Welcome to the IAFF Frontline News Brief, distributed twice a month to IAFF affiliate leaders and IAFF members. We encourage you to forward this news to your members and others in the fire service.

The Frontline News Brief is delivered directly by email and is also published on the IAFF web site. You can view past issues at http://www.iaff.org/Comm/frontline/news.htm.

Your feedback is also welcome - email pr@iaff.org with questions and comments.

 

"SAFER Grants To Be Used to Rehire, Prevent RIFs" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Lawmakers Extending Benefits to Firefighters With Cancer" (Bangor Daily News (ME))
"Mo. Lawmakers Approve First-Responder Benefit" (Associated Press)
"House Passes FAA Reauthorization Legislation" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Suicide Among Police, Firefighters Is On The Rise" (CBS 2 Chicago)
"Presumption for Federal Fire Fighters, Ryan White Notification Move Forward" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"As California Budget Mess Deepens, Schwarzenegger Proposes Huge New Cuts" (Mercury News)
"Los Angeles City Fire Fighters Descend on City Hall" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Woonsocket Reaches Deal With Fire Fighters" (The Call )
"Save Orlando's Fire Fighters" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Fire Fighter Losing Job Gets Death Threats" (WFTV )
"Oakland Extinguishes Hopes of 11 Fire Recruits" (San Francisco Chronicle)
"IAFF Testifies on Improving Hazardous Materials Safety" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Austin Strategic Political Action Earns Results" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Firefighter Unions Sound Alarm Over Recent Cuts" (Baltimore Sun)
"Alberta Municipality Votes to Keep Fire-based EMS" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Penticton City Bolsters Fire Department Ranks " (Penticton Western News)
"Fire District Board Questions Ability of 5'2" (East Bay News)

  SAFER Grants To Be Used to Rehire, Prevent RIFs
International Association of Fire Fighters (05/22/09)

Congress is expected to give final approval in early June to an IAFF proposal that would allow the use of federal funding to rehire laid off fire fighters and prevent fire department staffing reductions. The Senate has approved its version of a special Supplemental Appropriation containing language that allows the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to waive the current rules for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants that have prevented using the money to save the jobs of IAFF members. The Senate action virtually assures that the provision will become law, since the House of Representatives had previously approved similar language in its version of the Supplemental Appropriation that funds the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The final step is for the House and Senate to reconcile the few differences between their competing versions of the Supplemental Appropriation. Final passage is expected shortly after Congress returns from a week-long Memorial Day recess. President Obama has pledged to promptly sign the bill into law.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Lawmakers Extending Benefits to Firefighters With Cancer
Bangor Daily News (ME) (05/15/09); Miller, Kevin

Lawmakers in Maine are considering a measure that would provide workers’ compensation benefits to fire fighters who contract certain types of cancer that may be linked to their jobs. The bill, which has passed the state Senate and has received some support in the House, would extend current benefits for cardiovascular or lung problems to cancer, though workers’ comp officials would still be able to challenge whether the illness was actually caused on the job. Supporters of the bill say fire fighters are exposed to many carcinogenic chemicals when putting out blazes in modern homes and buildings, and the bill would assume a link between these chemicals and cancer. To be eligible, a fire fighter must be under 70 years old, must have been on active duty for five years and responded regularly to calls during that time, and must have been active within the past 10 years. If the form of cancer is common in the fire fighter’s family, it is ineligible for the benefit.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Mo. Lawmakers Approve First-Responder Benefit
Associated Press (05/14/09)

State lawmakers in Missouri have approved legislation to create a death benefit for emergency responders killed in the line of duty. If signed into law by Governor Jay Nixon, the legislation would enable families of fire fighters, police officers, paramedics and air ambulance pilots and nurses to claim a $25,000 benefit in addition to existing pension and workers' compensation benefits.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

House Passes FAA Reauthorization Legislation
International Association of Fire Fighters (05/22/09)

