Behind the Green Curtain

In response to the concerns over funding for the Fire House 5 Memphis in May Championship Cooking Team ("BBQfest"), I have prepared the following response for your consideration. First, I have been on two teams for around 20+ years; IAFF 1784 Fire House 5 (3rd place in Beef 2021), and what was formerly the 3 Alarm Smokers, now Sowsed by Noon (2nd place in Ribs 2021). I managed our Fire House 5 team for the 15 years I was in office. I assisted with the budgeting, and the logistics of putting the event together for our membership. When I left office this past October, I forwarded an email to the Fire House 5 Team, and the officers of 1784 outlining what needed to be done moving forward, and prepared a shared spreadsheet with all the significant budgeting and logistics information. I said that to say, it is my intention to actively participate next year with the team that I have paid fees to for the time I have been in office. However, I will continue to assist the Fire House 5 ...

THE JOE NORMAN MUSEUM OF MODERN ARTIFACTS PART - 1 After serving 15 years in office, some would say I was fortunate enough to amass a prestigious collection of priceless artifacts that would give me motivation to make it through the tough times, and a few others I would enjoy in solitude. As I made my way through these items, I thought I would share a few of more special ones with you here. I hope they bring you as much joy and inspiration as they did me. In no particular order: Steven Zachar autographed baseball This baseball was autographed by the legendary Firefighter Steven Zachar. It was used for the first pitch in the historic Little League World Series in 1978 when the Bad News Bears defeated the defending Japanese champions. Most are unaware that Steven was actually a child stunt double for  Jackie Earle Haley  who played MVP  Kelly Leak. MDA and Twin Peaks (DFW) They know how to make a guy feel special! U.S. Senato...

MATTHEW TOMEK ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE TENNESSEE PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION TPFFA President Matthew Tomek (R) with TPFFA Secretary / Treasurer Barry Byers (L) October 15, 2021 Today, Matthew Tomek was elected President of the Tennessee Professional Firefighters Association. Matthew is Secretary / Treasurer of one of the largest IAFF Local's in the United States. He has helped keep the Memphis Fire Fighters Association IAFF Local 1784 on a successful trajectory of legislative goals. He has the experience and support necessary to keep the Local and TPFFA on solid footing, and on the path to success. Congratulations to Matthew and the entire TPFFA!

I should have stayed on the farm, I should have listened to my old man... Today is the end of an era. For me anyways. For those that remember, this is my Tommy West goodbye  (in pertinent part). [PAST] In the beginning; I ran for Secretary/Treasurer in 2003. I came in 3rd in a 3-way race. I was young, and "only" had six years on the job. I stayed active though, and with the help of the new officers and Executive Board I prepared myself to run again some day. I didn't know when that would be, but I knew that I would be better prepared once I did. As I prepared myself, one thing that stuck in my head was a conversation I had with an EMS Supervisor. Someone that had been around for a while, part of the "old guard." After the 2003 election he told me that the membership would never elect a Paramedic into a primary Union officer position. I wasn't convinced. From 2003 - 2006 I was fortunate enough to be elected as a delegate to State and International Conventions...

 ARTICLE 17 Last week we had a first. For the first time in history, the membership voted to reject a negotiated article that had been tentatively agreed upon between Labor and Management. Before the article was negotiated, we knew it would be a hot-button issue. The intent was to come to terms that both Labor & Management could agree to, then leave it to our members to ultimately decide. "It's your contract, the membership votes to ratify." That had been repeated at every membership orientation I could remember. Usually non-economic articles are somewhat benign. Typically something I would consider non-controversial. But this time it was different. This time it had the potential to impact promotional opportunities. And this time it was quite controversial. For those that may not be entirely familiar, what was at stake was the minimum seniority requirements to be eligible to take a promotional test. Recently, the intention of the seniority was clarified so that the ye...