* Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois President Chuck Sullivan testifying in a House committee last week about pensions…

* Please pardon all transcription errors…

Records will indicate that the AFFI was adamantly opposed to any changes to the pension fund of our future members in 2010.

I want to very respectfully remind this committee what your firefighters do, what we have done and what we will continue to do.

Our job is a difficult and demanding one that takes a tremendous toll on us physically and mentally.

When someone calls 911 - again, depending on the nature of the emergency - this is what they expect. They want an Olympic athlete, they want a chemist, a doctor, a mechanic, an HPA specialist, an electrician, a gas expert, a middle linebacker, an arborist, an expert swimmer and a social worker, all wrapped into one person. That’s us. That’s us.

That caller wants us there now. They want their emergency mitigated now. And quite frankly, they deserve that request.