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"News" in the world of Public Safety...

If you have any "news" to add email dennis@offdutynetwork.com

February 2010

College Park Fire Department found out yesterday morning that FF Patrick Wheeler (CPFD A Shift) was very seriously injured in an MVA in Blairsville, GA on Saturday night. He is currently in Northeast Georgia Medical Center and his scheduled to have surgery on his neck today. He has severely damaged his cervical spine ... further details will be given as we have them. I personally spoke with him on Sunday, and FireMedic Sal Gangi and interim Lt. Paul Dearing spent a large part of the day Sunday with Pat.

We are very happy that Pat is still with us, breathing and with some of his sick wit (lol). But this will be a VERY long recovery for him. Please keep your CP public safety brother in your prayers. We may wear different shade uniforms and drive different apparatus, folks ... but we're the ones on the street and we're the ones looking out for each other. Pat is going to need our support ... let's remember why we all proudly wear the uniform.

Several months ago you were informed of the executive board changes that have taken place. The board has been re-organizing the Chapter since the changes were made and now we are excited to begin 2010. There are many changes that are coming in 2010; throughout this letter I will highlight a few of them. In 2009, the Metro Atlanta F.O.O.L.S. provided rapid intervention and Firefighter survival training to over 200 Firefighters around the State. In 2010, we hope to expand the training offered by adding additional courses such as search and rescue techniques and initial company operations. F.O.O.L.S members interested in being involved with the development and presentation of these courses should contact board member Scott Sanders. It is our goal to offer training to fire departments throughout the State at least once per quarter.

In 2009 we attempted to hold several F.O.O.L.S. social events such as nights out at a local pub. These social events were not attended by many members due to various reasons. We feel like our members may not have been informed of the events in a timely or effective manner. Beginning 2010, we are developing a social events committee. The committee will meet to develop social events around different areas of the State to get members more involved with the Chapter. Our goal is to have one social event each month around the State. Any member’s interested in the social events committee should contact board member J.W. Thaxton.

F.O.O.L.S was established on the passion for Firefighter camaraderie and brotherhood. Part of that brotherhood is to take care of each other. Beginning 2010, we hope to begin fundraising events at various times throughout the year for the purpose of training and taking care of each other. We will need your support, time, and ideas to make this happen. All money collected from fundraisers will be used to provide training to Firefighters with limited resources. Any member interested in joining the fund raising committee should contact board member J.W. Thaxton.

To accomplish many of the things we have planned for 2010 we must have your support. Soon we will be requesting annual membership dues of $15.00. Any member wishing to keep their membership at active status should send the annual dues in as soon as possible. To make this easier and more user friendly, we are currently establishing a Pay-Pal account to pay dues electronically. We will send out notification when this is in service. Without support from our members the Metro Atlanta F.O.O.L.S. chapter will be unable to continue with many of our goals. Members who do not wish to renew their membership will be placed on an inactive list. Members concerned about where the money goes should forward any questions to our treasurer, Mike Boehlke.

Many of the board members have been asked “What have I received for my $15.00?” Here are a few things we are already working on for 2010.

Currently organizing fund-raising event for the St Baldrick’s organization. Please check out their website www.stbaldricks.org for more information on this charity. More info will be sent on when and where as we finalize the details.

Wills for Heroes” Metro Atlanta FOOLS will receive free wills from a group of lawyers who volunteer their time and skills for local heroes (that’s you).

Currently soliciting education partners to provide reduced higher education rates, scholarships and other financial help for FOOLS who are pursuing further education.

Currently upgrading our website to provide training and resources for members as well as department/member training requests.

Teaching a Firefighter Survival H.O.T. class for the Gwinnett Leadership and Safety Conference.

Thank each and every one of you for your patience and understanding of the organization throughout last year. This is only our second year as the Metro Atlanta F.O.O.L.S. and we expect great things over this next year. Please remember that the Board Members, like you have full-time jobs, part-time jobs and families. The Board is all volunteer and receives absolutely no compensation from this organization. Our only motive is to help our fellow firefighters, so please be patient if some things seem a little slow to develop. On behalf of the executive board of the Metro Atlanta F.O.O.L.S. chapter, I would like to thank each of you for your service and selflessness to your fellow firefighters around the State. In closing I would like to invite each of you to an F.O.O.L.S. night out on Saturday, January 30^th, 2010 at Twisted Tavern in Suwannee, Georgia. Please view our website for the address and updates. We look forward to seeing you then!

The website was upgraded last week and there will be a great deal of information posted in the next few weeks. Please be patient as our IT guy works to make this site more informational and user friendly. The website has a member’s area where a forum/discussion board is posted and I encourage each of you to log in and fellowship with your fellow FOOLS. Log-in information and directions are attached. We are also working on adding training request forms, a lessons learned page, a Metro Atlanta FOOLS fiscal report page and many other useful tools to keep all of our members informed. Once again, please be patient as we re-build and upgrade this site.

Since this is being rebuilt, if you encounter any problems, please check back in a few days to see if they have been corrected.

The Metro Atlanta FOOLS Chapter has big plans for 2010 and we hope you are here to join us in our mission. Annual chapter dues are now being accepted via mail or PayPal. The dues paid by members only provides the chapter with enough capital to operate and pay our FOOLS International dues. Fund raisers and other donations make up the difference to help us provide and organize FOOLS events and training sessions. The current annual dues are $15.00. To make it easier to pay your Metro Atlanta FOOLS dues, we have added a Pay Pal account. Instructions on how to pay via Pay Pal are attached and also listed on the Web Site in the “Join the Brotherhood” area. This will allow you to pay these dues electronically instead of by mail. Please fill out and return the 2010 Renewal Form to ensure we have the most current information available to keep you informed. Additionally, let us know if any of your fellow FOOLS are not receiving e-mails from us and provide us with the most current contact information to ensure we keep them informed as well.

We are currently finalizing our educational partnership with Columbia Southern University. This partnership will allow members to receive a 10% discount on tuition and waived admission fees! Our next goal is to become partners with technical colleges across the state to offer benefits for our members.

We are still seeking members to join the Social Events Committee but for 2010 we plan on holding some form of social event at least each quarter. As participation in the Social Events Committee increases, it is our goal to increase this to monthly. We are looking into the next event being a family day event in Atlanta. More details are to come…

Metro Atlanta FOOLS is planning on taking training to the next level in 2010. We are now lining up vendors and sponsors to support us in our mission. Our goal for 2010 is to be able to take the Firefighter Survival/RIT training to any fire department by having our own training props and being completely mobile. Members interested in assisting with the development of new courses or members in need of specific training should contact board member Scott Sanders at ssanders@metroatlantafools.com

This is your organization and we would love to hear your ideas on future events, benefits, or needs. Please e-mail the board at admin@metroatlantafools.com or any board member through our FOOLS e-mail (“E-Board” tab on the website) with any suggestions, concerns or questions. We need your help to take this organization to the next level in 2010 and meet our mission. Thanks to each and every one of you for making this organization possible. With your help we can make a difference in the lives and careers of our fellow firefighters.