How it started,

In 1967, Roy Baker and and several other fire buffs from the area responded to a fire in Providence R.I. located at the corners of Wayland Ave and Gano St, The fire involved a storefront and the firefighters were going to be on scene for a few hours. At that time refreshments for the firefighters were obtained from the old red bridge dinner by Baker and the other buffs from an organization to support firefighters who were dispatched to fires that would have the firefighters on scene for long periods of time. It was at that point in 1968 that the Special Signal Fire Association was born. A station wagon served as the mobile response vehicle in the beginning and hot coffee was picked up at the Dunkin Donuts that was located in downtown Providence.

Response times tended to be slow due to the time needed by the fire department to notify the Special Signal A member or members had to mobilize and then pick up or prepare the coffee and other beverages. In April of 1969 the Salvation Army came together the members of the S.S.F.A. In their endeavor to improve services to the emergency responders a mobile Canteen Truck was purchased. On average the Canteen Truck responded to 12 major fires per year and only responded to large fires in Providence.

Firefighting was just as dangerous in 1968 as it is now, however the equipment carried and worn by the firefighters today is much more sophisticated and places more a demand on the body. Just carrying the added weight of a Scott Air pack places a firefighters body in fighting the fire of today. These services provided include the
replenishment of lost body fluids and extends to the feeding of responders deployed for long-term events.

1992 ​...

In 1992 Paul O'Rourke, a Providence police officer, began to oversee the Salvation Army Canteen Truck operations and changed the name over to "Salvation Army Fire Police Rehab Unit". O'Rourke recruited other police officers, firefighters and other people with other valuable skills to provided the staffing needed to provided for immediate response of the canteen to an event 24 hours per day seven days a week 365 days a year. As an indicator of our services, in 2006 we responded to over 550 runs. The Salvation Army began to reorganize the method of operation of the Rehab Truck and began to coordinate closely with O'Rourke which resulted in more funding and immediate access to supplies when needed, especially in a major event. It became a standard operating procedure that any event that exceeded four hours the Rehab Truck would prepare meals for the responders on scene. In addition the rehab unit had at that time 60 members to staff 2 trucks a 2002 Grumman (Rehab 2) and 2006 Grumman (Rehab 1).

The Rehab Trucks continued to operate successfully in the above mentioned manner, however during 2007 the Salvation Army began the process of decreasing the services being provided by the Special Signal Fire Association and the Rehab Trucks. The Salvation Army wanted to restrict the area of service to the general Rhode Island area and finally wanted the Rehab Trucks to respond to only two alarm fires or more and to also change the menu. The Special Signal Fire Association and the membership expressed their dissatisfaction with these changes.

2016 & Beyond...

The Rehab Trucks, over the years, had become a common factor at all fires and emergency incidents and the emergency responders, along with victims relied heavily on their services. Inquiries were made to the Salvation Army as to the reason for the restrictions and their primary reason was due to budget restrictions. The members of the Special Signal Fire Association offered to offset the costs to operate the Rehab Trucks from their organizations funds however the Salvation Army refused the offer. During the beginning of May of 2009 the Salvation Army terminated the Rehab services being conducted by the Special Signal Fire Association by virtually locking the members out of the building. During the termination process the Salvation Army was able to keep the building that the Rehab Trucks were being operated out of along with the two Rehab Trucks.The building was initially sold to the Salvation Army by the Pawtuxet Volunteer Fire Company for the sum of one dollar. The membership of the Pawtuxet Volunteer Fire Company were also members of the Special Signal Fire Association, who assumed the duties of the Rehab Trucks.

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