For Immediate Release: May 11, 2006                                                                                                                                        Contact: Bill Glanz, 202-824-1566 (office), 202-329-5856 (cell)

Fire Fighters Endorse Bob Casey for U.S. Senate

SCRANTON, PA – The Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association voted today to endorse Bob Casey for U.S. Senate.

“With the suffering economy in many communities in Pennsylvania has come an inability of our cities and towns to hire fire fighters to protect us,” PPFFA President David Eckman said.

“We need a strong commitment from the Federal Government to help us stay safe here in Pennsylvania. Bob Casey has committed to us that he will go to Washington and fight to get us the resources we need to have enough fire fighters to effectively protect our neighborhoods in an emergency," Eckman said.

The International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO/CLC, also has endorsed Casey.

“The men and women of the IAFF have a clear mission – protecting our homeland. Bob Casey has displayed that not only does he share our mission, he is committed to helping us fulfill it,” IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger said.

“In contrast to the incumbent, Bob understands that more federal funding must be allocated to hire more fire fighters, and to train and equip them. We trust him and believe he will be an ally of fire fighters and of everyone who believes that we need to do more to bolster our domestic safety and protect our citizens and communities,” Schaitberger said. “Fire fighters need the strong federal leadership that Bob Casey will provide.”

The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in Washington, DC, represents more than 273,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics who provide emergency medical response to 80 percent of the population in the United States and Canada.

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