Upcoming Events

02/27/2025
RIAFC February Monthly Meeting

02/28/2025
Con-Ed Night

03/01/2025 - 03/02/2025
TECC & Rescue Task Force Training

View All Events


Web Counters
Website Visitors
Since
February 28, 2024
1,120,503
Visitors Today
Feb 16, 2025
980
RI Southern Firefighters League holds Legislators Night, award Rep. Megan Cotter "Legislator of the Year" award
Email Print RSS Facebook Twitter RSS

By Chief Richard Susi
January 28, 2025

The RI Southern Firefighters League held its annual Legislators Night on January 27, 2025. Over fifty fire & rescue chiefs, officers , EMT's and firefighters joined with eight members of the RI General Assembly to discuss important issues facing the fire & rescue service in RI. Items such as legislative bills of interest, the RI Fire Academy, the SAFER grant for recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters, forestry management, and EMS services and their place as "health care providers" in this modern environment. Five House Representatives and three Senators, all from districts representing the member departments of the Southern League, listened to presentations and asked questions.

The evening ended with RI Southern Firefighters League board members presenting their annual "Legislator of the Year" award to Representative Megan Cotter,. She represents District 39, Exeter, Hopkinton and Richmond. Representative Cotter could not be present at the event due to a previous commitment. RISFFL members will present the award to her in person as soon as possible. Her bio, as seen on the RI General Assembly website, is below.

Representative Megan L. Cotter
Member, House Education Committee
Member, House Health and Human Services Committee
​​​​
​Rep. Megan L. Cotter was elected Nov. 8, 2022, to represent District 39 in Exeter, Hopkinton, and Richmond. She is a member of both the House Education Committee and the House Health and Human Services Comm​​ittee.

In her first year the in the House, Representative Cotter sponsored legislation that created a legislative commission to help the state determine the best action for improving forest management. In 2023 and 2024, she chaired that commission, which issued recommendations that included funding forest fire prevention programs and more forestry staff in the Department of Environmental Management, state and local collaboration to map accessible routes for firefighting in forested lands, and helping owners of forested lands to develop fire management plans. Her leadership and advocacy helped add funding in the 2025 state budget for additional forest rangers at DEM, and led to the addition of land conservation funding to the “green bond" proposal on the ballot in November 2024. She continues to push for property tax relief and support for Early Intervention programs, as well as being a strong advocate for education, children, and rural communities.

Representative Cotter is the director of business development and category management for Foley Fish, which delivers a full line of seafood products to fine restaurants. She is a member of Women in Seafood.

She grew up in the Elmhurst section of Providence, with working parents who divorced when she was young. Her father imparted upon her and her siblings the importance of hard work and kindness, involving the family in church and volunteering for those in need. She graduated from Classical High School in 2002, and went on to University of Rhode Island, where she triple majored in English, Comparative Literature, and Classical Studies.

Shortly after college, she married her husband, Christopher. They soon had three children, Emily, Joseph, and Charles. Like many Rhode Islanders, they struggled under the weight of rent, utilities, health care, and student loans, but eventually managed to buy a home in Exeter. When that home was completely destroyed in a fire in 2017, their tragedy was transformed into a profound lesson on kindness and community, as neighbors and friends reached out with support from every direction. Rather than move, they did not hesitate to rebuild in the same spot. They and their children are active volunteers in the community that gave so much to them.


Add a Comment Add a Comment 0 Comment(s)


Website Designed and Hosted By: Content Proudly Maintained By: Contact Info:
Firehouse Solutions
www.FirehouseSolutions.com
Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs
PO Box 6041
Providence, RI 02940
Emergency Dial 911
Non-Emergency: 401-692-0795
E-mail: info@rifirechiefs.com
Copyright © 2025 Firehouse Solutions (A Service of Technology Reflections, Inc.)