Honor Retiring Fire Chief

Senate Resolution No. 2925 BY: Senator GRIFFO COMMENDING Chief Ronald M. Brement upon the occasion of his retirement after 35 years of dedicated service to the City of Rome Fire Department WHEREAS, Citizens across our State and Nation are inspired by and indebted to our noble firefighters who exhibit courage and bravery every day in the course of their duties; and WHEREAS, Firefighters exemplify the power of human compassion and the strength of the American spirit through actions of the most heroic magnitude; their sacrifices and their selfless dedication merit tribute and recognition by all citizens of this great State; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend Chief Ronald M. Brement upon the occasion of his retirement after 35 years of dedicated service to the City of Rome Fire Department; and WHEREAS, Ronald M. Brement was born to Nicholas and Beatrice Brement in Rome, New York, where he graduated from Rome Free Academy in 1980; after meeting in high school, he married the former Patricia Giannico and together, they raised two sons, Alexander and Nicholas; and WHEREAS, After earning his accounting degree from Utica College, Ronald M. Brement thought he was going to work in that field for many years; however, as providence would have it, he decided to take a civil service test, and ended up graduating from fire school in the spring of

1984, and was subsequently hired to the City of Rome Fire Department by the end of the year; and WHEREAS, Ronald M. Brement thoroughly enjoyed his job, and quickly rose through the ranks, holding the leadership positions of Lieutenant, Captain, Deputy Chief, and lastly Chief, the title from which he will officially retire on Friday, February 28, 2020; and WHEREAS, In this capacity, Chief Ronald M. Brement diligently worked to make the Department more fiscally sound by procuring grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help pay for new equipment, gear and much needed repairs, and he and his fellow firefighters maintained the firehouse by remodeling the kitchen and installing new bathrooms, amongst other renovations; and WHEREAS, Throughout his esteemed career, Chief Ronald M. Brement observed numerous changes in not only the City of Rome Fire Department, but in firefighting itself; each year, the Department responded to more and more emergency calls, from an individual who has locked themselves out of their house, to a fiery car accident; and WHEREAS, In addition, Chief Ronald M. Brement was instrumental in building a partnership between the Department and the City of Rome Codes Department to inspect homes and buildings; and WHEREAS, The Department also visited local schools to teach students about fire safety and prevention, and worked with the American Red Cross to provide residents with free smoke detectors; and WHEREAS, Firefighters unwaveringly serve our great State with pride, valor, and integrity; they are often the first to respond to an emergency, whether the emergency is a fire, transportation accident, natural disaster, act of terrorism, medical crisis, or spill of hazardous materials; and WHEREAS, It takes a special dedication, a strong desire to help others and a tireless sense of community to forsake precious time with family and friends to respond to the signal that a neighbor is in need; Chief Ronald M. Brement is such a firefighter; throughout 35 years of devoted service, he heroically performed, above and beyond the call of duty, those responsibilities which define the task of fire protection; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to commend Chief Ronald M. Brement upon the occasion of his retirement after 35 years of dedicated service to the City of Rome Fire Department, and to wish him continued success in all his future endeavors; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Chief Ronald M. Brement.