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October 15, 2006
General
President Harold Schaitburger
International Association of Fire
Fighters
1750 New York Ave N.W.
Washington
D.C. 20006
Dear President Schaitburger,
It is with a heavy heart, that the Executive Board of Local I-26
and our membership, must inform the IAFF of the dissolution of
the New York Fire Patrol, by the
New York Board of Fire Underwriters. As of 0800 hours -
15 October 2006, members of Fire Patrols 1, 2 and 3 will ring our
ratchets for the last time.
Our 203 year history began
humbly. The New York Fire Patrol can trace its beginnings back
to 1803, when the Mutual Assistance and Bag Corporation was
formed by a group of volunteers to protect and preserve the
contents of buildings from fire and water damage. We have had
the honor of working beside the brave members of the FDNY since
their inception. Throughout our long history we have been
dedicated men and women, who have served the citizens of New
York City, with honor and pride, as the last Salvage Corps in
the country. We have lost 32 members in the line of duty.
The last being Patrolman Keith Roma, on 11 September 2001.
We would like to thank you
and your staff, Lori Moore, Jeff Zack, Baldwin Robertson,
Michael Crouse and Kurt Rumsfeld, for all of your support over the past year. We
would especially like to thank brother Kevin Gallagher, 1st
District
Vice President, for his guidance and support during these rough
times.
You have been by our side for the entire ride.
Thank you so much to
brothers Peter Gorman, President of the UFOA, who went above and
beyond, in our behalf. Steven Cassidy, President of the UFA,
Patrick Bahnken, President of the EMS union and David
Rosenzweig, President of the Fire Dispatcher union, who
stood by us like true brothers do. We are eternally grateful
for your unwavering support in our time of need.
To our brothers from IAFF
Locals all over the country and to fire companies from around
the world, your support and words of
encouragement were much appreciated.
The hardest part about our
closing is not the monetary value we will be loosing, but the fact
that the proud tradition of the New York Fire Patrol will be a
thing of the past.
Fraternally yours,
James A. Nunez, President
IAFF Local I-26
Uniformed Fire Patrolman's Association
240 WEST 30 STREET, NEW YORK, NEW
YORK 10001
www.fpny123.net
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