The RIAFC Foundation had perfect weather for its golf tournament at Kirkbrae Country Club on June 2nd. The day tuned out to be a resounding success, with 100 golfers enjoying a cookout style lunch, 18 holes of golf on one of the most beautiful golf courses in our region, and a steak dinner/open bar to top off the day. Golfers also received a can cooler bag as well as free raffle & drink tickets.

With ... (Full Story & Photos)

The RI House of Representatives has awarded a $6,000 Legislative Grant to the RI Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub. The grant will be used to take veterans to Washington DC to see the memorials dedicated to their service. The grant was sponsored by Representative Sam Azzinaro, Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi made the presentation along with Chairman Azzinaro ... (Full Story & Photos)

The annual RI Firefighters Celebration of Service was held on May 10, 2025 at the RI Firefighters Memorial. The Memorial is located at the RI Fire Training Academy. The ceremony had to be brought indoors due to rain showers. An overflow crowd filled the apparatus shed building as all 155 names, plus the 15 newly engraved names, on the Line of Duty Death Wall were read.

Family members, friends and ... (Full Story & Photos)

After serving 49 years in the fire service in RI, Chief Frank Brown has called it a career on March 21, 2025. He served the Hopkins Hill Fire Department as its chief for 32 years, joining that department as a volunteer when he was a 16 year old high school student. He was accepted into the Providence Fire Department and also became a career firefighter with the North Kingstown Fire Depatment before ... (Full Story & Photos)

On Friday, March 21st, the RI Fire Training Academy broke ground for their much needed expansion. The project includes two new classrooms, an auditorium, and a five bay fire station. The fire station will be the new home for the RI Fire Chiefs Physical Performance Assessment (PPA) testing.

Fire Marshal Tim McLaughlin welcomed the crowd of fire chiefs, fire & state officials and other friends of ... (Full Story & Photos)

Over 1,300 members of the fire service from across the country, came together on February 13th in Washington DC to attend the CFSI National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner. Receiving the top award of the night, the 2025 CFSI/Motorola Solutions Mason Lankford Fire Service Leadership Award, was Rhode Island's own Deputy Chief Kevin Quinn of the Union Fire District of South Kingstown. Members of ... (Full Story & Photos)

The RI Southern Firefighters League held its annual Legislators Night on January 27, 2025. Over fifty fire & rescue chiefs, officers , EMT's and firefighters joined with eight members of the RI General Assembly to discuss important issues facing the fire & rescue service in RI. Items such as legislative bills of interest, the RI Fire Academy, the SAFER grant for recruitment and retention of volunteer ... (Full Story & Photos)

The following "About South County" column ran in The Independent on January 2, 2025

The Independent (RI)2 Jan 2025
Bill Seymour covers news and feature stories throughout Southern Rhode Island. The views expressed in “About South County” are his own. He can be reached at independent.southcountylife@gmail.com.
BY BILL SEYMOUR

He was the people’s man in the firehouse.
That’s the most fitting way ... (Full Story & Photos)