by Doug MacGunnigle, WPRO

A retiring Providence Fire Fighter has penned an open letter to his son, also a fire fighter, advising him to find a new line of work. Joe Marino, a firefighter of 23 years with the Providence Fire Department, says that “times have changed” and called the latest move from the Elorza Administration to reduce the number of platoons from four to three a “game changer” that has been “shoved down the throat” of the firefighters.

Marino told WPRO’s Dan Yorke that “as a father, I’d be remiss in not advising my son with what I’ve seen. I’ve negotiated contracts with the city before. I know what it looks like ahead, and how we’ve been treated at this point in time.”

“Over the years of my career, it’s a constant fight with the city. The younger guys on the job, like my son, have had things taken away the most. Like in most jobs, the senior guys take, the younger guys lose. It’s a sad state of affairs.” Marino tells Yorke that he will be retiring from the department in a few days, and wanted his son to know how he felt about the state of the department.

SEE THE LETTER AND LISTEN TO THE CONVERSATION BELOW: