  Anybody know what city?  Madrid, Spain.  The guys in Madrid, Spain, they started to master the use of the life net and then their own traditions got in the way.  It went something like this:  "Joe -- and they say it in Spanish -- el Jumbo, whatever it is.  And on the way down, it's "ole."  I think it's a training issue.  I think it's a training issue.  Love the brothers in Madrid Firefighters for a couple of hundred years have found the need and have met the challenge of making the job easier through leadership and perseverance.  Lieutenant Harvey Harrell of Rescue Company 5 in Staten Island took two six-foot hooks and a 24-foot ladder and created the Harvey Ladder, developing a fulcrum to put down into the East River to pull victims up and firefighters when they are called for rescue.  I learned about Harvey and Harvey Ladder when I I arrived at the quarters of Rescue 5 on September 12, 2001, Union County had gone into Staten Island and Brooklyn to cover fire houses.  The Harvey Ladder, it's a make-shift device that's used by all of the rescue companies now and other folks are catching on.  Leadership at all levels.  It's about leadership.  How many of you have seen or have a hazmat truck that looks like a soda or a beer truck?  It is.  It is.  Two firefighters from Tampa, Florida walked into a Betten Roll-up 25 years ago and said "We could carry an awful lot of crap on a truck like this."  And since then, Betten Roll-up has sold more trucks to the American fire service than they have to Coca Cola and Anheuser Busch.  Believe it or not, roll up the doors, put 10,000 pounds of speedy-dry on that sucker, you know.  Fire apparatus manufacturers and fire equipment makers have jumped on the invention wagon because they found out we will basically do two things: One, we will buy it if it makes the job easy; or, two, if it looks extremely cool.  We finally got the military to share some technology. Yet another Christmas miracle in September. Thermal imaging cameras, TIC's you call them, right?  My older brothers in the fire service tell me they were using thermal imaging in Vietnam in the jungles back in the '60s.  It took 30 years of begging to get this stuff.  Sounds like my marriage, but that's another story.  We go to trade shows in the mid-'90's and we see ten different kinds of models of TIC's.  What do you buy?  It's a helmet mounted, slung over the shoulder, push it on the floor, point the screen.  I like the vendor, he had a staircase set up and he kept rolling his camera down the stairs.  You see, Chief, this one is fireman proof.  Keeps rolling down the stairs.  I asked if it had an on and off button?  He said, yeah.  I said go back to the drawing board it's not fireman proof.  Most of us have a thermal imaging camera but, you know what?  It's not a substitute for good training and good tactics.  Thermal, it's just another tool.  You keep training your firefighters, your young firefighters to do searches without the camera because the battery is going to be dead by the time you need it.  We know we have problem calls and we know we have those cameras to help us with those problem calls.  I will give you a problem call and the camera would not work.  The phone rang in the house and the little boy answered the phone.  The gentleman said, Hi, this is John Smith, I'm from the Allstate Insurance Company here to talk to your dad.  And the boy said whispering "He's busy."  He said, Is your mom there?  "She's busy, too." Is there any other adult I can speak to, I have to make something out here, it's important forms.  "There are five firemen in the house."  "Can I speak to one of them?" ”No, they are busy."  "Anybody else?"  "Four policeman."  "Can I speak to one of the cops?"  "They're busy."  "Let me get this straight, your mom and dad are home, they're busy.  Five firemen are there, they're busy; four cops.  What are they doing?"  "They are looking for me."

 

     Applause

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN:  Not every call is easy, kids.  Not every call is easy.  Raise your hand if you got red rigs in the firehouse?  Red? Traditional red?  Lime green?  One.  Sorry.   Black?  Purple?  Yellow?  Anybody? Yellow; sorry.  Who did the slime lime thing in the '70s? It was an outfit called Rural Metro in Scottsdale, Arizona, because they thought it would be more visible at night.  By the way, Rural Metro was thrown out of Scottsdale, they have a full-time career department, and IAFF career department. Will wonders never cease?  I got news for you, if the apparatus is black and it has all the required NFPA 1961 lighting and sound and the drivers can't see you, those folks need to be off the road. Turn in your license, sir.  Blondie, put down the cell phone and drive the car.  We get to this point. But lights and sirens do not give you permission to run intersections against the light.  Lights and sirens do not give you mental permission to go through a stop sign.  We lose firefighters that way. If you think I wasn't going to get to safety this morning, you are sadly mistaken.  How many of you heard of the firefighter life safety initiatives "everyone goes home"?  That's sponsored by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.  See, at the Foundation where I also volunteer my time, we have a two-edged sword.  We are trying to keep firefighters from getting killed, but when they do, we take care of their families.  I got involved with the foundation ten years ago.  One of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my career.  My friend Dennis Compton out in Mesa, Arizona said to think that we could prevent all line of duty deaths would be an insult to the system.  He said sometimes we do everything right and still get killed.  What happened in June in Charleston may have been unavoidable.  We won't know for a while, but I think he's right.  We are talking about the other line of duties, the 75 out of the average hundred that can be prevented, eating right, slowing down, buckling up, and all the other things.  Nine firefighters this year have been killed because they didn't buckle the seat belt in the rig.  We need you to have the courage to be safe.  There's a flyer on the kettle drum down there that I made up for today it's about the courage to be safe, "Everyone Goes Home Program." It's a four-hour program and it's free.  That's how to get in touch with the people who are doing it in New Jersey.  We have 100 trained instructors in this state that will come to your station at your convenience and give that life safety program to your firefighters.  I urge you to take one at the end of the program, give it to your chief, sit down with your board of commissioners, whatever it takes,  and call us, we will come to the firehouse and talk about this stuff.  Remember the old days?  Well, some of you probably do.  You're a firefighter and it's okay to get hurt and killed.  That's what we do here.  That's over.  It's not okay to get hurt and killed.  We know things happen on this job and we know how dangerous it is, and fires don't know if you get a paycheck or if you are a volunteer.  Fire doesn't care.  Our firefighters have to take stock in themselves.  Leaving this earth in a line of duty  situation is devastating to the family, the fire department, the company.  And those of you out there that have had the experience know exactly what I'm talking about.  We want you to buckle up and slow down, get medically evaluated.  And, for God's sake, we are urging our firefighters, if you find something on the medical evaluation, voluntarily take yourself off the line.  Don't go down in a line of duty.  We average 100 years and we have a safety stand down now every June.  But the stand down has to be every day not just once a year.  If you support the firefighter's safety initiatives and longevity for firefighters, let me hear you clap your hands, please, if you support that.

 

     Applause

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN:  We started out with a yellow wrist band, Lance Armstrong, for cancer. And now the Fallen Firefighters have one for everyone that goes home.  It's black.  The reason why it's black, we want you to wear black on your wrist not on your badge.  Wear black on your wrist not on your badge.  Take a flyer at the end, get us into your firehouse.  We will be happy to come.  Let me get off my soapbox and come back. Firefighters are the worst bunch of pranksters I ever met.  I don't think anybody ever went to formal clown school.  Well, maybe one or two went to clown school.  I know we use humor as relief from the bad things that we see.  I'll give you an example:  For a very short time I was working in the quarter master's office at FDNY.  And we have ten high-back leather armchairs for the bosses.  So I call upstairs, call the boss's office. You get another firefighter who's really the boss's driver, we call him the aide, the driver.  I said, "Hey, the cab is here for the big fast bastard upstairs."  The voice on the other side said "Do you know who you are talking to?"  "No."  "This is Chief Hess."  I said "Do you know who you are talking to?"  "No."  "Good-bye you fat bastard."

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN: You have to have fun in this service; if you don't have fun, you are wasting your time.  Is Father over there okay? Father, are you a chaplain for a fire department?

 

     FATHER RYAN: Yes.

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN: You've heard all these stories.

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN: See, once you get to the chief office level, you get wrapped in politics. Are the politicians still behind me?  Is the mayor here still?  The mayor is gone; senator is gone; everybody is gone? 

 

     A VOICE:  Yes.

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN: Good, we will talk about them.  Let's take a look at the word politics." Poli from the Latin for many and tic meaning a low life, under a rock, blood sucking little bug. Politics, you got it?  As a chief, I'm in the political arena.  I'd rather have root canal once a week. What about our radios?  Oh, my God.  When are we going to tell them what we need?  My good  friend Billy Goldfeder says we need to stop accepting radios that don't work from the manufacturers.  He's right.  We keep letting the radio guys tell us what's good for us.  I know it beats the hell out of using a speaking trumpet out in front of the building.  But I'll tell you something else, very few guys missed the orders back then, when they used the trumpet in front of the building, no static, you never heard "repeat that, you got stepped on," or "you broke up, try it again."  Check this out:  Engine 1, put a ladder up to the third floor.  Anybody miss that?  You got it, right?  Now, this is what it sounds like today: (Garbled) Engine 1 to command.  Engine 1 to command.  Chief says "repeat."  So what the guy does he just screams louder.  Our radios suck.  We need new radios.

 

     Applause

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN: You want to get a chill of a lifetime?  They had a fire in Houston a couple of weeks ago in an office building and a Houston firefighter was trapped and was running out of air, you could hear the radio transmissions. It will send a chill down your spine.  He's saying "I'm out of air, I can't breathe."  You hear his alarm going off at the same time."  They rescued him.  They found him.  He was absolutely lost, trapped.  Running out of air, screaming for help. Our radios are terrible.  We need better radios. Maybe we should go back to two cups and a string, I don't know.  Every NIOSH report regarding a line of duty talks about communications and all the other stuff.  Tell your radio guy that it makes a great door chock but it's far from being a great firefighting tool, but we can't talk to her.  It's not good enough. Since we are talking about lousy radio transmissions, we need to teach our firefighters to listen to the radio and not talk on it.  The President of the United States is giving us grant money to buy radios for every firefighter in the country.  Some of us have benefited from that, we are getting money.  Everybody has a radio, great idea.  Now we have to teach our firefighters the art of active listening. The art of active listening.  This is what I heard recently on the radio.  I won't do it with the mike, it was through the mask like this, but it was "Engine 1 to command, we're on the first floor, we're going up the stairs, we've reached the second landing, we are turning, we are heading up to the second set of stairs, we are almost there, we are reaching the second floor, we are at the apartment door, we are forcing it, we opened the line, it's darkening down, touch down, first and ten to go." I don't need all that information standing in the street.  Let us know when you make the door.  Let us know when you are darkening down the fire. Teach your firefighters to listen and shut up, unless they have something real important to tell us.  We have specialists in our service, don't we? We created specialists, engine folks, EMS folks. EMS, the last three letters in the word ”problems," you know, Joe.  I'm going to say that again, the last three letters in the word "problems."  Rescue guys, engine guys, truckies.  Any bona fide truck company guys out there, raise your hands.  Raise your hands.  Thank you.  The truckies are easy to spot, their knuckles are bleeding from dragging them on the floor.  These guys, they are regular guys like you and I, they get assigned to a truck company, something happens to them.  They're easy to spot, like I said.  And we know why you go to the roof, cut a hole in the roof, so you can watch the real firemen doing the real work down below.  I'm in the dollar store in my town recently. It's a dollar store, you walk in, four foot letters in the windows "everything is a dollar."  You walk inside those walls where those masks are, everything one dollar.  I'm walking down the aisle, the other aisle here, "Excuse me sir, can I get a price check"?  Without hesitation I said, "What's your company?"  The guy says "12 truck, sir."

