A SPECIAL THANKS & DEEP GRATITUDE TO ALL OUR COUNTRY'S VETERANS & TO THE BRAVE MEN AND WOM CURRENTLY SERVING IN THE U. S. ARMED FORCES.

Chapter146Association.Com WELCOME TO THE CHAPTER 146 ASSOCIATION Our Mission Statement To Preserve and Protect Massachusetts General Law Chapter 146 and to ensure Public Safety by maintaining a strong license law.

About Us	Contact Us	Page 2   Page 3	Events Maps & Calendar	146 Application Form
Legislative Links	****Find Your Legislature****	146 in the news	What can you do?	A letter to all Current and Future 146 Members

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			UPDATED December 2, 2011 Check us out on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/MGL-Chapter-146/105201409544133?sk=wall UPDATED November 2, 2011 Our next Ch. 146 meeting will be held at the Utility Workers Union Hall Wed. Nov. 30 from 6:30 to 9pm UWUA Local 369 | 120 Bay State Drive, Braintree MA 02184 http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl No cover charge. We have room to sit 50+ people so bring your fellow Firemen and Engineers and sign them up on the spot. UPDATED October 20, 2011 EMAILS...EMAILS...EMAILS...EMAILS...EMAILS...EMAILS... EMAILS...EMAILS...EMAILS... EMAILS... It's all about the emails. This is how we can get job postings, legislative and membership meeting news etc... out in a FLASH! If you are a current member of Chapter 146 and you are not receiving Emails from us, please give us your most recent Email address so we can update you in our system and you can benefit from this awesome service. Check out "THE BOILER INSPECTOR BLUES" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wliVuyQrn-g&feature=feedlik UPDATED September 1, 2011 Some would say that no news is good news and we would agree. So we are hoping that your Summer is going well. Future 146 Meetings  With your help we could increase our membership 10 fold!!!! Help us organize a 146 meeting in your area. Contact us and we’ll work with you on a time and place to meet, then break out your contact list and start inviting your fellow engineers and firemen. Membership Status Let's face it, the Power Plant field has been a life long employment opportunity for most of us power engineers and firemen in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and MGL Chapter 146 has made serving public safety the cornerstone of our careers. Year after year, the Chapter 146 Association has done battle with the BIG BOYS and year after year we have won hands down!!!  The dues are only $25 dollars a year and just $20 a year for the 5 year long-term membership plan. We need your support and most of all we need you to be active in answering the call when the need arises. So PLEASE if you can't remember when you sent your tax deductable dues donation in with a 146 Application Form, then do so right away. Contact us today to get the status of your membership. Thanks THECHAPTER146ASSN@GMAIL.COM   508-631-9945 UPDATED May 7, 2011 The Chapter 146 Association  showed up in force at the State House in opposition to House Bill 1554 Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security Hearing Thursday, May 5th, 2011 FOR COMPLETE STORY CLICK HERE UPDATED April 26, 2011 Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security Hearing set for Thursday, May 5th, 2011. 1pm start time. Please make an effort to be there!!!State House, Boston, Room 2A House Bill 1554 will be heard on this day Get your letters in ASAP NO TIME TO WASTE!!!!! UPDATED April 22, 2011 Rep. DiNatale's letter in response to opposition letter to H01554 UPDATED April 12, 2011  Letter to Senator Timilty, Senate Chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security in opposition to H01554 UPDATED April 7, 2011 We must speak with ONE voice aimed at fighting House Bill 1554.What to tell them...?   House Bill 1554 is NOT an industry saving bill. H01554 is an attempt at inserting a giant loophole in steam turbine and boiler safety attendance license laws located in M. G. L. Chapter 146 rendering them useless and ineffective thus compromising Public Safety due to understaffing of qualified individuals in the power plant field. For a listing of important State House Contact Information CLICK HERE  UPDATED March 27, 2011 HOUSE BILL 1554 - BAD FOR US AND PUBLIC SAFETY This is a bad bill. Please contact House Representative  Representative Stephen L. DiNatale 617-722-2676, Fax: 617-722-2236, Stephen.DiNatale@mahouse.gov to voice your opposition today. This is an attempt at inserting a giant loophole into the law allowing companies to get around our license laws rendering them useless and ineffective thus compromising Public Safety due to understaffing of qualified individuals. Also contact the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security   We expect a hearing on this bill VERY SOON. Possibly as early as April of 2011!!!!  