With the plainest of names and a simple but important mission, "The Group", works to improve the lives of retired Hamilton firefighters.

"No Longer Riding the Rigs," says their letterhead. Perhaps it should also say, "but hardly sitting idle."

The Group, conceived by a handful of retired firefighters back in 1991, is an informal but deeply committed association that works to make sure that none of Hamilton's retired firefighters is forgotten. “I work to reach them wherever they live with a newsletter that comes out four times a year, keeping nearly everyone of Hamilton's 290 retired firefighters connected to one another. The Group's members range in age from recently retired firefighters who have barely cracked 50 up to a good number in their mid to late 80's. Fully 10 percent of retirees are 80 or older.

Four times a year, on the second Tuesday of every third month, to be precise, they meet at Station 5, Upper Ottawa Street and Limeridge Road. About 40 or so men come together to have a coffee and sometimes a doughnut and hear guest speakers talk about issues that are important to them, such as insurance or ways to take advantage of government programs that are open. For these privileges, every member pays     a grand total of $5.00 in annual dues. But, the most important part of any meeting        says Group president Roger Carnegie, is the socializing. The men sit and gab before and after, sometimes recalling old times, sometimes just "shooting the breeze", as he likes to say.The Group also advocates for its members on benefits, for example. Its careful records have helped Colin Grieve in his campaign secure full benefits for the families of retirees who die prematurely from work-related illnesses. For firefighters who spend their careers not only working together, but essentially living together, there is a unique bond, one that is only enhanced by coming through danger together. Members of the Group know that firefighting is not a job that simply ends with retirement. It is a way of life that stays with them. "The camaraderie is unbelievable" says the friendly Carnegie, who retired in 1987 after 35 years on the job. "You eat together, you sleep together, you socialize together." This explains why The Group works so hard to keep track of everyone. When a retired firefighter is in hospital, for example, he can count on visits from his former firefighting    comrades. If a retired firefighter is housebound, his old friends from the department work hard to make sure he is not alone.

And when an old Hamilton firefighter dies, “The Group” is there with a modest cheque for his favourite charity.

Later, fallen firefighters are commemorated on a special tree on the countryside property of Group member, Steve Morelli. Once a year, just after Labour Day, Morelli hosts a barbecue for his fellow retirees and other guests, a day of horseshoe pitching and fellowship.And in October, The Group figures prominently in the retirees' banquet, which is hosted by active firefighters.

When there was still a Firefighters' Club on Concession St at Wentworth, the pensioners had a card club there and often took excursions to places such as Niagara Falls. But, when the club closed, there was nothing to connect the retirees, so Carnegie and his friends decided to do something about it. The same original executive is perennially acclaimed, with Carnegie as president, Freddie Morse as secretary and Don Girt as treasurer. Wilbur Peters, the Good and Welfare committee chairman, is the one who makes sure that everyone gets a visit or phone call who needs one.

They do it for fun, and they do it because members of The Group all remember their earliest lesson about firefighting: "You don't go in by yourself."

The Group continues to meet quarterly at the Macassa Bay Yacht Club on the second Tuesday of March, June, September and December. The "Field of Dreams", horseshoe pitch and bar-b-que continues to be an annual event in September and Local 288, Hamilton Professional Firefighters Association, still hosts the annual Pensioners' Banquet.

Founding members, Roger Carnegie and Don Girt have regrettably attended their last alarm and other retired firefighters have been handed the torch of dedication to ensure the strength of the organization.