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN: In my house in Brooklyn we had a guy named Nick, he was a truckie.  Nick was a special guy.  Nick thought a.m. radio only played in the morning.  He had problems.  He was on light duty for a while.  They had him up in the office doing some computer work.  He asked for a case, a box of Whiteout.  So we got it for him.  We don't know what he's doing, maybe he's drawing pictures with it.  We don't know.  Then he asked the captain two weeks later for a straight razor.  He said "Nick, what do you need the razor for?"  "I got to scrape the Whiteout off the computer screen, chief."

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN: I will tell you one more Nick story then we'll go on.  Nick comes into work one day and he's got a big bandage on both ears.  He looked like Princess Leah in Star Wars.  So no one is asking him, we are all scared to death to ask him what happened to his ears.  So one guy says, "All right, Nickie, what happened?" "Well, I was ironing my uniform shirt for work this morning, you know the captain likes us nice and neat, and the phone rang while I was ironing."

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN:  It could happen to anybody.  It could happen to anybody.  So Tony says to him "How did you burn your other ear?" He said "I had to call 911."

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN: I love a guy like that. We've talked about our forebrothers, not forefathers, forebrothers who invented tools.  But we've had some help.  Turn-out gear, light-weight and comfortable now.  The race car drivers started wearing Nomex in the late '60's.  We started wearing it in the mid-'70's, we didn't have to wait too much.  But we definitely realized it was superior to rubber or canvas.  Lot of you guys are shaking your heads about rubber and canvas out there.  The manufacturers took it and made improvements and it resulted in the lightweight gear we have today.  Our apparatus manufacturers stopped making large rear steps to ride on so we can't fall off and get hurt.  They installed roll cages inside the cabs.  The new seat belts will be orange and it will be a three-point system you pull over your head and snap it between your legs, because the seat belt excuse is just an excuse.  Take the SCBA out of the seats.  Put them back in the compartments, have your guys get off at the scene, unbuckle, get out, put the air pack on.  It will give them ten seconds or 20 seconds to put the air pack on anyway.  Take the air packs out of the seats.  No more excuses about buckling up. And don't settle for things when you go to shows.  How many of you go to Harrisburg, FDIC, you walk around looking at stuff.  Don't settle.  If something sucks, you look at the guy and tell him why.  We have to stop settling for things that don't work or things that are not as safe as we want them to be for our guys.  Firefighters are a unique breed of people, aren't they?  The most modest people about the task at hand and they will walk into hell and back for a complete stranger.  But, Joe, give them two beers and they're hitting on your wife.  I don't get it.  Two beers, that's all it takes.  What makes us tick?  What drives us to go in when everybody else is going out?  This is exciting.  I've been career my whole life and ten years ago, there's a former member of North Plainfield in the back, Rick from Somerset.  I joined about ten years ago today, believe that?  I had a full head of hair when I did.  Don't lie.  Then it really started at home, quote, "I can't get you off the couch to go to my mother's but the damn pager goes off, you are running down the driveway with one shoe on and one shoe off, one leg in your pants and yelling yeeha.  What do I have to do to get you to go to my mother's with that kind of excitement?  I said that's easy, Darling, have your mother set her house on fire.

 

     Laughter

 

     CHIEF KANTERMAN: Trials and tribulations.  Remember that we are first due to the world: Oklahoma City, Columbine High School, the World Trader Center, the Pentagon, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, West Warwick, Rhode Island, sofa super stores and even abandoned high-rise buildings.  We have an incredible future ahead of us with a lot of unknowns.  Our job is to anticipate and look into that crystal ball to be better prepared, to prepare our younger guys.  Fires are down all over the country so training is more important than ever.  With fires down, we lose our edge.  If you have an aggressive fire prevention program in your town, great, all the more reason to train harder because when you get the occasional fire, you will be ready.  Remember that despite who invents the next tool, it is how you use it and how your personal safety fits into that scheme.  Come to think of it, look out for the Kanterman toilet set, it's going to be really cool. Let conclude with a couple of words and phrases to live by in relation to what we do in the fire service:  Think, learn, stop, look and listen. Reaffirm your mission regularly.  Maintain your integrity at all times.  Read.  Train for life.  Train the way you work and work the way you train.  Be nice and remember that the fire you are helping is  having a much worse day than you are.  Work safely.  Think safety.  Risk a lot but save a lot.  Risk a little to save a little, and risk nothing to save nothing.  When you are done with our fire service, leave it better than you found it.  Embrace our history and don't erase.  After every alarm, every call, every page or every tour, everyone goes home.  Leadership is key at all levels.  Each and every firefighter that brought something to the table displayed leadership, Halligan, Hannigan, Harrell.  Nobody named Goldberg or Greenburg, I noticed that.  Leadership is not what's necessarily on your collar, it's leadership at all levels.  Horns and bars don't make you any smarter or make you a leader.  Leadership is being a good communicator and, above all, maintaining your integrity, stepping up to the plate and being a stand-up person, sharing information and teaching the next person coming up behind you.  Leadership will take the fire service to the next level because the people who are movers and shakers in this business will insist it gets better, easier and safer.  After every alarm, every bell, every call, every tour, everyone needs to go home. Train every day so everyone can go home.  And, remember, you can't know where you are going until you know where you have been.  Remember this, too, if you go to the roof with a power saw, take the axe with you.  How come?  The axe always starts.  Thank you.  God bless you.

 

     Standing ovation

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Tough act to follow.  Presented to Chief Ron Kanterman, keynote speaker, and a small token of our appreciation, the 121st Annual New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association Convention, 2007.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Okay, we will try to follow that.  We will now have nominations of officers, first it will be for President.  Bill Egbert will do that one.

 

NOMINATION OF OFFICERS

 

     FIRST VICE PRESIDENT EGBERT:  The floor is now accepting nominations for President.

Nominations for President.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT ROEMMICH: Archie Roemmich, life member, past President. I nominate Joe Pawlak for President for the ensuing year.

 

     VICE PRESIDENT EGBERT: Do we have a second to that nomination?

 

     MR. PRYOR:  Second that nomination.

 

     VICE PRESIDENT EGBERT: Jeff Pryor, Plainsboro, seconds the nomination.  Are there any other nominations for President?  Any other nominations?  Any other nominations?

 

     A VOICE: Make a motion they be closed.

 

     A VOICE: Second.

 

     1ST VICE PRESIDENT EGBERT: Motion has been made, seconded to close the nominations.

All in favor say aye.

 

Chorus of ayes

 

     1ST VICE PRESIDENT EGBERT: So ordered.  Mr. President.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Now open nominations for First Vice President.

 

     MR. SWENSON: Jeffrey Swenson, Morristown Exempts, I'd like to put the name Bill Egbert in for a second term of First Vice President.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Second?

 

     PAST PRESIDENT WHEATLEY: Second the motion.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Second by Frank Wheatley, Morris County.  Any other nominations?  Any other nominations?  Any other nominations?

 

     A VOICE: Move they be closed.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Motion to close nominations.

 

     A VOICE: Second the motion.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  So carried.  Position of Second Vice President.  We have to get him in there.  Second Vice President. Do we have a motion?

 

     MR. PORCH: Ralph Porch, Cape May County.  Bob Myers, Second Vice President.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Do we have a second?

 

     A VOICE: Second.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: We have a second. Any other nominations?

 

     MR. CHRISTENSEN: Move it be closed.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT ROEMMICH: Second it.      PRESIDENT PAWLAK: All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed? Motion carried.  Now, we will go to Secretary.

 

     MR. CHRISTENSEN: Carl Christensen, life member, Iselin/Colonia Exempts.  I'd like to place the name of Thomas Haborak in as Secretary for the year 2008.

 

     MR. MURPHY: Second.  Dave Murphy, Somerset County, Executive Committeemen. Second.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Dave Murphy, second.  Any other nominations?

 

     A VOICE: Move they be closed.

 

     A VOICE: Second.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed? Motion carried.  Position of Treasurer.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT ROEMMICH: Archie Roemmich, life member, Gloucester County.  I'd like to place Ed McMahon, Jr. as our Treasurer.

 

     MR. DE FILIPPIS: Second. Ed DeFilippis, life member Bernardsville, Somerset County.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Second by Ed DeFilippis, Somerset County.  Any other nominations?

 

     MR. CHRISTENSEN: Move they be closed.

 

     A VOICE: Second.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  Motion carried.  Statistician.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT DOHERTY: Bill Doherty, Florence Township, Exempt member, life member.  I'd like to nominate J. Hobart Wainwright for Statistician.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Second?

 

     MR. ESTELOW: Second.  Charles Estelow, Florence.  I'd like to second.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Any other nominations?

 

     MR. DE FILIPPIS: Move they be closed.

 

     A VOICE: Second.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?

 

     MR. WILSON: Make a motion, since there is only one name on the ballot, that the Secretary cast the ballot.  Sam Wilson, Roxbury Township.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Second?

 

     A VOICE: Second.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  Motion carried.  Appointment of the committees.

 

 

APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEES

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: The committees are printed in the Journal, they will be updated at the reorganization meeting.

 

 

ROLL CALL OF ASSOCIATIONS

 

Roll call of associations, the preliminary report, Registration Committee by Hobie Wainwright.

 

     MR. WAINWRIGHT: We have a preliminary report.  As of 9 a.m., we have 102 associations, so

we have a quorum, we are in good shape.  This is unaudited.  It will be finalized later on.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Next will be the reading of the minutes of the 2006 Convention. The minutes were printed in the Journal.  They are on the web site, and I will entertain a motion.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT FEDORKA: John Fedorka, past president, life member.  Make a motion that the minutes be accepted as printed in the Convention Journal.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Do I have a second?