http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/House/H01554 Section 46 of Chapter 146, as so appearing in the 2006 official edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the paragraph in line 26 the following:- The department shall promulgate rules and regulations for the operation and maintenance of steam boilers and engines. Such rules and regulations shall include provisions for a variance from the attendance requirements contained in this section.   Prior Bill filings The last 2 years (2009/2010) we dealt with and defeated/delayed 2 bills... Senate Bill 917 and House Bill 2208. Senate Bill 917 would have changed the structure of the Department of Public Safety by removing the Chief of Inspections etc... . See new filing here Senate Bill 1252 House Bill 2208 which would have been most injurious to our license law (see Page 2 and Page 3) has a new life (in different terminology) in House Bill 1554!!!! 146 MEETING UPDATE   Our first ever 146 meeting in New Hamshire held on March 3, 2011 was a great success! We want to Thank members from NAPE 17, Inspectors Bucchiere and Johnson and those north of the border who were in attendance for their continued support in our quest for excellence in public safety. The Colosseum in Salem, NH had great food and we had an overflowing attendance of 35 people and several new members were acquired as a result. 146 President Jim Turcotte pointed out that we are fighting a determined group called Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) who will not stop trying to get legislation passed that ultimately will do away with our license law. The proof is House Bill 1554. To defeat these rigorous attacks we are going to need to expand out membership. This a no-brainer. EVERY ENGINEER AND FIREMAN LICENSED UNDER M. G. L. CHAPTER 146 NEEDS TO BE A PART OF THE CHAPTER 146 ASSOCIATION OUT OF COMMON CAUSE TO PROTECT PUBLIC SAFETY!  Also, at this meeting we learned of the resignation of the Chief of Inspections Ed Kawa and we wish him Good Luck in all he does in the future!! Unfortunately this leaves us with the possibility of having an inexperienced non-1st Class Engineer at the helm of inspections. ***NEW*** NAPE TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAM The National Association of Power Engineers has unveiled a new power industry specific training and certification program!! Go to NAPE TRAINING. Please take advantage of it.   THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC SAFETY Explosion at Salem Harbor At 8:46 a.m. on November 6, 2007, pipes burst on the lower section of Boiler No. 3 at Salem Harbor, resulting in the tragic deaths of Matthew Indeglia, Philip Robinson, and Mark Mansfield. May they always be remembered. The Chapter 146 Association has proudly donated to a fund in their honor. EMAIL EMAIL EMAIL EMAIL   PLEASE TAKE NOTE: Once again technology could be our saving grace. Much of what we have to say often comes in breaking news flashes and the only way to get that info to our membership in a timely manner is through email. If you are a member of 146 and have not received email from us, then make sure that you email us right away with your current email address at thechapter146assn@gmail.com. We recommend Google's "GMAIL.COM" or MSN's "LIVE.COM" email or your internet provider's email such as Comcast or Verizon. Also, you can take advantage of your employer's email set up for you. If you are one of those who do not have a computer, then please Contact Us so that we can pair you up with someone who does get regular email updates from us. We also will appreciate if after receiving email from us that you pass the word along. Thanks. LAST 146 MEETING UPDATE  Our meeting held at Bertucci's, in Longmeadow, MA, near Springfield on Veteran's Day, November 11, 2010 went well. From the 146 Board we had President Jim Turcotte, Secretary Nick D'Alessandro, Tod Davis, John Rogers and John Girard. All of whom travelled well over 2 hours to make this meeting along with several others from North of Boston. We would like to Thank those from the Springfield area who came out and participated. Also, we would like to give special Thanks to the men and women of the arm forces for doing their duty under extraordinary circumstances for our country on this past Veteran's Day and every day.
			Contact us: THECHAPTER146ASSN@GMAIL.COM

