What an amazing person! Over his years as a firefighter and first responder within the fire district, there were plenty of harrowing and traumatic calls, he remembers. Heartfelt/Serious united states navy. Easy to download youll get a selection of speeches that are easy to mix and match. If they have not, then they retire at whatever age past 57 when they reach that 20-year market. At one point he received a vote of no confidence, which he said was "breathtakingly disappointing. The Green Oaks Family Academy Elementary School Fire Protection Act became law in 2002, but Schapelhouman expressed disappointment that the legislation didn't cover existing school campuses, just new ones. Community Calendar And then there were the regular house fires with their own complexities, like when two overlapping roofs at a house on Altschul Avenue created a hidden fire, causing the roof to collapse immediately after a new fire chief had commanded him to step away. WebBell service (Last Alarm or Last Call) After the religious ceremony or at interment, a fire department member reads a prepared statement about the firefighters last call. At last weeks Board of Commissioners Legislative meeting on August 8, 2017, Covington Fire Department Captain Dan Frederick, Battalion Chief Seth Poston, Most people don't want to admit this, but wardrobe management is not necessarily in our DNA. Vitas also quietly spoke to Mastandrea as bystanders looked on. Understand The Difference Between Resigning And Taking Early Retirement, Understanding the 5 Emotional Stages of Retirement and How to Deal With Them. He eventually joined the fire class in Sunnyvale because it paid the best among local agencies, and it was there he fell in love with the art of fighting fire, he said.He spent time after high school working in commercial construction, and he credits that work for not just helping him to build fitness, but to develop an instinctual understanding of buildings, a skill that would set him apart later in a field dedicated to saving structures and their inhabitants during disasters.When he first found his way to the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, which serves the communities of Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto and unincorporated areas including North Fair Oaks, it had what he described as a paramilitary culture.It wasn't an easy job, and there were plenty of dangers and lots of internal pressures within the department. Speakers from the fire service included State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey, Bristol County Fire Chiefs Association President and Taunton Fire Chief Timothy Bradshaw, Easton Fire Deputy Chief Jon Carroll and Easton Firefighters Local 2790 President Jason Healey and Vice President Chris Mills. As is tradition, one by one the vehicles drove through the departments parking lot as Chief Partridge waved to his fellow chiefs and well wishers. Home & Real Estate "It was a real privilege to come back and prove I can do the job, and be able to do it and do it well," he said. service to the Glens They may be downloaded instantly when you place your order. All rights reserved. - Andrew Bernstein. After a lifetime of hard work and dedication, retirement is a big milestone in life. At least age 55 with 10 It has taken some time for me to come to this decision and its hard for me to make it. interacts online and researches product purchases Nothing says you've moved into the second half of life's football game like retirement. "Somebody has to go out and do the patient care.". All rights reserved. It takes a special kind of courage to go into a burning building and save lives. In May 2013, about seven years into his tenure as chief and after escaping unscathed from so many high-risk rescue situations, Schapelhouman was struck with a life-changing injury in his own backyard. he recalled asking. About nine months after the injury, he resumed the role of chief, this time from a wheelchair. He is a 2001 graduate of the National Fire Academy's EFO Program. It truly has been an incredible journey, and I will miss all of you more than I can express. This picture is pretty much how I feel today. I received support from all of you.. On a more genuine note, I will certainly miss all of you and our great work here. It was always much easier to shop, make doctor appointments, schedule vacations and the like when weekday hours were fully in play. With that said, I will miss all of you and wish you and (name of company) continued success. At one point, a fight broke out, after which Menlo Park firefighters insisted that nobody could save spots in line.Schapelhouman made his way in the door for that written test and passed it easily. Copyright 2023 Many of my fellow retirees have remarked how busy they became after they retired. We owe Harold and his wife Lada and daughter Meg a huge Thank You! My next chapter may involve a learning curve, but I am confident that the life skills Ive learned here will help me in whatever I pursue going forward. This is particularly true for men, as research has demonstrated that lasting male relationships are closely connected with their work. If there will be drinks and toasting (there will be), then make sure to plan it ahead of time. Over the years, Schapelhouman kept working in his chosen field, developing a specialty in urban search and rescue operations. All rights reserved. It is an honorable and As close as you all are, this firefighter retirement speech by colleague will a wonderful testament to a great character who will be much missed. Obituaries Every day has been rewarding in its own way, but today is an especially bittersweet occasion as I bid farewell to all my colleagues and look ahead to the future. Contact Us Since she began working with Embarcadero Media in 2015, she's reported on everything from Menlo Park's City Hall politics to Mountain View's education system. I was able to do that. Promptly at 4 p.m., the sound of bagpipes filled the air around Fire Station No. The farewell celebration took place at Easton Fire Station 3. The fire department will assign an administrator to communicate the guidelines and options. He credits the community and the staff of the district for shaping his life in a profound way. he was told.He passed the other physical assessments and joined the district in June 1981, beginning his long career with the district that culminated with his retirement June 30 after 40 years of service, the last 15 of which he spent as the district's chief.The Almanac sat down with him on his last day to hear his reflections on a career spent dedicated to protecting and rescuing community members in their times of gravest need.Schapelhouman was born in Canada, and his family moved to Barron Park in Palo Alto when he was about 3 years old. So please join me in wishing [name] the best as they enter this exciting next phase of life. He played a pivotal role in creating Menlo Park's urban search and rescue team, and was called upon to respond to some of the worst national and international disasters of the past decades.He and his team responded to the Oklahoma City bombings in 1995, 9/11 in New York in 2001 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, among other disasters.Schapelhouman's daughter, now 21, was born just months after he returned from a trip abroad to provide search and rescue aid during the Chi Chi earthquake in Taiwan in 1999.Over time, Schapelhouman began to work more in the realm of fire prevention and advocacy. Senate Resolution No. He fell off a ladder while trimming bushes and suffered paralyzing spinal cord injuries and a traumatic brain injury. The most important was the City of Covington sleeps.from 5:24 a.m. to 5:27 a.m., Tuesday's, in Spring, every other year, when its 68 Degrees and relative low humidity. Those little nagging aches and pains take on a new significance, especially when you don't have that peer pressure to keep working through them. Schapelhouman said that he said no to the offer twice because he loved the work he was doing so much, traveling and pushing for policies and innovations that would help firefighters work more safely and effectively. Its rare to find an employee so dedicated and engaged, and frankly, I dont know what we will do without them. On his third day back at work, Menlo Park Fire Protection District Chief Harold Schapelhouman leaves Interim Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Belville's office for a board meeting on Jan. 9, 2014. The biggest blessing must be my meaningful collaborations with some of my favorite coworkers over the years. Time to read: about 9 minutes. Northern New England Menlo Park Fire Protection District Chief Harold Schapelhouman gives a speech at his retirement party at Station 1 on June 28, 2021. $ 39.94. Photo by Daniela Beltran B. We are all blessed to have had the privilege of working alongside such an incredible person. Expand on your ideas with the right tone. "We almost died that night," he recalled.But there were victories too. Sleepily, he went with his friends to stand in line at the station near St. Patrick's Seminary to take the test. It can also be a difficult adjustment for your spouse and family as well; as my wife still tells me from time to time, "You're not the chief anymore." I survived fire life!! Every department is different, but the common denominator is the people who go out there and do the job. The farewell celebration took place at Easton Fire Station 3. So allow me to leave you with a few pieces of advice: Believe in yourself but never be afraid of asking questions and learning more; cherish every relationship you come across; and remember that hard work pays off even when you dont see it right away! His family lived in Mountain View and Los Altos, and as an adult, he lived in Sunnyvale and Fremont before settling in San Jose's Willow Glen neighborhood, he said.As a youth, he thought he'd pursue law enforcement work, joining a police explorer program. Woman charged for fatal wrong-way crash on I-280 last weekend, Foothill-De Anza names four finalists to be next chancellor, Around Town: Palo Alto gets ready to celebrate 99th annual May Fete Parade, Take a look back at April with our month-end local news quiz, Special-education classrooms destroyed in possible arson at Cubberley Community Center.

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