Chief See Says Farewell to the Salisbury Fire Department

On Thursday, April 30, Chief David B. See left his office at the Salisbury Fire Department Administration Wing for the last time. Just outside the entrance of the Departments Heritage Center Museum, many of the rank and file of the department and most of his staff gathered to wish him farewell and good luck.

Standing in a well dressed line each of the Firefighters greeted Chief See as he extended his hand in friendship and thanks to each every member in attendance and briefly exchanged kind words with one and all. At the end of the line Deputy Chief Ricky Hoppes, (Named acting chief earlier today by Mayor Ireton) presented Chief See with an American Flag as a symbol of remembrance and thanks of his 30 years service with the city.

Chief See is not finished with the Fire Service however. He plans to remain as an active volunteer with the Delmar Fire Department and to remain active with the National Organizations he is associated with working for the betterment of Firefighters everywhere. Chief See's official retirement date is June 30th of this year but for the next 60 days he will be using his unused personal leave time.

Farewell Chief See!

We wish you the very best of luck in your retirement.

Salisbury Fire Department Medal Day, 2009

This morning under a beautiful sunshiny day the Salisbury Fire Department held it's 6th annual Medals Day Ceremony on the lawn of Station 16 on Cypress St. Unique to this this Medal Day Ceremony is that it was the first one to be attended by Salisbury's new Mayor Jim Ireton, the first one to be held at the new Station 16, and the last one to be attended by Chief David See as he will be retiring later this month.

Also in attendance for todays events were Mr. Richard Pollitt, County Executive, Mr. John Cannon, President of the Wicomico County Council, Ms. Louise Smith, President of the Salisbury City Council, Delegate Jim Mathias and a number of other dignitaries and honored guests. One very special guest to todays events was Mr. Robert Cannon, father to John Cannon. Mr. Bob, as he is affectionately known, has always been a great friend to the Salisbury Fire Department over the years and is always a most welcome guest to many events through out the year hosted by the SFD.
The Ocean City Pipe and Drum Corps opened the event today accompanied by the Salisbury Fire Department Color Guard presented the colors of our great county, State and City. Retired Chief of Operations Timothy Keenan emceed today's activities and following an opening prayer and moment of silence for our deceased members the awards for today's recipients were read and presented.
Included in today's awards were a Citizens Commendation, two Distinguished Service Awards, and several Unit Citation awards to members operating on Rescue 16, Paramedic 1, Assistant Chief 1, Car 2, Rescue/Engine 302, Squad 3, (Fruitland VFD) and Paramedic B-15 (Allen VFD).

At the conclusion of the award presentation the colors were retired by the color Guard and the Pipe & Drum Corps and the new Tower Ladder 16 was officially dedicated and housed in the Station. All in all it was a great day for the ceremony and for the attendees of event. Congratulations to all those receiving recognition today and congratulations to Chief See on the conclusion of a 30 year career.

Common Grounds Coffee House

WOW!
Wednesday evening Common Grounds Coffee House celebrated Earth Day in a big way to a standing room only crowd. Beginning at 6:00 pm, coffee was on sale with 10% off and deserts were on sale @ 25% off.

Common Grounds, new to the city business roles is the only fair trade organic coffee house I am aware of locally, and let me assure you the java there is simply great. Along with coffee they serve up a variety of teas and all sorts of soft drinks made in house. Quite a variety of deserts are available for the sweet tooth and the carb fix

for that morning breakfast snack on the run.

I arrived a little after six last night and had a short wait for my coffee and because all the chairs and tables were taken, one kind lady allowed me to use a corner of her table for my camera bag and was gracious enough to let me sit and chat for a few minutes before I left. I had an errand to run at another business and when I returned close to an hour later I could see there was still a crowd and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves tremendously.


Entertainment was also on hand provided by
"Joyland Express", a string band playing some great bluegrass music. They certainly were a pleasure to listen to.

Common Ground will be on hand at the Salisbury Festival Block Party this Friday night and their booth will be near the Ramada Inn and again on Saturday on Main Street near the Chamber of Commerce building. Be sure to stop while at the festival and enjoy a great cup of coffee.

Common Ground is located @ 701-D Mill Pond Village Rd. Behind the Center of Salisbury in the Mill Pond Village Shopping Center. Their Grand opening will coming up soon and I'll keep you posted on that date. All the staff are pleasant and extremely helpful. Stop in in soon. I promise you won't go away dissatisfied!

Great Reading

When "Band of Brothers" by Steven Ambrose was released I bought a copy with every intention of reading it. As with a lot of the books I have bought they seem to get set aside and somewhat forgotten, but I always seem to find a reason and time to read them. "Band of Brothers" was made into a mini-series for HBO and like so many people I watched it faithfully until it's completion. The very last episode was very intriguing to me and served as the catalyst for me to search out the book from it's shelf, blow off the dust and began to read. The episode I refer to is when Major Winters speaks of the soldiers he served with and what happened to them after the war.

After finishing that book I signed on to Amazon.com, searched out and purchased "Beyond Band of Brothers" and "Biggest Brother" both books about Major Dick Winters. I have since watched "Band of Brothers" several times always seeming to pick up a little something new. Though these books were very interesting I felt there was more to be said of Easy Co. and it would come from other perspectives. A little research and digging proved this to be true.

I discovered and purchased the book "Call of Duty" by Lt. Lynn 'Buck' Compton, also of easy company and portrayed in the series by Neil McDonough. Lt.Compton writes of his entire life before, during and after WW II. It is a fascinating story and the book is an easy read. If there anyone who believes more in the American way I would certainly like to meet them.

