Jumpline magazine April 2024 - Flipbook - Page 4
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William McAllister IV
President
President’s Report
Imagine you suffered a fall at
a working 昀椀re in 1994, fell into a
coma and awakened today. You
open your eyes for the 昀椀rst time
in decades and look around. The world you remember is
gone, having changed in transformative ways. Rapid technological advancements have made it possible to communicate with anyone, anywhere and immediately, yet you’ll
also notice these changes delivered a never-ending stream
of distractions that isolate us more than ever before. In this
imaginary situation, globalization and a worldwide pandemic have transformed the Miami you once knew into a thriving hemispheric hub linking the Americas to the rest of the
world, yet it’s harder than ever to get around, and it’s unattainable to live in the County you swore to protect with your
life. Cultural shifts and social movements have normalized
conversations about mental health and widened acceptance of others for who they are, yet we’ve never been so
broken apart along ideological lines and among partisan
groupings. You are home, but everything feels a bit foreign.
Now you walk into a 昀椀rehouse. Despite the sea of change
outside those doors, the work, lifestyle, and camaraderie
persist. Car accidents still happen, and victims require extrication. Houses still catch 昀椀re in the middle of the night,
and swift action saves lives. Cats and ducklings still need
to be rescued from trees and drains. South Florida still depends upon you every day to respond on a rig to their “worst
day” in hopes that your crew can quickly intervene, helping
them escape a tragedy. The trucks and tools have always
changed, but the mission remains the same. Donning the
uniform, stitching on our station patches, and climbing into
the truck alongside your brother and sister 昀椀re昀椀ghters signals one thing – we are in this together. We are going out there toward dangerous circumstances to 昀椀x what’s
wrong with the world. We have each other’s back no matter
the consequence and we will return safely together - or die
trying. Society today could indeed take a lesson from a 昀椀re-
昀椀ghter’s approach to life.
Despite the sea of
changes outside
those doors… South
Florida still depends
upon you every day
to respond on a rig
to their “worst day”
in hopes that your
crew can quickly
intervene, helping
them escape a
tragedy.
Outside each 昀椀rehouse,
from the Everglades to Biscayne Bay and from Countyline Road to beyond the
Last Chance Saloon, it’s
this Union that familiarly
bonds us together. This
membership de昀椀nitely is
- and always has been - a
cast of characters drawn
from the world over. We innovate like few others, yet
occasionally we get into
trouble. We work to build
great big things, yet we
sometimes fail. We all do
our part to make this place
a little bit better for those
that follow us, and we move
on. Provided we continue to embrace and embody a spirit
of participation, this Union ful昀椀lls its mission.
Just like every competent 昀椀re company, this Union’s
strength is drawn from just two places – from the top down,
1403’s relationships with departmental leadership, elected of昀椀cials and with the communities we serve AND from
the bottom up, its members standing shoulder to shoulder
whenever the need arises. You’ve elected us to manage
our political relationships, but we rely upon each of you to
step up and help out. As the legislative session in Tallahassee draws to a close, election season is just getting started.
We have several key political races on our horizon, and we
will need help from all of you to ful昀椀ll our promise to candidates who have had our back and will continue to protect us
from the threats and dangers arising out of the commission
chambers and from within the of昀椀ces of the State Capitol.
April 2024 | JUMPLINE Magazine