Retired Toronto Fire Fighters’ Association

Fall Greetings from the Retired Toronto Fire Fighters’ Association!

I hope everyone is well and hunkering down for the coming winter season. I don’t think we put much thought to the words of Confucius when he said, “May you live in interesting times!” We need to look up the defi nition of interesting. Last issue, we left you with the lead up and transition to retirement. It is only fi tting now that we chat about what happens after retirement. So, what do you guys all do after retirement anyway? The answer to this question is an easy one. With the exception of going to work, the same! What’s the same? Our members, retired or otherwise, are a very diverse group. Their part-time activities and volunteering are an amazing thing to watch. Add the huge number of hobbies to that and the question answers itself. Most articles these days regarding retirement will all suggest that in your transition, you have a plan. For most, their plan is just to give more time to what they are doing already. The RTFFA is slowly adding some of our members’ activities and events on our social media sites. Do keep an eye on our website at www.retiredtorontofi refi ghters.org, and our RTFFA Facebook Page. I would be remiss if I didn’t offer a bit of retrospect. Pardon the humour here but, “in the beginning” there were six fi re departments. If you add the TFS, there are seven. I don’t think most folks give it much thought, but there are a lot of us spread across many groups. With each department having had a labour group, retiree group, golf league, baseball league, and bowling league, there are a lot of groups and a lot of activities. Since amalgamation, the change to the 24-hour shift and attitudes towards alcohol and driving, some of these groups have dwindled. Today, many of these groups are still active. Local 3888 has a number of events that the retirees participate in and attend. Until Covid-19 arrived, there were many breakfasts and retirement parties. Of course, Covid-19 has had quite a drastic effect on the parties and get-togethers. Once it is over, we are sure that they will be back in full swing. As of the writing of this article, we have decided to cancel our Fall Membership Meeting. As you can imagine, planning under the current restrictions is diffi cult. We did look into holding the meeting “virtually” but after some investigation, we determined that there were too many issues working against us and we couldn’t manage it. As of our last count, we have well over 300 members and are still growing. In future issues of Firewatch, we will continue to keep all of you updated on our progress. Our membership drive is continuous, so if you’re interested in becoming a member, feel free to contact us at active. retired@torontofi refi ghters.org. The dues ($25.00) are payable annually on the 1st of May and we will be holding two general membership meetings each year. One is in the spring, where you can sign up and/ or pay your dues in person, and the other is in the fall. Meetings will involve food and fellowship. What could be better! Come join us and be well.