Friends and colleagues give Galinelli a warm sendoff

Warren Fire Chief Al Galinelli set to retire at end of October

By Ted Hayes
Posted 9/20/17

Warren Fire Chief Al Galinelli touched countless lives in his 52 years of service to the Town of Warren, including 29 spent as Warren’s fire chief. Here are a few thoughts on his retirement …

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Friends and colleagues give Galinelli a warm sendoff

Warren Fire Chief Al Galinelli set to retire at end of October

Posted

Warren Fire Chief Al Galinelli touched countless lives in his 52 years of service to the Town of Warren, including 29 spent as Warren’s fire chief. Here are a few thoughts on his retirement from a few friends and fellow fire fighters who’ve known him over the years:

Thomas Gordon

Former police chief and town manager

I was very impressed with him through the years. I started as a special patrolman at age 18 and even then, he was there. You know, I’m looking out the window and I see the wind kicking up and there’s talk of hurricanes and tropical storms. All throughout my career from special patrolman to patrolman to sergeant to police chief to town manager, whenever we were preparing for storms, he was the omnipresent personality. He was the man who had the answers. I can remember being a midnight to 8 a.m. patrolman, when he was still the part time chief. If we needed something, we could call at 3 o’clock in the morning and the chief would have the answer. He touched so many families in the Town of Warren, it’s absolutely remarkable. He was the man the town could always rely on, and that’s going to be a tremendous void. I’m going to miss knowing that he’s there taking care of everybody.

John Jannitto

Long-time friend and former captain of Engine 1

He’s probably one of my closest friends, we’ve known each other all our lives. I’ll say this: You won’t find a guy that was more dedicated. He worked 27 hours a day, not 24. You’ll never find something like him again; they don’t come around like that very often. The town is going to miss him. I told him when he retires I’m going to teach him how to enjoy his retirement. But he will always be a part of the fire department.

Joseph Loiselle

Deputy Warren Police Chief

The town was lucky to have such a dedicated employee. Chief Galinelli worked around the clock. I would go to calls when he would be the only one there. He was just extremely dedicated and in this day and age, you don’t always see that. That was the thing that hit me most — he was always there. If you needed anything, he was there to help. Just a tireless worker, he will be missed.

George Gempp

Fire museum curator, Engine 1 member

It really came as shock to me that the was going to retire. I’ve known him since he got in Engine 1, when he was a teenager. He always worked well with everybody. Whenever I asked him for something, he was there. He was always good to me. A down to earth guy, he did the best he could. I hate to see him leave; he is a man of character. We always kid him though, we said ‘You may be the fire chief but you’re still just a member of Engine 1.’

James Gumbley

Rhode Island State Fire Marshal

I’ve been here five years, before that I was the fire chief in Cranston. So I’ve known Chief Galinelli for a while. He’s a very very dedicated professional, very knowledgeable,. He works with us closely here at the State Fire Marshal and he’s always been a professional, and well-regarded by this office.

Brian Remy

Assistant Chief, member of Massasoit Hook and Ladder Co.

I’ve been in the fire department since ’73. I’ve known him all my life, and he’s one of the nicest guys and the best fire chief Warren has had. I became assistant chief after Frank Perry retired and I’ve been there since 1992. Twenty-five years later and I’m still working with the same guy. I couldn’t ask for anybody better to work with. We work well as a team, and he has great respect for all of us. If there are ever any problems, personal or otherwise he is there. When people have problems, they can always call Al. He’ll be there in five minutes. He’s always been a loyal person, a great fire chief and a friend. He brought the fire department from where it was to where it is. He’s turned it around 100 percent, and I’m really going to miss him. But he’s not leaving. He’ll always be around. 

Matt Harris 

Lieutenant, Engine 5

The biggest thing about the chief is he’s a loyal guy and a loyal friend. He’s very educated and trains us well. He’s fearless and he’s also an all around good human being. That’s tough to find these days. When I first met him, I was 19 years old and I went uptown to ask how to join the fire department. He was standing there and brought me into his office, and that’s where it all began. I was very grateful. One of the proudest things for me now is I’m a lieutenant in this fire department, and it’s all because of him. Without a doubt, he was the heartbeat of this fire department. Being on the fire department is a brotherhood and we had a great leader with Chief Galinelli. He will be sorely missed.

Michael DeMello

Bristol Fire Chief

Ive known Al for 25 years. He’s a good guy, it’ll be a loss for the community even though I think he’ll stick around a little while. His heart is in it, and that’s why it’s tough to walk away when you live and breathe this stuff. We had our Fireman’s Ball, the first one in about 30 years, Sept. 15 at the Bristol Yacht Club. We invited Al even before he announced he was retiring. We announced the retirement and everybody gave him a standing ovation for all the years that’s he’s contributed. He’s just a down to earth guy, always part of the team. The biggest thing I’ve heard is that people are going to miss his voice over the radio.

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