 

     MR. ENFIELD: Second.  Eugene Enfield, Edison Relief, also Exempt Association.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thanks, Eugene.  All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  Motion carried.

 

 

COMMUNICATIONS

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Reception and communications.  Tom Haborak, Sr.

 

     MR. HABORAK: We have no new communications at this time.

 

 

REPORT OF OFFICERS

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: We will now go to the Report of Officers.

 

     PRESIDENT JOSEPH R. PAWLAK: Since our last convention last year on June 24, 2006 at the Mount Olive Middle School in Budd Lake, Morris County, I have attended the following functions and performed the following duties as a representative of this organization.  Attended 52 meetings, 3 fundraisers, 2 viewings and 11 special events for a total of 4,472 miles traveled and 660 hours spent conducting the association's business. I reviewed and signed all vouchers authorizing the disbursement of association funds.  I worked with the other officers and representatives to develop a sound fiscal budget.  Spent approximately 97 hours updating and fine tuning the organization's web site and spent 17 hours editing and fine tuning the operation's manual.  Made numerous phone calls, sent e-mails, faxes and letters conducting the association's business.  Assisted several local associations with problems and concerns via the telephone and fax and assisted numerous exempt members with concerns and referred several to Counselor Orr for further assistance.  Worked closely with the Convention Committee and other officers making arrangements for this year's convention. Represented the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association at the Annual Bishop's Firefighter Mass for the Metuchen Diocese at St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral in Metuchen, Middlesex County.  Attended meetings of the New Jersey Fire & Medical Emergency Services Institute as one of the representatives of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association. Together with Vice President Egbert we taped a cable tv segment at the Comcast Cable tv studios in Wildwood for the "Firemen Speak" show hosted by Exempt Executive Committeeman Frank Gluckler, to be shown on the local cable channel in the Wildwood area on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Wildwood Convention weekend.  Check local listings for times and channels.  Sent specific e-mails concerning the payment of dues and incorporation fees to the record keeper by the local associations. E-mails were also sent out encouraging the local associations to respond to the call to convention sent out by the State Secretary.  Also, several e-mails were sent out encouraging the selling and purchasing of Journal ads and raffle tickets. Working with the other officers, revamped and updated the committee list to include more members on each committee and met the bylaw requirements.  Worked closely with the State Firemen's Association on items of mutual concern.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: 1st Vice President.

 

     1st VICE PRESIDENT WILLIAM A. EGBERT:  Since our last Convention that was held in June in Budd Lake on June 24, 2006, I have attended the following functions and performed the following duties as a representative of this organization:  Attended 24 local association meetings; attended four county caucus meetings; attended the viewings of seven Exempt firemen; attended nine parades and inspections; attended 21 fund raising and/or social events; traveled a total of 3,877 miles.  In addition, I worked with the Memorial Committee in preparation for our annual statewide memorial service that was held on April 21, 2007 in Perth Amboy.  We also worked with the Raffle and budget Committees to successfully complete their assigned functions.  Worked cooperatively with my fellow officers by attending various officer meetings and working with Executive Committee members on small, medium and large projects and issues facing the organization.  In addition, I corresponded with approximately 100 local associations; primarily, I sent letters out to those local associations who were unable to attend our convention last year in Budd Lake and urged them -- told them what they missed and urged them to attend this year.  And I hope we have some associations represented this year.  Thank you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: 2nd Vice President.

 

     2nd VICE PRESIDENT ROBERT H. MYERS JR.: Thank you, Mr. President. It was one year ago since I was elected Second Vice President of this great organization.  I'd like to steal a little bit of Ron's thunder.  Why does a policeman wear stripes on the side of their uniforms?   If they are vertical, it seems safe for us to go into; if they are horizontal we are going to stay out of there.  Continuing with my report.  I've gone to many meetings and spent a lot of time on phones working with my fellow firemen.  I have gotten a better outlook on this great organization. Each time we have an election, we as a group have the chance of going up or down, we have been going up for quite a few years.  Our President has set forth an information table at Wildwood to show the people we are there and that we can make improvements in standing in the state.  We need some help with people in the Wildwoods, from this organization, to man that table in the front.  We must also make a drive to get our secretaries to do their paperwork when the man becomes seven years' exempt.  When he gets his qualification, get the secretary to fill out the four-part form so he may become an Exempt with his 60 percent and may become part of this organization and make our numbers grow.  With more people, we would have a bigger voice in this state and we could do even more than we are doing now for the fire service.  Thank you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Mr. Secretary.

 

     SECRETARY THOMAS J. HABORAK, SR.:  To the officers, delegates, life members assembled at the 121st Annual Convention of the New Jersey State Firemen's Association.  In accordance with the bylaws, I submit for your consideration my report as state Secretary for the period of June 24, 2006 until September 1st, 2007. The New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association officers and executive committee are committed to caring for the local associations and their brother members.  This past year I have certified brother members as life members to this great association.  I have attended many local, county and state meetings, memorial services, dinners, parades and brother members' wake services.  In closing, I would like to thank the officers, past officers, and all my brother members for their support in the past year.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Mr. Treasurer.

 

     TREASURER EDWARD MC MAHON, JR.: Thank you, Mr. President.  At last year's convention we reported a net worth of our association at $46,780.32.  In the year ending December 3lst, 2006, our balances were as follows: Checking account:  $1,373.25.  Our Raffle account was $673.50.  Our savings account was $10,816.70.  Our CD was $16,477.88.  Another CD is $16,588.09.  A third CD is $5,167.78.  And a fourth CD of $2,010.72.  Our total assets as of December 3lst, 2006   was $53,107.92, resulting in a net increase of $6,327.60.  And at the rate that we are going, I can almost bet that we are going to do a little better this year and we are continuing to turn the corner. And I hope that we can implement some new things in the future.  Thank you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Hobie Wainwright, Statistician, is he here?  Someone went to get him. We will move on with Counselor Orr.

 

     COUNSELOR ORR: Good morning.  It's my pleasure to submit my annual report as counsel to this association.  I have attended all the meetings, prepared resolutions, also advised the associations and members about Exempt matters, also assisted the tax attorney in attempting to attain sales tax exemption.  Thank you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Recordkeeper, Ed DeFilippis.

 

     RECORDKEEPER ED. DE FILIPPIS: As of this date, one association did not renew their incorporation or pay dues to the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association.  Glen Ridge of Essex County is considered an inactive association until further notice.  At present, we have a total of 360 associations that either renewed their incorporation to the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association and/or pay dues.  Breakdown is 347 associations renewed their annual report and paid dues.  Three county  associations renewed their annual report.  Bergen County Home renewed their annual report.  And, of course, the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association renewed their annual report also.  We also have ten independent associations that renewed their own but pay dues to the State Exempts.  A total of $10,000 will be sent to our state Treasurer for dues and incorporation fees for this year.  My checkbook balance is $2,448.07, and of that $2,050 is needed for the remaining annual reports for this year.  I have no further business.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thank you, Ed. We need to go back a minute to the Treasurer's Report.  He had a dollar amount mentioned there, we need a motion and second to accept his report.

 

     MR. KELLY: Motion by Bob Kelly, Monmouth County.

 

     MR. WHEATLEY: Second by Frank Wheatley, Morris County.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed? Motion carried.  We'll do the record keeper now, he had Money involved in his also.  Motion?

 

     MR. PRYOR: Jeff Pryor, Plainsboro Middlesex County motion to accept.

 

     MR. FEDORKA: John Fedorka, Perth Amboy, Middlesex County second.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Opposed? Motion carried.  Internal Auditor, John Fedorka.

 

     INTERNAL AUDITOR JOHN FEDORKA: Report of the Internal Auditor, 121st Annual Convention of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association.  Officers, life members, delegates and guests.  Since our last convention, I reviewed all the financial transactions and I have been monitoring the expenditures against the budget allotments.  I have reviewed all the 2006 financial activities and prepared the necessary report for preparation of the 2007 budget.  I have prepared an itemized line item report and overall category line item report.  Once again each line item category you see on the budget was broken out into individual items; examples being: Printing, postage, phones, supplies, et cetera.  By doing this, the Budget Committee, the Finance Committee and the officers could see where we are spending.  They were then able to refine our budget and make the necessary changes.  Finally, in closing, I thank the executive committee for their confidence they place in me to perform this important task and I will continue to serve the association in this capacity until they desire to make a change.  Also I'd like to compliment the Treasurer on the way he's been handling our finances, it's been a vast improvement over our past few years now.  Thank you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thank you, John. Just for the record, I'd like to have a motion and second to accept the report.  Ron Koski, Hudson County; Gary Miller, second, Middlesex.  All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  Motion carried.  Let's go back to Statistician, Hobie  Wainwright.

 

     STATISTICIAN WAINWRIGHT: Thank you, Mr. President.  To the executive officers, executive committee, delegates, life members and guests.  The annual report of the Statistician for 2006/2007.  Dear fellow firefighters, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to serve as Statistician of this great organization.  The association officers held meetings before regular quarterly executive committee meetings on July 26, November 28, of 2006, January the 15th,  March the 14th, July 12th, 2007 at Plainsboro Township.  The officers and Budget Committee met on March 14, 2007 at Plainsboro Township, Middlesex County.  The Executive Committee held quarterly meetings on August 19 at Carneys Point Township, Salem County; October 21, Dover Township, Ocean County in 2006; January 20, Florence Township, Burlington County; April 21, City of Perth Amboy, Middlesex County; July 21, Franklin Borough, Sussex County; August 31, 2007 Boonton Borough, Morris County; the Annual Convention held in the Montville Township High School on September 1, 2007 hosted by the Boonton Exempt Association.  The 25th Annual Memorial Service hosted by the Perth Amboy Exempt Firemen's Association and the  Perth Amboy Fire Department at the Holy Spirit Church with 112 widows, firefighters and families attending.  The Memorial Committee gave out memorial association flags and red carnations to the families of the deceased firefighters attending. The association chaplain, officers and local Exempt association assisted the host pastor in the service.  It is with sadness that I report the following members that have passed away since our last convention.  Past President Richard Ferry, Dover, Morris County; Line of Duty Vincent Neglia, North Hudson Regional County; Eric R. Wilkus, Hamilton Township, Mercer County, killed in Iraq; Michael Anthony Schwarz, Carlstadt, Bergen County, killed in Iraq; Thomas J. Van Liew, City of New Brunswick, Middlesex County; John Brook-Smith, Seaside Heights, Ocean County.  The attendance at the 2006 convention has decreased from 411 to 375 with 106 local associations down from 114.  The annual Journal decreased income to the association by $659.84 under in 2005.  New associations: Lower Township, Cape May County; Byram Township, Sussex County; Pohatcong Township, Warren County.   I have traveled 951 miles on behalf of the association; $2.30 tolls; $51.76 telephone calls; $41 postage; $50 hotel; $80 annual banquet; $17.08 registration name tags as an officer and registration committee chairman. I have spent parts of 46 days visiting business in Burlington, northern Camden, southern Mercer Counties.  I have numerous hours on the telephone.  $78 postage for mailing to last year advertisers, along with new advertisers in many fire magazines, eastern Pennsylvania, southern New York and New Jersey.  I will mail a thank you letter to all advertisers with a copy of the advertisement on the back of the letter with the association's official receipt in September.  Telephone $15.44 per month including all taxes for January, February, March, April, May, June, July, for a total of $108.08; 1,113 miles September 2006 to August 2007, $389.55.  On August 16, 2006, I had colon surgery with cancer having chemotherapy of 50 hours per treatment for a total of 12 treatments every second or third Wednesday until the end of April 2007 with two weeks off for the Daytona 500 in Florida.  I have had a CAT scan and colonoscopy and I am clear of cancer of now.

