Fire Critic An Unadulterated View of the Fire Service
F.O.O.L.S. (Fraternal Order of Leatherheads Society) Chapters are being formed in Virginia. Firefighters from the Staunton/Harrisonburg area and Roanoke/Salem area are meeting in Lexington, VA at the Lexington firehouse on January 5, 2014 at 6:30pm to discuss creating chapters in the region. Afterwards, we will have a social at a local pub.
Currently, there are 5 (map of chapters here) chapters in Virginia and only 1 west of Richmond. Chapters include: Northern VA FOOLS, Pirate FOOLS, Bull Island FOOLS, River City Metro FOOLS, and S.C.B.A. FOOLS.
Facebook event page for this meeting here
Share the event page with all of your firefighting friends in the areas mentioned!
Anyone interested in joining and/or starting a chapter is welcome to be there even if you are out of the area that we have in mind. We are happy to help out anyone wanting to get started and this will be a perfect opportunity to learn more!
Read more about F.O.O.L.S. International here
If you are interested, all you have to do is show up. *Dues will be paid at time of joining, although we are unsure of the amount (prob. $5-$20)
Currently, there is interest in creating a chapter in the Staunton/Harrisonburg area as well as a chapter in the Roanoke/Salem area. If there is more interest in surrounding areas…those areas can create chapters too. All we need to know is who is interested and have them in Lexington on the 5th.
Who: Firefighters interested in joining or creating a FOOLS chapter that are currently West of Richmond and in areas not served by a FOOLS chapter.
When: January 5, 2014 @ 6:30 pm
Where: Lexington Fire Department 708 South Main Street. Lexington, VA 24450
Special thanks to Lexington FD Chief Ty Dickerson and his Firefighters for welcoming us to their Firehouse for this meeting. We appreciate it! If you have questions, please leave them in the comments of this article or on the Facebook Event page.
Meeting itinerary:
- Discuss what the F.O.O.L.S. is and why we are interested in creating a chapter(s)
- Discuss geographic areas served by chapters and how to proceed creating chapter(s)
- Create a chapter(s) if the firefighters present are in agreement
- Create names for the chapters
- Discuss future chapter(s) to be created or possibility of such
- Elect executive board per F.O.O.L.S. International bylaws for chapter(s)
Other ideas welcome:
- Discuss future meeting places
- Discuss future training events (both individual by chapter and multi-chapter training)
- Discuss fund-raising possibilities
- Discuss charity options for donations of time and/or funds