The IAFF has released a statement on passage of H.R. 915 by the U.S. House of Representatives. With passage of the FAA Reauthorization, the Federal Aviation Administration will be required to update current aircraft rescue and fire fighting standards and the safety of the flying public will be vastly improved.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Suicide Among Police, Firefighters Is On The Rise
CBS 2 Chicago (05/12/09)

Among emergency workers, it's a topic that's almost taboo: suicide by police officers and fire fighters. But a recent surge in suicides by Chicago fire fighters has sparked increased efforts to bring the topic out of the shadows. Within the last 18 months, among Chicago fire fighters, there were seven suicides. And sources say several others attempted to take their own lives. "We haven't seen numbers like this ever before," Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 President Tom Ryan said. "It's a subject that is bewildering, baffling and something we really just are seeking answers for right now."
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Presumption for Federal Fire Fighters, Ryan White Notification Move Forward
International Association of Fire Fighters (05/21/09)

Two long-standing IAFF priorities have been wedded in a single bill, winning approval by a key Senate panel. Legislation granting federal fire fighters presumptive disability coverage for occupational illnesses was adopted by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs by voice vote, but only after the legislation was amended to include language restoring the Ryan White Notification provision that enables fire fighters to learn if they have been exposed to an infectious disease. The Federal Fire Fighters Fairness Act, authored by Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Susan Collins (R-ME), has long been the IAFF's top legislative priority for its members employed by the federal government. The bill, S.599, would establish a rebuttable presumption that heart disease, lung disease, certain cancers and certain infectious diseases are occupational illnesses linked to fire fighting. The Committee originally planned to approve the bill last month, but postponed action at the request of Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), who raised a variety of objections. One of Coburn's concerns was that the bill should focus on preventing illnesses rather than compensating them. The IAFF met with Coburn's staff to discuss this concern, which ultimately resulted in action on a second IAFF priority.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

As California Budget Mess Deepens, Schwarzenegger Proposes Huge New Cuts
Mercury News (05/14/09); Zapler, Mike

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed taking a number of steps to close the shortfall in the state's budget, which could reach $20 billion this summer. Among the proposals contained in Schwarzenegger's revised budget plan is a plan to borrow $2 billion from local governments. Under the proposal, the city of San Jose, for example, would lend the state an estimated $12.8 million. That would force the city to make a number of cuts, including the elimination of a fire truck company. San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed noted that the city does not want to get rid of the fire truck company but may have to do so anyway because it is out of options when it comes to balancing its budget. "We've done the easy stuff, we've done the hard stuff, and now we're looking at the horrible stuff," he said.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Los Angeles City Fire Fighters Descend on City Hall
International Association of Fire Fighters (05/20/09)

More than 500 Los Angeles City, CA Local 112 fire fighters marched to City Hall and into city council chambers May 18, demanding that city leaders put public safety first. The event was organized after the city administration proposed to cut $40 million from the Los Angeles Fire Department budget to help make up for the city's expected $530 million shortfall for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. United Firefighters of Los Angeles City (UFLAC) Local 112 President Pat McOsker says a fire department cut of that magnitude would have a devastating effect on the safety of the fire fighters and the citizens they protect and serve.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Woonsocket Reaches Deal With Fire Fighters
The Call (05/22/09); Olivo, Russ

Nine fire fighters who were laid off March 7 in the culmination of a high-profile courtroom battle could be recalled under a tentative collective bargaining agreement between Mayor Susan D. Menard and Local 732 of the International Association of Fire Fire Fighters. But the three-year pact would save the city more than $2.1 million in payroll costs through June 30, 2011, and calls for significant sacrifice from the IAFF, including a lower minimum staffing threshold that would require the elimination of a fire station.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Save Orlando's Fire Fighters
International Association of Fire Fighters (05/21/09)