 

     Applause

 

     STATISTICIAN WAINWRIGHT: And that concludes my report.  Good to see you all here.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Now, we go to the Chaplain; Father Ryan would like to say a few words?

 

CHAPLAINS REPORT

 

     REVEREND RYAN: I know it's been recent that I have been asked to assume the new responsibility.  I take this opportunity indeed to thank you for this honor of serving with you as a chaplain for your organization.  And I also want to report in the presence of myself and the other pastors, the chaplains there at the Perth Amboy 25th service last year.  I also want to echo those words that were certainly said very clearly, words that a sign of a good leader is always to make sure someone is their cover, indeed, be prepared and to take over.  I want to recognize again the fine chaplains that are assisting in their different parts of the organizations in different counties, and most certainly pray for those chaplains whom have gone before us.  We recognize their hard work, devotion and dedication.  You certainly have a beautiful web page, I checked it out already.  If you want, put my name on the web page, make sure and get a link to my e-mails, an opportunity indeed to assist in any way I could with the different counties and requests that you have, and also the e-mails and names of those deceased, family and friends, but also as we just heard in our report those deceased or not deceased but those sick and need prayers.  Although not deceased, they are most certainly in need of prayers.  And that is the responsibility of the chaplains.  Thank you.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Anyone from the Lay Chaplains Committee like to say anything at this point?  We will move on.  Sergeant-of-arms, anyone from the sergeant-of-arms?  Evart says hello, he's over there guarding the door, he's taking good care of us today.  He's waiving his right to speak.  Budget Committee, Larry Wood.

 

BUDGET COMMITTEE

 

     MR. WOOD: No report.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: No report. Constitution and Bylaws Committee, C. Kenneth Anderson.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT ANDERSON: To the officers, delegates and life members assembled in the 121st Annual Convention of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association in Montville. Subject:  Report of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee.  Dear Members, No proposals for amendments of the constitution and bylaws have been submitted by the local member Exempt Firemen's associations or delegates or life members.  Nor has the committee been directed to draft any amendments by the Executive Committee.  No other matters have been referred to the committee.  Copies of the constitution and bylaws are available from the secretary by written request.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thank you, Ken. Convention Committee, Frank Wheatley and Rich Vander Berg.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT WHEATLEY: When Rich Vander Berg and I met with Debbie Stella, sales manager at the Sheraton Hotel on January 19th, 2007, the first contract they offered us was $109 for double occupancy room plus sales tax and occupancy tax.  Dinner was $43.50 with sales tax plus service charge and a $75 bartender fee. On August 17th, 2007, we had a final meeting with Bill Solmon, director of convention services. At this time, we agreed to the following: Rooms down to $90 plus tax; dinner, $27.81 plus service charge; and the $75 bartender fee was waived.  By the way, we just had this affair last night, everybody seemed to have a good time at the dinner dance and banquet and I had no complaints about the rooms.  Here is a final report from Rich.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT VANDER BERG: This is the Convention Housing and Banquet Report. This committee is charged with the responsibility of arranging lodging for the members of the association, executive committee and all association committee members.  Lodging was secured at the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel, 109 Smith Road, Parsippany.  Sixty-one room nights were booked.  The breakdown by each evening is two rooms on Thursday, 51 rooms on Friday and eight rooms tonight, on Saturday, 9/1.  Several checks were turned over to Ed McMahon, the State Treasurer for an accumulated amount of $4,515.  All members and guests are now charged 50 percent of the hotel fees for Friday night, and 100 percent for Thursday and Saturday night. Banquet tickets were printed on a home computer Expenses were $88 for envelopes, stamps and copies to correspond to the mailings to the  association membership.  Checks were paid to the Sheraton Hotel by the State Treasurer for $7,688.83, of which $5,803.41 were for rooms and $2,330.97 were for the banquet meals.  A $500 deposit had been previously given to the hotel as a deposit.  The DJ was paid $395.  The banquet had 64 attendees.  The net cost to the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association was $3,565.  Thank you.  Respectfully submitted, Rich Vander Berg and Frank Wheatley, co-chairman Convention Housing and Banquet Committee.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thank you.  Gentlemen, I need a motion and a second to accept the reports, money is involved.

 

     MR. PORCH:  Make the motion.

 

     MR. KELLY:  Bob Kelly, Monmouth County,  second.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  Motion carried.  Convention Book, Len Minkler, Senior.

 

     MR. MINKLER: Good morning and welcome.  As the chairman of the Book Committee to those Exempt associations, fire companies that have placed an ad in this year's book, I want to say thank you.  It is our hope that maybe next year we can count on more of you with the placing of an ad in the Convention Journal.  Your help and participation is really needed and will be appreciated.  I hope you will have a pleasant and enjoyable day and I hope you have a safe journey home.  Thank you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Election Committee, George Steger.

 

     MR. STEGER:  Mr. President, being there was no contest, a motion was made to elect and have the secretary cast the ballot of the present officers.  I make a motion that the election be closed.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: We have a motion for elections to be closed.  Second?

 

     Chorus of seconds

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  Motion carried.  Thank you.  Executive Committee, William Egbert, chairman.

 

     1ST VICE PRESIDENT EGBERT: Executive Committee of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association, Incorporated consists of the elected officers of the association and the elected executive committeemen.  All counties are entitled to elect one executive committeeman.  Counties with a population over 600,000 or having more than thirty local associations shall be entitled to elect two executive committeemen.  The counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex and Monmouth have two Executive Committeemen.  The Executive Committee is required to meet as follows:  A. Within 60 days after the Annual Convention.  B. Approximately 60 days prior to the Annual Convention.  C.  The afternoon before the Annual  Convention.  D.  During the winter, as scheduled by the chairman.  E.  During the spring as scheduled by the chairman.  As required by the Constitution, the Executive Committee held the following meetings since the Annual Convention in Budd Lake on June 24, 2006: Saturday, August 19, 2006, Carneys Point, Salem County.  This was the re-organization meeting for the Executive Committee with First Vice President William Egbert assuming the chairmanship of the Committee.  President Joseph Pawlak presented the new list of committees for the fiscal year of the Association.  The Executive Committee elected Thomas Orr and Past President JohnLeo Fedorka as Counselor and Internal Auditor respectively.  The regular order of business was covered during the remainder of the meeting. Saturday, October 21, 2006, Toms River, Ocean County.  This meeting was held at the East Dover Township Company Number 4, home of Ocean County Executive Committeeman Don Brown.  It was reported that our Record Keeper has moved to Smithville, New Jersey and his complete address was distributed to everyone.  The Treasurer reported that our tax paperwork was filed in a timely manner and a copy was provided to Secretary Haborak.  The regular order of business was covered during the remainder of the meeting. Saturday, January 20, 2007, Florence Township, Burlington County.  This meeting was held in the new fire headquarters and is home to our Statistician Hobie Wainwright and Past President Bill Doherty.  A fund raising presentation was made to the attendees as a possible way for the State Association and/or local associations to raise money.  Representatives from Boonton were in attendance and discussed plans for the 2007 Convention.  Also discussed were procedures for Line of Duty deaths.  The regular order of business was covered during the remainder of the meeting.  Saturday, April 21, 2007, Perth Amboy Middlesex County.  This meeting was held in the new Fire Headquarters of Perth Amboy Fire  Department and following our 25th Annual Memorial Service, which was held at Holy Spirit Church.  Holy Spirit was the site of the first Annual Memorial Service and we were fortunate to have Reverend Warren Light and altar boy/Past President JohnLeo Fedorka participate in both services.  Budget Committee Chairman Larry Wood presented the proposed budget for the  calendar year ending December 31, 2008.  After some discussion, the Executive Committee approved the proposed budget for presentation at the Annual Convention.  The regular order of business was covered during the remainder of the meeting.  Saturday, July 21, 2007, Franklin Boro, Sussex County.  The regular order of business was covered during the remainder of the meeting.  In addition, a discussion was held regarding the status of our Chaplains and the need for a lay chaplain committee to step in when the regular chaplains have a conflict and we need to provide spiritual aid for our memorial services and meetings.  Reports from the Convention Committee, Book Committee and Raffle Committee were presented and discussed in light of the upcoming Convention on September 1, 2007 in Montville.  Friday, August 31, 2007, Parsippany, Morris County.  This meeting was held yesterday afternoon at the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel in Parsippany.  The officers and committee chairmen gave their activity reports since our July meeting.  In addition, final preparations for today's convention were discussed and agreed upon.  Respectfully submitted, William Egbert, Chairman.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thank you, Bill. Ladies and gentlemen, it is now almost eleven o'clock, we are going to start the memorial  service.  For those participants that are already up on the stage, would you please come forward at this time?  Father Ryan, come forward, please, do the call to worship.  Color guard, present the colors, please.

 

     Presentation of colors

 

MEMORIAL SERVICE

 

     REVEREND RYAN: In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  We are gathered here this morning to humbly offer our solemn homage to all those heroic firefighters that have answered their last alarm and have gone home to be with the Lord, as he has promised we would some day.  Let us pray Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we remember before you today our brothers and sisters of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association who have answered their last alarm.  May our prayers be a source of consolation to all their families and co-workers who mourn their passing. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. We now have a reading from the book of Sirach.

