Fire Fighters For Dodd Bus Tour Rolls
Through Iowa Nov. 29 - Dec. 6

Goal: Caucus Mobilization

Tour schedule attached and available online:
www.firefightersfordodd.com/bustour

Council Bluffs, Iowa – The largest caucus get-out-the-vote effort by a labor union this year gets rolling in Iowa this week as the “Fire Fighters For Dodd” 20-city, eight-day bus trip through the state hits the road here Thursday, Nov. 29. It is the latest push by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) for underdog Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Chris Dodd.

Known as the hardest campaigners, the Fire Fighters will travel the state in a 42-foot gold-and-black RV with the “Fire Fighters for Dodd” wrap. Starting in Council Bluffs and ending in Des Moines on Dec. 6, Iowa fire fighters will seek to boost support for Dodd from Iowa’s farm communities to its urban centers.

At each stop, IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger will join presidents of Iowa IAFF locals and fire fighters to discuss Sen. Dodd’s record of support for working families and their communities, particularly in providing resources for emergency response. Schaitberger also will urge fire fighters to participate in the Jan. 3 caucus so they can have an impact in the elections as they did in 2004 when fire fighters mobilized to ensure Sen. John Kerry’s surprise caucus victory.

“We need a president who can get things done and has the experience to lead, and Chris Dodd clearly has a record of accomplishment and a legacy of diplomacy that makes him the obvious choice,” Schaitberger said.

Photos and video will be available at: www.firefightersfordodd.com/bustour

Sen. Dodd wrote two laws – the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Act and Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (FIRE Act) – that provide funding to hire additional fire fighters and money for equipment and training. Those programs have resulted in direct federal aid to Iowa of nearly $64 million since 2001.

In addition, Sen. Dodd authored the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and fought for seven years and through two presidential vetoes until it finally became law in 1993. An estimated 50 million workers have taken advantage of FMLA.

Stops include Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Ft. Dodge, Ames, Boone, Nevada, Marshalltown, Mason City, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Ottumwa, Keokuk, Burlington, Muscatine, Davenport, Clinton, Dubuque, West Des Moines and Des Moines.

The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in Washington, DC, represents more than 287,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics who protect 80 percent of the nation’s population. More information is available at www.iaff.org.