“United We Stand”…so, it is stated on our logo.
To me, to most of us, this really means something special. When I was an active firefighter I realized that I was part of a very special brotherhood which is recognized worldwide. As active police officers many of my brothers and sisters in our association felt the same about their brotherhood in law enforcement. Even during those early times we all understood the mutual connection between police and fire. We stood united in the streets of Providence assisting each other in the protection of its citizens. Doing our jobs to the best of our ability but never forgetting that the true priority was to watch out for our own!
This type of concern, loyalty and respect for each other and each other’s individual concerns is in some ways even more important as we all grow older and in need of assistance from our brothers and sisters. We, as individuals, no longer have the strength, the power or the influence to fight City Hall on our own. In order to have any chance of having our individual voices heard we must stand united and speak with a chorus of voices. It is in this manner that we can effect change or more importantly protect our own!
And make no mistake, protecting our own, especially the most vulnerable, is what this association is all about. In order to best accomplish this we must maintain our strength in numbers. That includes making sure that you’re a registered, dues paying member of PPFRA. If you are not registered as a member fill out the membership form on this webpage or contact one of us on the Board so that we may assist you in signing up.
In keeping with the united we stand theme as well as the previous promise of President Johnston to remain proactive in issues concerning us he has created a new Health & Safety Committee in order for us to recognize and assist those most vulnerable members in our brotherhood. The purpose is to provide assistance (physically or financially) to our brother or sister who may be in dire need of help. This will be handled by a two member committee and will be completely anonymous. We are only as strong as our weakest member and it is our duty to stand behind each other no matter the cost! A more detailed description of the committee and its intended function, as well as contact information will be listed under the Alcohol & Drug Assistance Hotline’s banner on the top of our webpage.
Remember that the Mayor has already been hinting of more concessions by retirees and we need to be as strong as possible to remain untouched. Our stance is, and always will be, that any change to the agreement nullifies the entire agreement including the freeze on our COLA’s. I don’t think the Mayor really wants to go down that path with us.
Until next month – stay safe & healthy,
Tom Kenney
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the monthly commentary “The Way I See It” are Tom Kenney’s and not necessarily those of The Providence Police & Firefighters Retirement Association.
