2023 -- H 5651

========

LC001361

========

     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023

____________

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

HONORING LINCOLN FIRE CHIEF RICHARD ANDREWS FOR MORE THAN FIFTY

YEARS OF DEVOTED AND DEDICATED SERVICE

     Introduced By: Representatives Shallcross Smith, Costantino, Ackerman, Casey,
Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Serpa, Lima, and Tanzi

     Date Introduced: February 16, 2023

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, For retired Lincoln Fire Chief Richard Andrews, public service and a career

in fire safety were a family tradition. His father, the late Earl Andrews, Sr., was the Fire Chief of

Saylesville until 1984, and inspired Richard to begin a career in fire safety. His two brothers were

also volunteer firemen, and his late brother, Bruce Andrews, was the Deputy Fire Chief in

Saylesville. Chief Andrews’s son, Michael, currently serves as the Fire Chief in Wilbraham,

Massachusetts; and

     WHEREAS, Chief Richard Andrews began his distinguished public service career in

1970, at the young age of sixteen, serving as a volunteer firefighter in Saylesville. He later

proceeded to serve as a firefighter for nineteen years, rising to the rank of Captain in 1989. In

2008, he was promoted to the position of Chief; and

     WHEREAS, During his time as Chief, Mr. Andrews, thanks to his strong leadership

skills and tireless work ethic, was able to facilitate the consolidation of the Saylesville and Albion

Fire Districts into one unified district, the Lincoln Fire District, something that had been

attempted, without success, since the 1980s. Accomplishing this task allowed the new

consolidated district to pool funds and stabilize the tax rate for all residents; and

     WHEREAS, Chief Andrews led his department through the most difficult times of the

COVID-19 pandemic, a period during which personnel were constantly forced to miss work due

to illness or out of fear of bringing the virus to their families and loved ones. Thanks to his

excellent communication skills and administrative acumen, his department was able to come out

of the pandemic in strong shape; and

     WHEREAS, Chief Andrews, a lifelong Lincoln resident, stated that he remembers back

in 1970, when the fire district would get approximately 70 calls a year, while today it gets

approximately 3,300 a year. Most recently, he and his team were faced with the devastating fire

that hit the Knock On Wood Furniture store, and successfully put out the fire and made sure that

it did not spread to any homes; and

     WHEREAS, Michael Allen, the Fire Commission Chairperson, and someone who

volunteered alongside Chief Andrews as a teenager, described the legacy of Chief Andrews best

when he stated that he has “the highest level of respect for Andrews”, “he has a level head and an

even temper, that’s hard to find”, and “It breaks my heart that he left, but he made sure that this

department was up to snuff. He gave back to the community. He is a good man”; now, therefore

be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby

congratulates Lincoln Fire Chief Richard Andrews on his retirement and thanks him for his more

than fifty years of exemplary public service. We furthermore wish him a most happy retirement

with his wife Paula, and his two children, two step-children, and nine grandchildren. We also

wish him continued success in all of his future endeavors; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authored and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Fire Chief Richard Andrews.

========

LC001361

========

LC001361 - Page 2 of 2