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			2010 BUSINESS
			11/14/2010 - We have many firemen and engineers within our association who are currently looking for employment. Please contact us if you know of any open positions.  Also, we would like to remind our members of what it was like to be a 2nd Class Fireman looking to get a foot in the door. Please give them a chance. Thanks If you are looking for work and have found yourself caught in the have a license, but no experience catch 22, then your best bet is to get as much training in boiler and steam turbine operations as possible among other related fields. We have posted several options at right for you to look at. 11/14/2010 - Legislative Update Senate Bill 917 is dead, but it has been refiled as Senate Bill 2513. 10/25/2010 - We have been informed by Rep. DiNatale's office that he will not be reintroducing House Bill 2208 language for future consideration by the legislature. Much thanks to all of you who worked so hard to get this bill shelved!!!  9/30/2010 - Salem News - State Inspector "Safety check at Topsfield Fair" - CLICK HERE 8/22/2010 - Down Load News Letter from the Technology Learning Center - Click Here 9/02/2010 - In the past our core purpose for existence was to protect against threats to our boiler safety laws under M. G. L. Chapter 146. However, we realize that we need to include all those who are licensed under Ch. 146 including Steam Firemen and Engineers, Pipefitters, Hoisting Operators, HVAC Technicians, and Burner Technicians. We feel that an attack on one part of Chapter 146 is an attack on all of us collectively. We need to band together and fight for each other as one block stead fast in our commitment to Public Safety in the Commonwealth of Mass. If you know people who are in any of these professions and are licensed under M. G. L. Chapter 146 then please ask them to join us here at The Chapter 146 Association and invite them to attend our meetings around the state. If you would like us to arrange a meeting in your neck of the woods to address your concerns feel free to contact us so that we can set up dates, times and places to meet. Thanks  TheChapter146Assn@Gmail.com   Legislative Update August 3, 2010 We have come to another end of the legislative year. All filed legislation, in order to move forward, would have had to get on the Legislative floor for a vote by August 1st, 2010. House bill 2208 and Senate Bill 917 didn't even come close considering all the pressure we put on our legislators to make them go away. We were very aggressive this year and battled on many fronts and we expect to do the same next year. Thanks For All Your Support
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			Some Historic References on Massachusetts Boiler Safety Laws Between 1880 and 1890 there were over 2000 boiler explosions in the US. By 1890,  inspections were rare and operating guidelines were not heeded. The 1905 Grover Shoe factory boiler explosion in Broctkton, MA, and another the next year brought action and a Board of Boiler Rules was formed. Massachusetts passed "An Act Relating to the Operation and Inspection of Steam Boilers" in 1909. The MA laws eventually led to passage of a national boiler safety code.  Grover Shoe Factory. “While the other parts of the country in the last three years have been devastated by nearly 1,500 explosions, which have been more or less serious and wrought considerable destruction to life and property, the Bay State has not recorded one.  …The boiler inspectors are ten in number, and each one has his own particular district to look after.” Boston Globe article from 1902 Since 1902, the number of MA boiler and pressure vessels has certainly climbed and yet our District Engineering Inspector rolls continues to decline!! In 2010, just over 100 years since the fatal Grover Shoe factory disaster we were down to 7 and now we are back to 10 out of extreme need and much pressure on our parts to get it done. Even so, at least 16 inspectors are needed to cover current and backlogged inspections. 2009 Business  We would like to thank everyone who came out and supported us at the Public Safety Committee hearings in June, 2009. Through your efforts we were able to present 800 + letters to the committee and at least 12 people testified including our President Jim Turcotte!! Keep up the good work.  Senate Bill 917  SB 917 Details                            House Bill 2208   HB 2208 Details Opposition Petitions To Senate Bill 917 and House Bill 2208 Committee Hearing 7/9/2009  Operating Engineers Letter  National Board News Letter 09 Sen. Brewer and DPS Commissioner Gatzunis TRANSCRIPT Part 2  Paul Wakem Part 3   Part 4 Newark America Part 5 Mark Mooney, Jim Turcotte & John Rogers  This set of videos was taken at the Massachusetts State House in June of 2009 where the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, Co-Chaired by Senator James E. Timilty and Representative Michael A. Costello, heard testimony regarding bills concerning hoisting, steam engineering licensing, and the Division of Inspections among many others.   As an Association we lined up speaker after speaker to specifically oppose House Bill 2208   HB 2208 Details and  Senate Bill 917  SB 917 Details and presented some 800 letters in opposition. All this work was made possible by our very active membership and we stopped the immediate passage of these and other bills. However, be forewarned that once bills are on the table in committee they are never fully dead especially ones like these that have groups looking to push them forward. The video in parts 1, 3 & 4 show that very powerful interests are involved in fundamentally changing the Department of Public Safety regarding licensing and structure of the department. We need to be vigilant and educate people on the dangers of NOT opposing these bills now and in the future. A Letter to all Current and Future 146 Members As part of THE CHAPTER 146 ASSOCIATION, we don't just belong to another club, organization or social network. We are pledged to protect public safety through preserving our time tested public safety laws, mainly Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 146. As an association, we strive to be well informed so that we can take timely ACTION especially on the legislative front. We are highly motivated because when public safety takes a back seat people suffer and die needlessly. Let's not forget some very recent Massachusetts disaster history. The whole town of Danvers (Danvers, MA on November 22, 2006.)  was rocked by devastating explosions involving the mishandling of the steam supply to a volitile chemical vat. Related to this was the glaring lack of state oversight for their boilers (the state has no record of boilers on the site) and the use of unlicensed (no accountability) and untrained personnel (bad practice). We can only say "if", but we believe that if these best practices were in place, then this disaster could have been averted. Let's, also, keep in mind that boiler explosions can be deadly. Every year, legislation is proposed by those who seek to soften our boiler safety laws. Ultimately their goal is to neutralize them completely so that all state oversight and enforcement is gone regarding the safe operation and attendance of steam boilers. We are bound by common cause to never let that happen. Take heed and join us today. What can you do? 1. Contact your state Representatives and Senators on a regular basis so that they will know what we stand for. This way they'll know how to respond on the legislative floor when the time comes to oppose or support legislation. They need to know who you are personally, too, because you are their eyes, ears and main source of information. Remember that you are the industry experts for your legislators. There's real power in being a constituent and to make it stick you must be persistent.   2. Come to our meetings and bring your fellow Steam Firemen and Engineers, Pipefitters, Hoisting Operators, HVAC Technicians, and Burner Technicians. The Chapter 146 Association is your point of reference ensuring that you are well informed on the issues. 3. Get them to become members of The Chapter 146 Association. 4. Participate in our letter campaigns against adverse legislation. We will supply you with all the necessary tools to be affective in this regard. 5. Look for our Emails. Email is a valuable, quick, and efficient resource for us. If you don't have a current email address, then make sure that there is someone in the association who can update you on our latest communications to the membership. Better yet, get a free GMAIL account today through Google then email us so that we can add you to our list of contacts. 6. Fill in the blanks!!!! Anything that you can do to help us out is a huge plus.
			Contact us: THECHAPTER146ASSN@GMAIL.COM

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