 

     MR. GLUCKLER:  From the book of Sirach. My son, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials.  Be sincere of heart and steadfast, undisturbed in time of adversity.  Cling to him, forsake him not; thus your fortune will be great.  Accept whatever befalls you, in crushing misfortune be patient; for in fire gold is tested, and worthy men in the crucible of humiliation.  Trust God and he will help you; make straight your ways and hope in Him.  The word of the Lord.

 

     CONVENTION BODY:  Thanks be to God.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT WHEATLEY: Please respond: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 

In verdant pastures he gives me repose; Beside restful waters he leads me and refreshes my soul.

 

     CONVENTION BODY: The lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT WHEATLEY: He guides me in right paths for his name sake.  Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff it gives me courage.

 

     CONVENTION BODY: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT WHEATLEY: You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.

 

     CONVENTION BODY: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT WHEATLEY: Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall walk in the house of the Lord for years to come.

 

     CONVENTION BODY: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 

     REVEREND RYAN: We have a reading here from the Gospel of John.  Jesus told his disciples: The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat.  But if it dies, produces much fruit.  Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also my servant will be.  The Father will honor whoever serves me.  I am troubled now.  Yet what should I say?  Father, save me from this hour.  But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.  Father, glorify my name.  Then a voice came from Heaven, I have glorified it and I will glorify it again.  The Gospel of the Lord.

 

     CONVENTION BODY: Praise to you oh, Lord.

 

     REVEREND RYAN: Please be seated.  This was certainly an honor to speak here today with you, an honor to serve as Chaplain for those who indeed place their lives in service to our brothers and sisters.  The very heart of our Gospel message.  As we listen to these words of Jesus, there are certainly words that will identify at times our dedication of the service.  We must recognize as Jesus is speaking, it's just his words there in the garden, right before his death on Good Friday. Today in our service then we most certainly pray for and recognize those who on Good Friday have come.  Those indeed who have offered their lives in service as brothers and sisters.  Indeed those who we recognize by our prayers.  Please stand. Let us pray now to the all powerful Father who raised Jesus from the dead and gives you new life in our mortal bodies, and say to Him:

 

     PAST PRESIDENT ROEMMICH: Our response is Lord, hear our prayer.  Father, through baptism we have been buried with your Son and have risen with him in his resurrection; grant that we may walk in newness of life so that when we die, we may live with Christ forever.

 

     CONVENTION BODY: Lord, hear our prayer.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT ROEMMICH: Lord, you sent your angel to comfort your Son in his agony; give us the hope of your consolation when death draws near.  We pray to you the Lord.

 

     CONVENTION BODY: Lord, hear our prayer.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT ROEMMICH: We pray for those families and communities that grieve the loss of our brothers and sisters who we honor today.  We pray to you the Lord. 

 

     CONVENTION BODY: Lord, hear our prayer.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT ROEMMICH: God of the living and the dead, you raised Jesus from the dead, raise up all those who have died and grant that we may share eternal glory with them in particular.

 

     CONVENTION BODY: Lord, hear our prayer.

 

     1ST VICE PRESIDENT EGBERT: It is with sadness that I have to announce the passing of Assistant Chief John Ireland, Hibernia Company No. 1.  Chief Ireland passed away this morning.

 

Tolling of the bell three times

 

     FATHER RYAN: Eternal rest grant unto them, Oh, Lord; and let the perpetual light shine

upon them.  Please pray together the Firemen's prayer.

 

     TREASURER ED MC MAHON, JR: A Firemen's Prayer.

 

     ALL PRESENT: Whenever I am called to duty, God, wherever flames may rage, give me strength to save someone's life, whatever be its age.  Help me embrace a little child, before it is too late, or to save an older person from the horror of that fate.  Enable me to be alert, and to hear the weakest shout, and quickly and efficiently to put the fire out.  I want to fill my calling and give the best in me, to guard my neighbor and protect his property.  And if according to your will, I have to lose my life, please with your protecting hand,  guard my family and my wife.  Thank you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: We will now have a selection by the three soloists.

 

Precious Lord take my Hand

 

Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Now, we will have Taps by the drum corps.

 

Taps are played

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thank you.  We will now retire the colors, and at the conclusion of retiring the colors, the memorial service will be concluded.

 

Colors are retired

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Thank you.  You may be seated.  We are going to resume with the reports of the committees.

 

COMMITTEE REPORTS CONTINUED

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Fire & Emergency Medical Services Institute, C. Kenneth Anderson, C. Kenneth Anderson.

 

FIRE & EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES INSTITUTE

 

     PAST PRESIDENT ANDERSON: To the officers, delegates and life members assembled at the 121st Annual Convention of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association in Montville Report of Representatives of New Jersey Fire and Emergency Medical Services Institute.  Dear Members, Since our last convention the Board of Directors of the Institute met six times.  The State Exempts were represented at all meetings. Amendments to the by-laws of the Institute were adopted to conform to the revised Certificate of Incorporation.  The changes will help segregate the corporate business from the mission of the Institute so more meeting time can be devoted to analyzing legislative and administrative proposals. The officers re-elected at the January meeting are Paul Roman, President; Al Musicant, Vice President; Roger Potts, Secretary; and Charles Moots, Treasurer.  Howie Meyer was elected to a three-year term as Trustee.  State and federal legislation and regulations are discussed at the meetings.  In some cases, the member organizations are asked to send letters or provide testimony on the matters.  In a few cases, the Institute itself provides testimony.  Most of this legislation is also tracked by our Exempts Legislative Committee and I will not duplicate that information in this report.  A Legislative Summit was held at Brookdale Community College on January 27.  Assemblyman Fred Scalera participated.  There was representation from the career and labor organizations.  In the critique, it was determined that this was a useful tool and another summit is being planned. Assemblyman Scalera is also spearheading a project to form a Fire Services Caucus of the members of the Legislature.  Although the efforts to raise funds has been moderately successful, efforts are being pursued to increase revenue and economize where possible.  Preliminary plans are being made to hold a dinner, similar to the National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner, but a lot smaller, in May, 2008.  A letter was sent to Assemblyman Scalera regarding A-3773, the Career Firefighter Registry bill, and asking to meet to discuss the Institute's concerns.  The meeting was held.  No amendments to the bill have been made since that meeting.  The Institute is pleased that the State Exempts pays its dues on time and its representatives attend and participate in the meetings.  It is only by full participation of all emergency services organizations that the work of the Institute can be successful.  One of the projects is to encourage the formation of a Legislative Caucus.  An actively functioning Institute will help achieve that goal.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thank you, Mr. Anderson.  Bill Oser, if he's here, do you have anything to add to the report from the Firemen's Home?

 

     MR. OSER: Nothing.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thank you, Bill. Grave Marker Committee, Dan Ford, Steve Clar.

 

GRAVE MARKER COMMITTEE

 

     MR. FORD: Since our last report given June 24 at the last Convention, we sold 111 grave markers and provided one grave marker for presentation.  This resulted in receipts of $3,330. All monies have been turned over to Treasurer McMahon.  110 new grave markers were ordered and received this year.  This results in a year-end inventory of 131 grave markers.  Again, we have grave markers here for sale, or you can call either myself, Charles Byrne, or Steve Clar for an order.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thank you, Dan.  I need a motion and a second to accept.

 

     MR. DE FILIPPIS: Ed DeFilippis.  Make a motion to accept.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Ed DeFilippis from Somerset County.  I need a second.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT DOHERTY: Bill Doherty.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Bill Doherty.  All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  Motion carried.  Legislative Committee, Carl Christensen.

 

 

LEGISLATIVE

 

     MR. CHRISTENSEN: September 1, 2007, New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association. Subject:  Legislative Report for the 2007 Convention.  Many bills have been introduced concerning firefighters.  Of the 292 or so bills, the following have been signed into law:

 

     Chapter 2, A409 signed 1/17/07 establishes an emergency deployment program for building inspections following a disaster or an emergency.

     Chapter 5, A-409 Signed 1/17/07, Extends eligibility for New York World Trade Scholarship

program to dependents and spouses of persons who died as a result of illness caused by exposure

to attack site.

     Chapter 62, A-1 signed 4/3/07, Establishes homestead credits to reduce property taxes, imposes a four percent cap on local tax levies including Fire Districts.  Permits the local Finance

board to define capital and non-bondable current expenses.

     Chapter 63, A-4, signed 4/3/07, Implements "CORE" proposal, including "Uniformed Shared

Services and Consolidation Act," user-friendly budgets, revision of county superintendent of schools title and duties.

     Chapter 86, A-2575, signed 5/4/07, "The Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity and Firefighter Protection Act."

     Chapter 90, A-3334, signed 5/6/07, Permits short-term tax exemption or abatement for houses

destroyed by fire when reconstruction or renovation is performed by charitable entity or for

profit using volunteer labor.  Respectfully submitted, Carl S. Christensen.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thank you, Carl. Memorial Committee, William Egbert, Frank

Bocchino.

 

MEMORIAL

 

     1ST VICE PRESIDENT EGBERT: You've heard several times about this year's memorial

service.  Next year's memorial service will be held

on April 19th, 2008 in Paulsboro.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Father Ryan, do you have anything more on that?

 

     REVEREND RYAN:  No.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: New Associations Committee, Ed DeFillipis.

 

 

NEW ASSOCIATIONS

 

     MR. DE FILIPPIS: Since our last Convention, we have incorporated three new associations, they are Lower Township of Cape May County; Byram Township of Sussex County; Hopatcong Township of Warren County, and we welcome them aboard.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Thank you, Ed. Operations Manual, William Doherty.

 

 

OPERATIONS MANUAL

 

     PAST PRESIDENT DOHERTY: To the officers, members and guests, clergy, Mr. President, the years 2006 and '07, were great years for the Operations Manual Committee.  The committee consisted of C. Kenneth Anderson, Past President, Carl Christensen, Past President, J. Hobie Wainwright, Statistician, and myself.  We were able to complete the manual and turn it over to the President for his further action.  I want to thank Ken and Carl and Hobie for their dedication in seeing this project through.  It was their dedication and knowledge that made this project an easy one to do and complete.  Mr. President, I would be remiss if I didn't say I'd also like to thank you for the confidence you had in us that this project will be complete in a timely fashion, as it was done.  Since this completion, you have given me an assignment to prepare a back-up procedure for the Convention Memorial Service, in the event no clergy is available to perform the memorial service at the convention.  This procedure has been completed and is now in place, as per your request.  A new service has been added to our list of services by our President and it is the duties of the newly formed lay chaplains. You asked me to establish the duties and responsibilities of this committee, which is now being worked on by the Operations Manual Committee and when completed will be given to the President for his approval.  Thank you, Mr. President.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thank you, Bill.  I might add that project was done a year ahead of schedule.  Publicity Committee, Robert Kelly.