Orlando, FL Local 1365 is encouraging IAFF members and citizens to join its "Save Your Orlando Firefighters" Facebook group to help prevent the layoff of 46 fire fighters that the city announced it is cutting, along with 300 other city employees. The Facebook page invites friends, co-workers and family send an invitation to their friends to join the group and to contact Mayor Buddy Dyer and city commissioners to oppose these layoffs. Already, the page has generated nearly 9,500 members. Mayor Buddy Dyer says the layoffs, which would save the city $34 million, are necessary to overcome a property tax shortfall. 
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Fire Fighter Losing Job Gets Death Threats
WFTV (05/21/09)

Job cuts in Orlando's fire department are causing new problems. To save money, the city is cutting 342 jobs, including 72 fire fighters, but one of those fire fighters is now getting death threats. A week ago Matt Magee started a Facebook group called Save Your Orando Firefighters. Magee was one of 47 fire fighters who is going to lose his job in October due to city budget cuts. He started the group to raise awareness about the layoffs and it already has close to 10,000 members. Magee thought everyone was a supporter, until he got some disturbing death threats.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Oakland Extinguishes Hopes of 11 Fire Recruits
San Francisco Chronicle (05/20/09); Johnson, Chip

The Oakland City Council has denied a last-minute request to hire 11 fire recruits. The council's action scrapped a request from the recruits to allow them to graduate and work for two weeks before being laid off while the city figures out how to square an $83 million budget gap. Graduation from the academy and two weeks on the job would have secured reinstatement rights. Instead, now the recruits can be rehired individually as openings in the department become available.

Return to Headlines

IAFF Testifies on Improving Hazardous Materials Safety
International Association of Fire Fighters (05/15/09)

The IAFF testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials May 14 as part of the committee's efforts to update federal laws addressing the transportation of hazardous materials. Elizabeth Harman, director of the IAFF Hazardous Materials/WMD Training Department, discussed the importance of hazardous materials response training and the need to improve hazardous materials identification tools for fire fighters.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Austin Strategic Political Action Earns Results
International Association of Fire Fighters (05/19/09)

Austin, TX Local 975 ratcheted up its political action efforts for the May elections. Thanks, in part, to these efforts, the candidate Local 975 supported for mayor, Lee Leffingwell, was voted into office by an impressive margin.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Firefighter Unions Sound Alarm Over Recent Cuts
Baltimore Sun (05/21/09); Fenton, Justin

Fire fighter unions in Baltimore have released a radio ad featuring a mock 911 call to prompt Mayor Sheila Dixon to reverse proposed cuts to the fire department. Captain Stephan Fugate says that reductions in the fire fighting service could "compromise our ability to do our jobs, as well as put our members in jeopardy." The proposed cuts would shut down a ladder truck in downtown and an engine in West Baltimore, replacing the truck with medic units. Fire fighters are concerned that these reductions could limit response times.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Alberta Municipality Votes to Keep Fire-based EMS
International Association of Fire Fighters (05/15/09)

Ft. McMurray, AB Local 2494 and the Wood Buffalo Regional Council are rejecting the Alberta province's quest to take over ambulance services province-wide. Concerned about what effect a change in ambulance service would have on public safety, the council has voted to keep the ambulance service within the fire department.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Penticton City Bolsters Fire Department Ranks
Penticton Western News (05/20/09); Depner, Wolf

The city of Penticton is planning to add a deputy chief and four fire fighters to its fire fighting force by early 2010 over the opposition of Mayor Dan Ashton who favoured a less-costly option. Council approved the additions after receiving a report from Penticton Fire Chief Wayne Williams, who presented council with three possible options to increase staffing levels. Williams prepared the report after council agreed to allocate $200,000 towards the hiring of additional personnel.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Fire District Board Questions Ability of 5'2
East Bay News (05/20/09); Wang, Alan

A fire district board member sparked quite a controversy when he questioned the ability of 5'2" women to do the job. He may lose his position on the board over the remarks and is now apologizing. Bill Prather, a Rodeo-Hercules fire district board member, took heat for comments he made during a discussion with Contra Costa County, CA Local 1230 union president Vincent Wells about physical qualifications fire fighters need to carry the required gear. He was asked who he considers unqualified and said, " '5'2" females. They put us all at risk."  

Return to Headlines