I could say much more about this book but the real appreciation comes from reading it yourself. My copy will be passed on to my friend now serving in Afghanistan when he returns later this year. I urge everyone to obtain a copy either from the library or purchase one from many online services and take a day or two read it. As I said earlier, it is an easy read but the impact it has will last a lifetime.

It doesn't end there for me either. I recently ordered two more books written by members of Easy Co. Sgt Don Malarkey and Sgt Bill Guarnere both served with Major Winters and Lt Compton and have written their accounts of Easy Co. in Europe. I look forward to reading the events from a NCO's point of view.

So far all of the authors have expressed a common thought that is very striking. That being they are not unique to any of the troops serving in the operations highlighted in the HBO series or the books. You get the feeling that they are quite honored to bee named so prominently but they all tell the same story. They are a small part of a big picture, a part to be proud of for sure, but should never held to a higher degree of recognition that thousands of others in the same theater of war.

Read the book folks--it's well worth it.

A Peek at the Future? Maybe it's here already!

A friend of mine sent me this and I was amazed. As I get older and seem to slow somewhat the world seems to be moving ever faster. This video is about 9 minutes long and when it was over all I could do is shake my head and say WOW!

I predict all of this will be here sooner than anyone believes and the device demonstrated will be as small as lapel pin or even some type of implant in your head.

Click on the title of this post to see the future of a total interactive world.

Indoor Yard Sale, Salisbury Kennel Club

The Salisbury Maryland Kennel Club will be having an indoor yard sale this Saturday beginning @ 7:oo am inside their new facility in Winterplace park. Vendor space is available for $25.00 and you supply your own table. For additional information on this event see the poster to the right. (click on image to enlarge)

The Salisbury Kennel Club and are devoted to the betterment of purebred dogs. They offer classes in obedience, agility and conformation.

Another wonderful program the SMKC has is the "Canine Ambassador" In part the CA program:

"The Canine Ambassadors (CA) of the Salisbury Maryland Kennel Club is a group of members and friends that gather together with their canine counterparts to make appearances at various public events. The goal of CA is to educate the children and other members of our community about the benefits of owning a purebred dog."

The SMKC is a proud member of the American Kennel Club. More about the Salisbury Maryland Kennel Club, their membership, programs, show schedules and more can be found on their web site. To visit their site simply click on the tile of this post and it will take you there.

Admission to the indoor yard sale is FREE! See you there

Chief David See to retire From Salisbury Fire Department.

Updated:
I brought this up to the top again because of a comment received today. I though it was well worth the read and that others may wish to see it as well.
Thank You A/C Gladwell for the comment.

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Salisbury Mayor Barrie P. Tilghman announced that Salisbury Fire Chief David B. See will retire effective June 30, 2009, after 30 years of service.

Chief See began his career with the City of Salisbury on July 1, 1979 as a Probationary Firefighter. He served as an operational firefighter in various assignments and for several years as an administrative assistant. In March 1992 he was transferred to the Department’s training facility to serve as its first full time career training officer. He was promoted to the rank of Fire Lieutenant in July 1993 while serving there. In January 2000, he was promoted to the rank of Fire Captain and transferred to Fire Station #2 as a company officer. In October 2001, he was promoted to the position of Deputy Fire Chief. After the sudden resignation of Chief Steve Brezler in April 2003, Mayor Tilghman appointed See as Acting Fire Chief until a permanent successor was appointed. Mayor Tilghman subsequently appointed him to the position of Chief of the Department in December 2003.

Chief See also served as an active Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI) emergency services instructor for 18 years and holds numerous state and national emergency services certifications.

Chief See currently serves as a Board Director-at-large on the International Association of Fire Chief’s (IAFC) Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS). His organizational memberships include the Delmar Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. (Active) and the Salisbury Fire Department, Inc. (Honorary), and active status with the Maryland State Fire Chief’s Association (MFCA) currently serving as its Treasurer, International Fire Chiefs Association (IAFC) and its Eastern Division (EDIAFC).

Since his appointment as Chief of the Department, Chief See has focused the Department’s efforts in the improvement of firefighter safety through the modernization of its apparatus fleet, the replacement of firefighting tools and personal protective equipment, and continuing to ensure the community’s service demands are met. He successfully led the Department through a brief period of internal strife when differences between a minority of Department members and the
City were highly publicized. He has overseen the renovation of Fire Station #1 and the construction of a new 41,000 square foot fire station and administrative headquarters facility on the City’s west side. He has been instrumental in the continued implementation of the Fire Department’s strategic plan since its development and initial implementation in 2001. During his tenure he has seen the replacement of all of the Department’s capital apparatus; new self-contained breathing apparatus; an increase in the total number of career and volunteer positions; the implementation of volunteer position descriptions and promotional processes; and the appointment of the Department’s first female fire line officer, among other accomplishments.

In his thirty years of service with the Salisbury Fire Department, Chief David See has committed himself fully to serving the citizens of the City and the Salisbury Fire District.

“Chief See has distinguished himself though many years of service to the City of Salisbury,” said Mayor Tilghman. “He has led the Department into the 21st century world of delivery of fire and emergency medical services. He came on board during a particularly challenging period and has transformed the Department into a united volunteer and career force that serves the citizens of the Salisbury Fire District extraordinarily well. I am honored to have served with him.”