 

 

PUBLICITY

 

     MR. KELLY:  Mr. President, other executive officers, assembled delegates, life members and honored guests and speakers, due to a continued lack of interest and consistent lack of coverage of our events by the print news media in New Jersey, we have made a significant change in our attempts to publicize the association.  During the year 2006, '07, I've worked to promote the N.J.S.E.F.A. by seeking news coverage of our various events in the fire service oriented newspapers that cover our state.  I no longer waste time attempting to utilize the general news media; however, I still maintain the contact files compiled for those various general news outlets.  We have been successful in securing the assistance of New Jersey Fire News and First Responder newspapers; both of which are carrying our messages in either their print or electronic media.  I thank their editorial and  publishing staffs for their assistance.  We are also utilizing other electronic media to help spread our message, like our association's web page at www.NJSEFA.org and similar sites.  I implemented use of electronic correspondence wherever possible to send copies of press releases and announcements.  In instances where electronic communication is not possible, I continue to utilize fax transmissions.  Our current mailing list includes county fire academies or training facilities, 21 county fire coordinators, 20 county fire marshal offices and the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety.  Also included are 13 statewide fire service organizations representing various fire service interests, activities and responsibilities. The Fire Service Women of New Jersey, New Jersey State Fire Chiefs, New Jersey State FMBA, New Jersey State Association of Fire Districts, and the New Jersey Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators are examples of this widely diverse group.  Since last year's Convention I've distributed a total of 159 copies of press releases and news releases to the previously mentioned media agencies and groups.  This total included two news releases highlighting actions taken at our 2006 Convention, 76 press releases announcing our April 2lst Annual Memorial Services, and 81 press releases announcing today's convention.  In the coming year I will continue my attempts to increase coverage of and attendance  at association functions.  I will continue to actively seek to improve and/or implement more effective means of communication with New Jersey firefighters.  I will continue to explore new methods and sources of communication and I will continue to pursue utilizing professionals in the communication industry, if individuals or companies can be located, who are willing to donate their expertise at no charge to our  association.  In closing, I thank President Pawlak and Vice Presidents Egbert and Myers for their support.  And I also thank the many members of the Executive Committee, along with several of our Past Presidents, most notably Ken Anderson and Bill Doherty for their help and assistance in promoting, protecting, and preserving this association.  This concludes my report, thank you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Thank you, Mr. Kelly.  Raffle Committee; Glenn Roemmich.

 

 

RAFFLE

 

     MR. ROEMMICH: This is the Raffle Committee report for the Raffle held after the 2006 Convention in Budd Lake.  As of Thursday June 22, the Raffle Committee had received 4,922 ticket stubs.  At the Executive Committee meeting on Friday, June 23rd, 810 tickets were turned in. During the Convention an additional 377 tickets were turned in and were sold at the school.  Following the Convention, an additional 173 tickets were sold at the muster site.  A total of 6,282 tickets were sold.  Officers, Executive Committeemen and Alternates had sold 2,456. Local associations sold 2,396 tickets.  We received sold tickets from 108 local associations of the 357 sent out to the local associations.  The committee was unable to secure businesses that would donate to cover the costs of the Raffle. The raffle was pulled at 3:30 p.m. at the Muster field in Budd Lake.  The following members were present when the tickets were pulled: President Joe Pawlak, Vice President Bill Egbert, Past President Archie Roemmich and Executive Committeeman Donald Murphy and myself.  First prize was $1,570.50 was won by the Avon Fire Department, ticket number 3354; the second prize was 942.32, was won by the Middle Township Exempts, ticket number 7703; third prize was $628.20 and was won by Donald Murphy, ticket number 1719.  The required raffle Report of Operations was completed and sent to the State  before the July l5 deadline.  We received a letter from the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission stating that our report was received. A check for $30 was forwarded to the commission due to the additional fee required based on the amount of monies that were awarded.  After all the expenses had been paid, the Association realized a profit of $2,338.65.  For this year's Raffle, the committee was able to secure two donations to help offset the expenses for the raffle.  These donations totaled $600.  There is a table set up in the registration area, so if you have not purchased a ticket for this year's raffle, please visit the table and purchase your ticket or tickets. The committee wishes to thank all who have sold tickets or assisted the committee in any way.  Thank you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Thank you, Glenn. We need a motion and second to accept the report.

 

     CARL CHRISTENSEN, Middlesex County.

 

     MR. DE FILIPPIS: Second.  Ed DeFilippis.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK:  Ed DeFilippis, Somerset County.  All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  Motion carried.  Resolutions Committee.  Thomas Orr.

 

 

RESOLUTIONS

 

     COUNSELOR ORR: In a separate report, we will save it for new business, if you please?

 

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Okay.  Community Service Award Committee, Frank Gluckler.

 

 

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

 

     MR. GLUCKLER: President Franklin D. Roosevelt who was a master speaker said anybody who gets up to talk should be sincere, be brief and be seated.  So I have no further report on the Community Service Award, which we gave out this morning to a deserving fireman.  I would just like to ask each one of you to think, do you have someone in your fire company who is always around helping, that needs a pat on the back? Think about that.  It's not part of this committee, but as President Pawlak said that he was a guest on the interview show "Firemen Speak in Wildwood," and it will be aired this year many more times than it ever has been before.  On Thursday, Friday and Saturday and Sunday, three in the -- seven in the morning, rather, three in the afternoon and nine at night and on Saturday just before and just after the parade.  So, if you want to find out anything you might not know about the Exempts, listen to Joe Pawlak speak.  Thank you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Just to add, Bill Egbert was there, too, he had a lot to say.  It wasn't just me.  Ways and Means, Flag Committee, Chris Assenheimer.  Is he here?  I guess somebody can go get him while we do the rest.  Web master, JohnLeo Fedorka.

 

 

WEBMASTER

 

     PAST PRESIDENT FEDORKA: Report of the Web Page Committee to the 121st Annual Convention of New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association.  Officers, life members, delegates and guests, the web page is up and running, dates are being made  whenever they come in.  We made a few changes and added some more information.  The Ways and Means Committee information has been added to the list of all the items available through that committee.  Also, the grave markers have been added.  It can be found under the Benefits and Services drop down menu or Merchandise for Sale tab located on the left-hand side of the main web page.  We are still working on the legislative information page.  We don't have any information posted currently.  We direct you to the New Jersey State Legislative web site.  We hope to post some information on web site bills that need our support on this page, when it is added to our web site.  As always, we can use the help of anyone if you wish to assist in maintaining the web site and you have knowledge of Front Page web publishing program, please contact myself or Joe Pawlak via the link on the web site.  If you notice any corrections that need to be made, also please contact the web master via the link on the web site.  Respectfully submitted, JohnLeo Fedorka, past President.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: The next item is election of officers, we have already done that,  motion has been made, so we will pass through that.  Go to, at this time, unfinished business.  Is there any unfinished business?  Go ahead, Chris, sorry about that.

 

 

WAYS & MEANS

 

     MR. ASSENHEIMER: Just a raise of the hands, how many people visited our tables, your

association tables out there?  Thank you very much, we appreciate it.  If you haven't, make a stop, we appreciate it.  President Pawlak, total sales of Ways and Means merchandise from January 1, 2007 to August 31, 2007 is $535.  Total flag sales from January 1, 2007 to August 31, 2007 is $15,722 for a total of 351 dozen flags sold. At this time I'd like to thank the committee members for their help; Co-chairman Robert Cordes; John Schriver; Zeke Pyrat; Dan McDonough and Frank Walters.  These men are among the first to arrive at the Convention site in the early morning hours and usually the last to leave.  Today only we are selling individual flags for five dollars each.  Please stop by our Association tables and support us by purchasing a shirt, hat or a decal.  Respectfully submitted, Christopher H. Assenheimer.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: We need a motion on that report from Chris Assenheimer.

 

     MR. KELLY:  Motion.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Motion by Bob Kelly.  Second?

 

     PAST PRESIDENT DOHERTY:  Second.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Bill Doherty.  All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  Motion carried.  We will now have a final report by Hobie Wainwright.

 

     STATISTICIAN WAINWRIGHT: Registration report for today as unaudited.                

 

County

Delegates

Life Members

Quorum

Atlantic

0

0

0

Bergen

9

18

11

Cape May 

0

2

1

Cumberland 

5

6

1

Essex 

17

4 

5

Gloucester 

0

3

1

Hudson

19

20 

8

Hunterdon

0

1

1

Mercer

2

5 

2

Middlesex

28

37

18

Monmouth

24

18 

8

Morris

33

32

17

Ocean

1

5

3

Passaic

10

8  

7

Salem

1

0

1

Somerset

2

2   

3

Sussex 

15 

3 

7

Union

16

6 

5

Warren 

4

10

4

TOTAL

197 

204

(112)

 

GRAND TOTAL 401

 

Respectfully submitted, J.H. Wainwright, chairman and committee.  Thank you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Any unfinished business?  No unfinished business.  New business.  Resolutions, Counselor Orr.

 

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

RESOLUTIONS

 

     COUNSEL ORR: Good morning.  We have the resolution thanking the host.

 

      BE IT RESOLVED that this association in convention assembled, does on behalf of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association express its appreciation, and publicly thank the mayor and council, the Boonton Exempt Firemen's Association and the Boonton Fire Department, as well as any and all others who have been in any way responsible for the success of the 121st Annual Convention in Boonton for the courtesy, hospitality, friendliness and cooperation extended to the Association.  

 

All those in favor?

 

            Chorus of ayes

 

     COUNSEL ORR: Opposed?  The ayes have it. The second is thanking the Firemen's Home.

 

     BE IT RESOLVED, that this Association in convention assembled, does on behalf of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association, express its appreciation and thanks to the Board of Managers of the New Jersey Firemen's Home in Boonton.  The Board's devotion to its guests and unfailing dedication to its duty is reflected by the friendly appearance and excellent design of the establishment.  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Association's sincere appreciation is extended to the Superintendent, his staff and the Board of Managers for the efficient manner in which the Home is operated.

 

Again, all those in favor say aye.

 

Chorus of ayes

 

PRESIDENT PAWLAK: No one says ”no," so it's in order.  Evart Vanderbilt still here somewhere, please?  Come on up, Evart.

