Dear Colleagues, Return to New Dimension
In December 2004, I was lucky enough to return to Texas
and meet up with a
number of the people that made our training programme in the USA during
2003/4 one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling periods of my career. At our
various meetings we reminisced about the training courses and the UK
students that passed through College Station and the safe hands of TEEX –
remembering the good times and the difficult ones, the characters and the
antics that they got up to. I came to realise that our training programme
meant as much too many of them as it did to me.
Out of our conversations came an idea to try and bring
the participants of
all the USAR Structural Collapse courses – students, instructors and support
staff – together again in a reunion in the UK. On return to the UK, I
spoke
to a number of key people, trying to gauge the likely response to such an
event and working out the basis on which it might happen.
As a consequence of these meetings it has been decided
to push ahead with
plans for a reunion entitled "Texas – One Year On" to coincide
with the
anniversary of the final SCC in May 2004. Therefore, I would like to invite
you to support the event, which will take place at the Fire Service College
in Gloucestershire over the weekend of the 27th – 29th May 2005. An outline
of the proposals will follow soon.
It is the intention that the event will be planned and
run by the students
who attended the SCC – not by the ODPM and not by the Fire Service College
–
for the benefit of their friends and colleagues from Texas and across the
USA. To achieve this, I am asking each Brigade or service that sent
personnel on these courses to nominate a representative on a council or
working group that will organise the event. The event will need to be
self-supporting and it is suggested that each person pay an initial deposit
of £20 to provide a central fund that will support the event, travel and
accommodation arrangements. A bank account has been set up into which monies
can be paid – details will follow shortly.
At the present time - please just respond to this email
and indicate whether
you will support the event or not. If you keep in touch with colleagues that
were in Texas with you – please discuss this and make sure that all the
relevant people are aware of the reunion. USAR Co-ordinators – please
consider supporting this event by nominating someone to represent your
brigade or service.
Please reply to: colette.fearn@odpm.gsi.gov.uk
I have outlined our plans to Bob McKee and to the TEEX
management and they
have responded by making a number of staff available to come to the UK if
you invite them. So ……if you would like to try and create an opportunity
to
see Bob McKee, Jim Yeager, Bob Koenig, Stephen Wright, Jon Rigolo, Sonja
Heritage, Billy Parker, Mike Brown and others again, please support the
reunion and come along with your family in May 2005. This is your chance to
return the hospitality and friendship that they showed us in abundance and
to give them, as our guests, a great time during their visit to the UK.
Regards to you all,
Dave Dickson
dave@uksar.com
From Brian Freeman
All
The event is to take place on the Bank Holiday Weekend of 27th, 28th and 29th May at the Fire Service College at Morton. We are hoping to be able to invite all of the instructors and a few of the support staff who made out stay in College Station a success. For this we require a good turnout from as many fire-fighters as possible. This is a National Event, not just London, so most, if not all, of your past met colleagues hopefully will be there to share a drink or two.
We are hoping to be able to secure additional funding from our major USAR equipment suppliers, works on this subject are now ongoing. Never the less, there is always a shortfall. We have estimated a figure per ticket of £20.00. I can predict that this will more than likely be £25.00.
The event will be open to ALL USAR members who attended the training in Texas and their families.
So, in a nut shell, we need as many of you to attend as possible. If you are interested in going, please email me please. If you are NOT going, please just email me a short note. This is for no other reason other than to make sure that ALL the London team are informed and have received information regarding this event. If any colleagues are off on leave etc. can you all make sure that this information is passed to them.
To those who have already responded favourably, please ignore this email.
I will email more details of this event as and when they are available and if there is enough support Nationally for this to proceed. Remember, we made up about half the personnel fortunate enough to attend Texas who received, I'm sure you will agree, outstanding training and hospitality beyond our expectations. This is our chance to repay some of that kindness. Who would not like to pat Bob Koenig on the back again and 'swing the lamp' with Steve Wright and Co ?.