Sunday, May 2, 2010 6:30 p.m.

Tickets $30 (Food and Beer)

Call Engine 5 Any Group for questions & reservations 428-5953

Hose 22 Firehouse Grill
56 Stutson Street
Rochester, NY 14612

Rochester/Canandaigua: April 7, 2010. Age 63, after a courageous battle with ALS. Predeceased by his father, Angelo; and mother, Mary (Piazza). Survived by his beloved wife, Barbara (Smelzer); and cherished dog, Mandy; sister, Mary Ann (Alphonse) Arena; nieces, Marylou (Ed) Copenhagen, Tammy (Dennis) Nenni, Gregory (Rose) Arena; and other nieces, nephews, loving cousins, friends and neighbors. John retired as a Captain in the Rochester Fire Department after 30 years of service.
The family would like to thank the staff of M.M. Ewing and especially the caregivers in the Pines for their loving and devoted care.
Friends may call Sunday, 1:00-5:00 PM at the Dierna Funeral Home, 2309 Culver Road (near Norton). John's Funeral Mass will be celebrated Monday, 10 AM at the Peace of Christ Parish, St. Ambrose Church. Entombment, White Haven Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the M.M. Ewing Continuing Care Center, 350 Parrish St., Canandaigua, NY 14424, St. Mary's Church, 92 North Main St., Canandaigua, 14424, or the Ontario County Humane Society, 2976 County Road 48, Canandaigua, NY 14424, in his memory.

Published in Rochester Democrat And Chronicle on April 10, 2010

On Wednesday, April 7^th, at 11:35pm, John passed away into the hands of our Lord.  Barb said it was absolutely beautiful!  He passed with peace, serenity and dignity.  No pain at all.  Details of the arrangements are forthcoming. 

Mary-Joy Lipari

To all our friends,

John made it through the night.  I actually stayed with him through the night and he hasn't changed a bit. His heart and pulse are strong and he is resting peacefully. The nurse was in every hour to check on him.  He is getting great care.  Thank you for your prayers.

 Cousin Mary Joy for Barb and Mandy

Retirement party for George Wolf, Friday, April 30, 2010 at the Wintonaire, 628 Winton Rd., 4:30- till. There will be drink specials and finger food. No RSVP...just show up!

Please be aware, that we are in the process of looking to discontinue offering the RFBA members Loan for the reasons written below, from our Assistant Treasurer, Fred DeNunzio, which is also posted in the firehouses. This process will involve changing our bylaws.  If you have any questions, concerns, or need information on this, please feel free to contact you rep, call the office, or attend a meeting!

Here is what Fred DeNunzio has written to our membership :

After many months of consideration, I have come to the conclusion that the RFBA should discontinue the Special Loan Fund. Although this fund has been a useful benefit for a number of members over the years, the negatives now far outweigh any good this program has offered.
First, I don’t believe that being involved with our members’ personal financial matters is a healthy choice for our organization. During the years that I have run the loan fund, I have routinely had to make uncomfortable phone calls and send demanding letters, as prescribed by the loan fund’s operating proce-dures, to demand payment from our members for delinquent accounts. Although these methods have been generally effective, they have also portrayed us in a similar light as a collection agency. The loan fund does turn a small profit from late fees and interest earned, but it takes only one or two loans to default to eat up those profits, and that has happened on more than one occasion in recent years. Fur-thermore, the RFBA’s accountants have made clear recommendations to analyze the burden and risk of the loan fund against any advantages. A recent audit stated the following: “It appears that the adminis-trative burden to provide this service is outweighing the advantages. Our understanding is that this benefit provided a role in the past history of the Association for individuals to purchase uniforms. It would appear, if an individual cannot obtain such a small amount of debt from another personal source, the Association is taking on substantial risk with those individuals. It may make more sense to invest these funds thus relieving the duty to track payments, lessen the burden of risk, and eliminate related collection fees.”
I realize having the loan fund as a benefit of our organization has been part of a long tradition born from our members’ need to purchase uniforms in the distant past. Obviously, this is no longer the case and I must agree with our accountants regarding the relative risk we assume by continuing to operate it.
Administration of the loan fund has evolved into a job in and of itself, and the loan fund has been my primary responsibility for as long as I have held the position of Assistant Treasurer. I have found, by asking previous Assistant Treasurers, that they also focused primarily on the loan fund. I feel that we have grown away from the obvious original responsibility of the Assistant Treasurer, which is to assist the Treasurer with his duties. After speaking with our Treasurer, he agrees that it would be a great help to share his extensive responsibilities and work load.
As our organization and reputation has evolved over the years, it has become quite apparent that the new social functions hosted by the RFBA have provided a variety of events that are enjoyed by many of our members (Firefighters’ Ball, Big Cash Raffle, Poker Tournaments, Bus ride to the Syracuse Clam-bake, Pub Crawls, hardship fundraisers, etc.). This effort is aligned with Article II of our constitution, which that states that one of the objects of the RFBA is “Promoting the social and intellectual welfare of its Members.” To continue this tradition, I am recommending that we amend our constitution’s lan-guage to include the Assistant Treasurer and the Vice President as permanent co-chairs for the Social Committee. This would allow for some continuity in the social traditions that we create, regardless of who sits on the board. Additionally, I am recommending that we have the responsibility of administering the RFBA Events fund added to the Assistant Treasurer’s list of required tasks.
I feel strongly that this is a positive and progressive evolution for our organization. I am very proud to serve on this board, and I look forward to having the opportunity to help make it better in the future.
Regards,
Fred DeNunzio
Assistant Treasurer, RFBA

To our friends and family, 

Today, Easter Sunday, John continued his struggle with breathing and met with his Doctors and Barb this morning. He was very tired and stressed from fighting to take the next breath.  Given his condition, John made the brave decision to move to the advanced level of comfort care and into an end of life stage.   As he begins this final journey, he will be kept comfortable and heavily sedated to ensure that he doesn't experience any further pain or suffering.  

John has exhibited amazing strength and courage to hold on for as long as possible. He has maintained consciousness and made each and every decision regarding his care right up to the last decision. It's now time for him to start his journey home to the Lord.  

Barb and Mandy will be spending the night with John and will be by his side.  We appreciate your prayers, love and support. 

Love, 

Cousin Mary-Joy for Barb and Mandy

Texas Hold Em Tournament to benefit Paul Skelly
Sunday, April 18th
5:30 registration, 6:00 shuffle up and deal
$50 buy-in
cash bar
50/50
Everyone is welcome to play
Even if you don't play poker, come enjoy the fun on Group 1's last day in
Provided by the Rochester Firefighters' Benevolent Association

The Rochester Fire Department Benevolent Association's Pub Crawl!  All are Welcome.
Date: Saturday May 22nd 
Registration Begins at 11:30 AM at Jeremiah's 
There is only a $20 Registration Fee which includes: 
-Free Drinks and/or Great Drink Specials at each of the participating Bars
-Free Appetizers at Acme and Sports Page
-Free Keepsake "VIP" pass $10 Raffle Bundle (Includes Pub Crawl Keepsake T-Shirt and 7 chances to win valuable gift certificates and merchandise!)
-Crawl ends at Woody's, for Discount tickets to Woodfest, bands like Skycoasters, Uncle Plum, and Catch 22