 

 

HONORARY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE STATUS

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association Resolution Granting Honorary Executive Committee Status to Evart Vanderbilt.

 

     WHEREAS, Evart Vanderbilt is a long time member of the North Centerville Fire Company in Hazlet Township, having served there for a total of 52 years.  Evart Vanderbilt earned his status as an Exempt Fireman in 1962 and he currently enjoys his position as a Life Member, having earned that distinction in 1970.  WHEREAS, During his 52 years at North Centerville, Evart Vanderbilt has also served in various command and executive positions including: Captain, Financial Secretary and Trustee.  At present, he continues to serve as a member of the NCFD Fire Police.  WHEREAS, Evart Vanderbilt has also served as Vice President of the Hazlet Township Exempt Firemen's Association and he is currently the association's treasurer.  Evart Vanderbilt continues to represent Hazlet Township at annual conventions of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association as a Life Delegate.  WHEREAS, Evart Vanderbilt has been a long time member of the Monmouth County Exempt Firemen's Association, having served at various times as both its Vice President and its President. In the early 1990's, Evart Vanderbilt was elected as an Alternate Executive Committeeman to represent Monmouth County's Exempt Firemen to the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association.  WHEREAS, Evart Vanderbilt was elevated to the position of Executive Committeeman for Monmouth County in 1998/1999 and has served in this capacity until mid-year of 2007, when Evart chose to retire from the office.  Evart Vanderbilt is also a Life Member of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association and continues to serve as the state association's Sergeant-at-Arms.  NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association that an honorary executive committeeman status be awarded to Evart Vanderbilt.  New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association, Joseph Pawlak, President; Thomas J. Haborak, Sr., Secretary. Congratulations Evart.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Evart has a word or two for you.

 

     MR. VANDERBILT: I can't talk very well.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Evart wishes to let everyone know that his replacement is Bob Kelly, sitting here in the front, and wishes everyone well. And you will see Evart around, believe me.

 

     Applause

 

BUDGET RESOLUTION

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Larry Wood is going to go over the budget, then we have a resolution for the budget.

 

     MR. WOOD: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your confidence and your help.  September 1, 2007, to the delegates, life members assembled 121st Annual Convention of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association, Incorporated, being held at the Montville High School, 100 Horseneck Road, Montville, New Jersey.  Subject: Report of the Budget Committee.  Brothers, as required by the bylaws of this great association, the Budget Committee has prepared a budget for fiscal year ending December 31, 2008.  The budget was presented to the Executive Committee at their meeting held on April 21, 2007.  The budget was approved for submission to this convention with a recommendation that it be adopted as presented.  Please find a copy of the budget attached.  Firematically yours, Budget Committee Chairman, Lawrence D. Wood. And the budget:

 

Excuse me, gentlemen, there are copies of this budget on the table up front, if anyone would like to have a copy, please come forward and do so. 

 

RECEIPTS:

 

 

 

R101 Dues 

$8,875

R102 Incorporation Fees

$10,500

R103 Ad Book

$30,000

R104 Convention Badges

$0

R105 Merchandise

$3,500

R106 Flags

$15,000

R107 Grave Markers

$ 2,500

R108 Banquet

$ 3,100

R109 Rooms

$ 3,500

R110 Donations

$650

R111 Raffle

$7,000

R112 Interest

$1,600

R113 Bequests

$0

Total Income

$86,225

 

 

DISBURSEMENTS:

 

 

 

D1000 Stipends

$0

D1001 President

$1,000

D1002 First Vice President

$600

D1003 Second Vice President 

 $450

D1004 Secretary 

 $3,100

D1005 Treasurer

$650

D1006 Executive Secretary

$1,000

D1007 Counsel

 $1,000

D1008 Record Keeper 

 $500

D1009 Internal Auditor

$350

D1010 Statistician

$300

D1011 Flag Committee

$100

D1012 Chaplains (3) @ $75

$225

D1013 Movie Committee

$0

D1014 Committeemen 26 @ $100

 $2,600

D1015 Ways and Means

 $0

D1016 Book 

$800

Sub Total 

 $12,675

 

 

D2000 Convention 

$13,134.89

D3000 Book

 $15,917.38

D4000 Executive Committee Exp.

$ 1,648.00

D5000 Secretary Expenses

 $ 1,000.00

D6000 Treasurer Expenses 

 $ 1,000.00

D7000 Ways And Means 

 $ 3,140.00

D8000 Flags

$18,050.00

D9000 Grave Markers

$ 1,925.49

D10000 Incorp. Registrations

$ 9,131,00

D11000 Raffle  

$ 4,815.00

D12000 Legislation

$50.00

D13000 News Letter 

$0.00

D14000 Legal 

$50.00

D15000 Fire Institute

$200.00

D16000 Memorial 

$250.00

D17000 Fire Advisory  

$0.00

D18000 Officers

$500.00

D19000 Internet Expenses

 $700.00

D20000 Publicity  

$50.00

D21000 Service Award  

 $250.00

Total 

$84,486.76

 

 

Anticipated Surplus 

$ 1,738.24

                                                                                   

Respectfully submitted unless there are some questions.  Any Questions?

 

     PAST PRESIDENT BOCCHINO: Make a motion that the budget be approved as presented.

 

     MR. CHRISTENSEN: Second it.

 

     MR. WOOD: The motion is made and seconded that the budget be approved as presented.  All those in favor signify by saying aye.

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     MR. WOOD:  Opposed?  Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Mr. Orr, I think we still should do the resolution.

 

     COUNSEL ORR: It's right in front of you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: We just have a formality we have to adopt a resolution because of the stipends that are included in the budget.

 

BE IT RESOLVED, that this Association in convention assembled approve the attached budget for the calendar year 2008.  We need a motion and a second for the resolution.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT DOHERTY: Bill Doherty.  Make a motion it be accepted.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Bill Doherty.

 

     MR. DE FILIPPIS: Second.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Ed DeFilippis seconds.  All those in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  Motion carried.  Presentation of certificates to new associations.

 

 

PRESENTATION OF CERTIFICATES TO NEW ASSOCIATIONS

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: We have a representative from Byram Township here, please step forward.  Also a representative for Lower Township and Pohatcong Township.  I will just read the first one, the rest we will just present.  

 

This is New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association certified that the Association of Exempt Firemen of Byram Township is a member of New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association.  Under our hand sealed this 1st day of September in the year 2007.  Signed by President Pawlak and Secretary Haborak, Sr.  Congratulations, gentlemen, welcome aboard.  Do you have anything to say real quick?  We have one for Lower Township, Cape May County; it's going to be accepted by Cape May County Executive Committeeman Ralph Porch.  Thanks, Ralph. Ralph has been instrumental along with our Second Vice President and a few other individuals in bringing this association in.  This is for Pohatcong Township, Warren County.  We will hold that until we find a representative.  Thank you.  Thank you, gentlemen, appreciate it.

 

     Applause

 

 

FUTURE CONVENTION SITES ADOPTION     

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Now, we have to adopt motions for the sites for future conventions. We are going to take the motions one at a time. For the year 2008 for Boonton.  We need a motion.

 

     MR. VELARDI:  So moved.  Frank Velardi, life member, Wayne.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Second?

 

     MR. KELLY:  Second.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Bob Kelly.  All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  The motion carried for 2008 shall be in Boonton.  The next one is 2012 for Florence.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT DOHERTY: Bill Doherty.  Make a motion we accept their offer.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Second?  Is that Dave Murphy back there?

 

     MR. MURPHY: Yes, sir, President Pawlak.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Dave Murphy, Somerset.  All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  Motion carried.  2013 for Boundbrook.  Dave Murphy, Somerset County makes the motion.  Second?

 

     MR. DE FILIPPIS: Second.  Ed De Filippis.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Ed De Filippis, Somerset.  All in favor.

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  Motion carried.  The next one, 2022, Woodbridge.

 

     MR. MINKLER: I will make that a motion.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Lenny is going to make that motion for Woodbridge.  Lenny Minkler, he wants to be grand marshall.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT FEDORKA: John Fedorka, Perth Amboy.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: John Fedorka, Perth Amboy; second.  All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  Motion carried.  Is there any other new business that needs to come before this Convention?  I don't see any hands.  That's a good sign.

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENT OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEMEN AND ALTERNATES

 

     SECRETARY HABORAK:

 

Executive Committeemen:

 

Atlantic – VACANT

Bergen – Charles Moots

Bergen – Frank Gluckler

Burlington – Donald Cobb

Camden –John Barricelli

Cape May – Ralph Porch

Cumberland – James Rudd

Essex – H. Lee Baker

Essex – Steve Clar

Gloucester – Glenn Roemmich

Hudson – Ron Kosky, Sr.

Hudson – William Oser

Hunterdon - VACANT

Mercer – Robert O. Wiles

Middlesex – Charles Byrne

Middlesex – Garrick Miller

Monmouth – Thomas Gagen

Monmouth – Robert Kelly

Morris – Frank Wheatley

Ocean – Donald Brown

Passaic – Jerry Broadfield

Salem – Harry Lee Hawn

Somerset – David Murphy

Sussex – Charles Clink

Union – George Waseleski

Warren – Ted Vegh

 

Alternate Executive Committeemen:

 

Atlantic - VACANT

Bergen – Frank Jaegge

Bergen – Greg Kopec

            Burlington – James Hensley

            Camden – VACANT

            Cape May – Robert Sweeten

            Cumberland – Barry Gruccio

            Essex – VACANT

            Essex - VACANT

Gloucester – James Lutz III

            Hudson – George Paczkowski

            Hudson – George Kieck

            Hunterdon – William Crampton

            Mercer – John Newbon

            Middlesex – Nick Lombardi

            Middlesex – Paul Snyder

            Monmouth – Anthony Salerno

            Monmouth – VACANT

            Morris – Andrew Pratt

            Ocean – Greg Kennedy

            Passaic – Samuel Gaita

            Salem – Dan Ford

            Somerset – VACANT    

            Sussex – Daniel Scheuer

            Union – Mark Mecca

            Warren – Richard Hay

 

     SECRETARY HABORAK: I’d just like to say, Lenny, you might have to come get me at the Firemen’s Home, I might be on the second or third floor.

 

     MR. MINKLER: I will get you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: We have already done the resolutions for Honorary Executive Committeemen, so we will move on.  To reiterate, some of this is repetition but the other is just to keep you up to date as far as all future conventions.

