ORDER-2020-101 : A Resolution in Recognition of the Melrose Fire Department

Transcript (~14 min @ 1:19:12)

Speakers identified by voice; unnamed voices are numbered within this recording. Auto-caption text — verify against the video.

▶ 1:19:07 Speaker 1: Order 2020-101, a resolution in recognition of the Melrose Fire Department.

▶ 1:19:13 Speaker 7: Madam President?

▶ 1:19:14 Jen Grigoraitis: Yes, Councillor McMaster.

▶ 1:19:15 Shawn M. MacMaster: At this time, I am seeking immediate consideration.

▶ 1:19:18 Jen Grigoraitis: Okay, we have a request for immediate consideration by Councillor McMaster for Order 2020-101. Do we have any objections? Okay, seeing no objections, this order is now before us. Do I have an entertain a motion to suspend the rules? I believe we have some members that we wish to bring forward. Is that correct, Councillor McMaster?

▶ 1:19:42 Shawn M. MacMaster: Yes, I believe we have with us Chief Kalina, as well as President Skahr of the Fire Union. And I'm not sure if Mayor Bird is able to join us or if Mr. Prendergast will be represented.

▶ 1:19:53 Speaker 2: I'll make a motion to suspend the rules.

▶ 1:19:58 Jen Grigoraitis: Second. All right. We have a motion to suspend the rules by Councillor Stewart, seconded by Councillor Tramontozzi. Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll?

▶ 1:20:07 Speaker 10: Councillor Sanella? Yes. Councillor Eccles? Yes. Councillor Garipay? yes councillor de maladeen yes councillor mcmaster yes councillor mcnaught yes councillor Migliorelli

▶ 1:20:29 Speaker 10: yes yes councillor stewart yes councillor thomas yes councillor Tramontozzi yes president Grigoraitis yes 11 yes hey we are under a suspension of the rules councillors mcmaster and stewart i will

▶ 1:20:44 Shawn M. MacMaster: turn this over to you uh thank you madam president do we have video of our guests or are they uh can

▶ 1:20:54 Speaker 11: they hear us yes i can hear you good evening everybody evening chief mr starr with us there

▶ 1:21:11 Shawn M. MacMaster: he is good evening thank you both for joining us this uh evening as uh background this is a resolution filed by Consular Stewart and I. The resolution was filed on May 4th which as some of you probably know and I know Chief Kalina and President Starnow is International Firefighters Day. We very much appreciate of course all that our firefighters do throughout the course of the year but we certainly recognize how difficult and challenging these last few months have been with the COVID-19 pandemic and what it has called upon you chief and your team to do in terms of preparedness and in response so we very much appreciate that and it's also not lost on me that we are hearing this resolution this evening just two days after a significant fire in Los Angeles where 12 firefighters were injured eight of whom remain in the hospital also just yesterday in Manhattan. Some of you may have heard that there was a major fire, excuse me, in Harlem at a furniture store where one firefighter was injured. Later on, I think Consular Stewart's going to talk a little bit more about these types of personal heroics that are not always seen, so I will leave that to Consular Stewart to talk about. And you know what I would just say, and some of you may have seen the video of the conflagration in Los Angeles where firefighters were exiting a building trying to get down from the ladder. And you'll see on that there are three firefighters who get down and they're on the top of the the apparatus heading away from the fire. Next thing you know there is a massive explosion. And what did the three firefighters do? They They didn't jump off of the apparatus. They didn't continue running in the opposite direction. They literally turned around and ran towards the explosion because their brothers were on the ladder. So I do think, as sad and tragic as that is, and we certainly extend our thoughts and prayers and well wishes to them, their brothers and sisters, and certainly their family and their community in Los Angeles, it is still, I think, fitting that we are honoring are men and women in the fire department today. So I will proceed to read the resolution. City of Melrose in City Council, a resolution in recognition of the Melrose Fire Department. Whereas firefighters are formally recognized and celebrated during the month of May, and whereas International Firefighters Day is observed annually on May 4th, and whereas the field of firefighting has evolved over the years to include medical aid, hazardous waste cleanup and biohazard emergencies, as well as participation in search and rescue operations and preparedness activities to prevent domestic and foreign terrorism. Whereas the Melrose Fire Department has continually operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week for 151 years. And whereas the Melrose Fire Department is comprised of 57 firefighters who staff three fire stations strategically located throughout the city. And whereas the Melrose Fire Department is broken down into four suppression groups made up of two engine companies, one ladder company, one rescue company. And whereas in 2019, the Melrose Fire Department responded to 4,495 service calls, including 279 fires, 2,480 medical aids, 272 motor vehicle crashes, and dozens of drug overdoses. And whereas in the first four months of 2020, the Melrose Fire Department has responded to 1,320 service calls, including 73 fires, 740 medical aids, 56 motor vehicle crashes, and 23 drug overdoses. And whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has placed additional demands on the Melrose Fire Department and exposed its members to a novel virus at great personal risk. and whereas each and every day our firefighters risk their personal safety for the health and welfare of the general public and whereas the Melrose Fire Department represents the very best of the firefighting profession. Be it resolved, we the members of the Melrose City Council do hereby express our sincere appreciation for the men and women of the Melrose Fire Department for their hard work, selflessness, bravery and sacrifice on behalf of the City of Melrose and in recognition hereof be it further resolved that on this 18th day of May in the year 2020 a copy of this resolution be spread upon the records of the Melrose City Council offered by Sean M McMaster City Council award 5 and Rob Stewart City Council or Ward 3 attested by members of the Melrose City Council madam president at this time I would ask that counselor Stewart be recognized as my co-sponsor to say a few words?