 

2008 - Boonton

2009 - West Paterson

2010 - Wanaque

2011 - Milltown

2012 - Florence

2013 - Boundbrook

2014 - Phillipsburg

2015 - Whippany

2016 - OPEN

2017 - OPEN

2018 - OPEN

2019 - OPEN

2020 - OPEN

2021 - OPEN

2022 - Woodbridge

 

Mr. Frank Bocchino, installation of officers.

 

 

INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS

 

     PAST PRESIDENT BOCCHINO: Installation of Officers, New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association at Boonton, New Jersey, September 1st 2007.  I'm extremely happy to have been chosen again as the installation officer for this installation procedure.  I have been fortunate to have worked with some of these that are being installed here today and also have known all of them and do recognize their enthusiasm and dedication to this grand and glorious New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association.  Will the officers elect form a line for the installation.

 

ELECTED OFFICERS

 

Joseph R. Pawlak – President

William A. Egbert – First Vice President

Robert H. Myers, Jr. – Second Vice President

Thomas J. Haborak, Sr. – State Secretary

Edward H. McMahon – State Treasurer

J.Hobart Wainwright – Statistician

 

Each of you has indicated your willingness to be a candidate for the office to which the members of this convention have elected you.  Each of you are familiar with the duties prescribed in the constitution and bylaws for your office.  Will you accept the office which you have been elected?

 

     OFFICERS: Yes.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT BOCCHINO: Please raise your hand and repeat after me:  I, state your name, hereby swear that I will support the constitution and bylaws of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association and at all times bear true allegiance to its goals and purposes.  I further swear to perform the duties and responsibilities of my office to the best of my ability -- you are not doing very good -- and at the end of my term, I will deliver to my successor all records of the office to which I accept, so help me God. 

 

     PAST PRESIDENT ROEMMICH: Let us bow our heads in prayer.  Dear Heavenly Father, our Almighty God, once again we ask you to give wisdom, strength and endurance to the officers of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association, as they seek to fulfill their responsibilities of leadership.  Grant them your guidance as they give of themselves to serve this association.  Even as they have faithfully served in the past, may they now be given your help so that through them the purpose of this association may  continue to be accomplished for those who have served now and retire from their positions.  We give you special thanks and pray your blessings upon them.  This we ask in our Savior's name, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT BOCCHINO: As the installing officer, I declare that each of you are duly elected and installed in the office to which you have been elected.  Mr. President, I present you with the President’s badge of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association.  I trust that you will wear it with distinction and good health. I present you with the gavel, symbol of your office, use it with authority and at the same time with diplomacy and impartiality.  Congratulations to you and your executive officers in this coming year.  Congratulations.

 

Applause

 

     PAST PRESIDENT BOCCHINO: Mr. First Vice President, I present you with your badge and wish you good luck and good health in your term for the next year.  Congratulations.

 

     Applause

 

     PAST PRESIDENT BOCCHINO: Mr. Second Vice President, as a member elected to office, you will serve in a position of trust and importance in this organization.  I present you with your badge and wish you good luck and good health in your term for the next year.

 

     Applause

 

     PAST PRESIDENT BOCCHINO: Mr. Secretary, your job is most important to the continued success of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association.  I acknowledge the good work you have done in the past and ask that you continue that good work for another term in this important office.  I present you with your badge and extend to you the best of wishes from all of us and trust this coming year will be extremely successful for the association.  Congratulations.

 

     Applause

 

     PAST PRESIDENT BOCCHINO: Mr. Treasurer, I present you with your badge and I wish you the best of everything for the coming year.  I also acknowledge the good work you have done this past year and ask that you continue that good work for another term in this most important office.  Congratulations.  Mr.  Statistician, as a member of the executive officers of this association you have taken on a most important position as its statistician.  The history of the association rests upon your shoulders.  It is your responsibility to keep that history recorded into your records.  I have known you for some time now, Hobie, I just know you will be an asset to the position.  I present you with your officer badge and wish you good health, especially after this past year.  Congratulations.

 

     Applause

 

     PAST PRESIDENT BOCCHINO: Gentlemen, as you were blessed by our Chaplain asking for God's guidance, let me assure all of you that we all as past presidents offer our help to in any way that you made need.  God bless and good luck to all of you.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thank you, Frank. Now, we will have some brief remarks from our installed officers.  Brief.  As President, first, I'd like to thank you for electing me to a second term We had a very successful year and accomplished most of goals that were set.  A very sincere thank you goes out to my fellow officers, executive committeemen and the general membership for all the support and assistance that I have received.  I would also be remiss if I did not thank the families of all the individuals that I just mentioned for the sacrifices they endured throughout the year.  I'm looking forward to another very productive year and a brighter future for our organization.  Please stay safe, enjoy the rest of the convention festivities, as well as the parade, and please buy those raffle tickets.

 

     1ST VICE PRESIDENT EGBERT: I'd just like to say thank you.  I certainly enjoy working for the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association.  My wife feels I would work for any organization that has fire in it.  I guess that's a vote of confidence from my wife.  Very supportive behind the scenes.  Also, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the passing, we didn't do it in the memorial service, but reflect on the passing of one of our past presidents, Dick Ferry, who passed away this past year.  Dick was a resident of the Firemen's Home.  We heard comments from Mike Kendzierski on the Firemen's Home and the benefits of it.  Dick was a recipient of those wonderful features that they have over at the Home.  He was reluctant to go, like every one of us probably is.  But I think once he got there, he got into it.  He was able to go to Wildwood last year.  I was able to introduce President Pawlak to him, and Dick and Joe took to each other like ducks to water.  I just want to reflect on the passing of Past President Dick Ferry.  Thank you.

 

     Applause

 

     2ND VICE PRESIDENT MYERS: I'd like to thank this organization for the honor of serving them again.  And we will try to keep moving forward; with the vice president and president ahead of me, I think we will be moving forward quite well.

 

     Applause

 

     SECRETARY HABORAK: I would just like to say thank you.  And also I would like to thank Father Ryan and everyone that helped us, and John Fedorka for the memorial service this year for 25 years.  The good Monsignor is looking down on us.

 

     Applause

 

     TREASURER MC MAHON, JR.: I wish to thank you again for re-electing me and giving me an opportunity to work with this good group I'm with.  And we will continue our goals to improve the financial condition of the association and as well as the jobs that we do as a whole for the rest of the New Jersey State Exempt Firemen.  I'd also like to thank my wife as she continues to support me; sometimes I'll get strained and she's behind me all the way and I really appreciate that.  Thank

you.

 

     Applause

 

     SATISTICIAN WAINWRIGHT: Short, sweet, to the point, thank you for being here.  Now, here comes the punch line: Have you ever gone to a store to buy something, to the gas station, or wherever?  Why am I asking that question?  Because I'm looking for you to help Ed increase the treasury of our association by getting an ad.  You as an individual can earn 32 percent of the total cost of that ad.  And we need your help.  It's easy to do.  The first time is the hardest, the second time, the third time, the fourth time comes easy.  When they see you coming they know what you want, a check.  It's easy to do.  And I would hope that we have some individuals in this audience today that will take that challenge to become a New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association ad solicitor.  Thank you for coming, have a wonderful time here in Boonton and safe trip home.  Thank you.  God bless America.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Any good and welfare?

 

     PAST PRESIDENT BOCCHINO: I did not take the opportunity while I was up there, I especially want to thank Chief Kanterman.  I have been to a lot of his speeches, his presentations and such, but I have never seen a guest speaker stay for the entire convention or meeting.  He deserves a lot of credit for sticking with us.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Any other good and welfare?  At this time, what I'd like to do at this point, if there are any past presidents or honorary officers or executive committeemen that would like to speak for a moment, please step forward.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT ANDERSON: I, too, wanted to say thanks to Chief Kanterman for his comments and for staying around.  It's a pleasure to be invited to this convention and to be a Past President of this association; and the people say why would I want to go to that convention, get up early Saturday morning?  There's a lot of important business that occurs here but somewhat dry.  To have a guest speaker, especially Chief Kanterman's qualities, it certainly is some other information to take back to your county and to your local association.  Now, I would hope it's not so, but I really wasn't here 121 years ago, as was mentioned.  There's another position that people take sometimes, it really is not true that when I went to fire school there was a module on how to feed the horses.  That's not so.  Thank you.

 

     Applause

 

     PAST PRESIDENT BOCCHINO: Want to wish good luck to all the incoming officers, have a good year and God bless you.

 

     Applause

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Mr. Christensen says hi; Mr. Wheatley, Mr. Vander Berg?

 

     PAST PRESIDENT WHEATLEY: Thank you for everything and good luck to the new officers.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thank you.  Anyone else?  Mr. Fedorka.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT FEDORKA: Ditto.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: He gave us a salute. Thank you.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT DOHERTY: I just want to congratulate all the officers for the upcoming year.  It's always a pleasure to be here and to serve along with you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Thank you, Bill.   I'm going to move on unless someone else is there.

 

     PAST PRESIDENT ROEMMICH: I'm behind you.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Some people think, but I don't have eyes in the back of my head, I really don't.  At this point, I'm going to ask Father Ryan come forward to do the closing prayer; and once that's done, we are going to entertain a motion to adjourn.

 

     REVEREND RYAN: Dear Heavenly Father, Ruler of heaven and earth, pray that you will grant us traveling mercies, as we travel back to our communities.  Keep us alert as we travel on the highways.  And thank you for this time we have been able to spend together and how we felt your presence here during our convention.  Once again thank you for all you have done and what you are about to do.  With this we ask in our Savior's name, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Two items just before the motion to adjourn.  We need to have Mr. Myers tell us where the next meeting is going to be.

 

     2ND VICE PRESIDENT MYERS: October 20, Phillipsburg, Warren County, reorganization meeting 10:30 a.m.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: And the other item Mr. Wheatley just reminded me, I ask you to buy those raffle tickets, they will be sold out on the parade route but not sold on the carnival grounds. So if you haven't purchased them yet, please do so.  At this time, I will entertain a motion.

 

     MR. ENFIELD: Motion for adjournment.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Motion by Eugene Enfield, Edison Exempts.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Second?

 

     PAST PRESIDENT FEDORKA: Second.

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: All in favor?

 

     Chorus of ayes

 

     PRESIDENT PAWLAK: Opposed?  Motion carried.  Have a good convention.  Stay safe.

 

 

CONVENTION PROCEEDINGS ARE CONCLUDED AT 12:10 P.M.

Copyright © 2001-2010 New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association. All rights reserved
For comments or further information write to exemptapastchief@aol.com
or post a message on our guest book page.