▶ 1:26:27 Speaker 10: Certainly, Councillor Stewart.

▶ 1:26:30 Robb Stewart: Thank you, Madam President, and through the Chair, thank you, Councillor McMaster, for those fine words. I'll be brief, but I just want to let you know that I was very proud to co-sponsor this resolution with Councillor McMaster. I echo Mr. McMaster's sentiments, And I think the numbers speak for themselves in terms of the effort and the amount of work that you do that is largely unrecognized or unknown, but absolutely critical and essential to the community. Throughout the year, particularly during these trying times, as part of the frontline team to battle COVID-19, the men and women of your department make personal sacrifices to go out and respond to all of the community needs, whether it be a fire or the related issues that you deal with on a day-to-day basis. I think the recent example of the Willow Street fire and how this was quickly and efficiently contained without any loss of life, without and avoiding any spread of the fire to additional buildings and a tightly built area within the community is a real testament to the value that you bring when the time of crisis arise. So I want to thank you personally as a member of the community and also as a representative of this community for your continued commitment and to the wellbeing of the City of Milhouse. So thank you, Fire Chief Kalina, And thank you, Mr. Stare. We very much appreciate your efforts.

▶ 1:28:22 Speaker 2: I'm present.

▶ 1:28:25 Jen Grigoraitis: Thank you, Councilor McMaster and Councilor Stewart. Chief Kalina, President Starr, is there anything that you'd like to say to the council? You don't have to, but you're welcome to speak. Chief Kalina.

▶ 1:28:37 Speaker 11: Yes, good evening everybody. I just wanted to say thank you to the councilors who filed the order and the resolution and to all of you councilors that are supporters. not only for this order but the throughout the years it means a lot to my members and we have the support of the council and then the city as a whole the firefighters they do so much day in and day out and they receive every little recognition and for their duties regardless we're all very proud to serve the city and we don't do but we just we do we truly love our job and we're happy to serve the citizens of Melrose and appreciate your recognition of my firefighters very much

▶ 1:29:27 Jen Grigoraitis: appreciated thank you thank you chief President Starr you're on mute you hear me now all right so

▶ 1:29:48 Speaker 2: I basically just wanted to uh reiterate what the chief had just said um very proud to represent uh the members of local 1617 and um you know it's uh it's it's been great to serve with them and serving the citizens of melrose we've gained a lot of support from the citizens as well as city council from anything from uh you know just wishing us well and um i know even some of the city councilors christenella dropped off uh hand sanitizer and masks and uh we definitely feel feel the support from from you and we'll always be here to look after the city of Melrose so we look forward to continuing to get your support and thanks so much for this recognition this resolution thank you

▶ 1:30:41 Jen Grigoraitis: and thank you both and your members for all that you do on behalf of the city of Melrose every day and thank you to counselors McMaster and Stewart for bringing forward this resolution at this time do we have any other counselors wishing to speak hey at this time we can continue on with our new business motion place up there sorry yes motion to place on file by councillor Tramontozzi seconded by councillor

▶ 1:31:13 Speaker 10: mcmaster madam clerk can you please call the roll um madam president i sounded like the mayor might be wanting to come in i don't know if it was in reference to this okay i solved my there he is

▶ 1:31:22 Speaker 2: i saw my text scroll down because i'm getting a luke garrick effect here um but i did want to jumped in are you guys getting that echo i'll try to be brief because i don't know what's going on

▶ 1:31:34 Paul Brodeur: but i i do want to thank the the men and women of the metworth fire department in particular because they have served my family well in particular with my mom and dad being frail there have been several times over the course of the last several years where they've had to transfer out my my parents. And we have a bit of a history on my father's side of folks being on the job, but now retired, passed away. But I know from them what that means. And I certainly, on behalf of my family, want to thank you for the terrific work you did in making sure my mom and dad were safe and got what they need. Thank you, gentlemen.

▶ 1:32:24 Jen Grigoraitis: you mr. mayor at this time I believe we had a motion on the before us to place this resolution on file and we were going to call the roll

▶ 1:32:35 Speaker 10: councillor Sunilla yes councillor Eccles councillor garipay councillor de maledine yes councillor McMaster yes councillor McNaught yes councillor Migliorelli yes councillor Stewart yes yes yes yes okay 11 yes the resolution has been placed on file thank you gentlemen for joining us this evening we appreciate it thank you thank