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.
 

"Super Sofa Store Fire: One Year Later" (Charleston Post & Courier)
"Cedar Rapids Members Wade Into Floods" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Exhausted Fire Fighters Race From Fire To Fire" (KTVU News)
"Seattle Fire Fighter's Son Killed Serving in Afghanistan" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"IAFF Conducts Study to Improve Fire Fighter Safety and Deployment" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Edgerton Fire Fighters Settle Suit" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"S.C. City Still Raw a Year After 9 Died in Blaze" (Associated Press)
"House Committee Restores First Responder Funds" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Kent Firefighter Mourned by Hundreds of Colleagues Across State" (PNWLocalNews)
"Fire Fighters Fired from Mehlville Will Sue for Wrongful Termination" (South County Journal)
"Los Angeles Fire Department Tattoo Cover Up Muddles Real Mission" (Los Angeles Times)
"Ill Wind on Sick, Family-Leave Policy" (Telegram & Gazette)
"Clearwater Fire Fighters Ramp Up Battle With City" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Deteriorating conditions at many Dallas fire stations a cause for alarm to some" (Dallas Morning News)
"Condition of Firehouses Source of Frustration" (WWLTV)
"Nutter's Honeymoon May End as City Union Contracts Expire" (Philadelphia Daily Local News)
"Fire Fighters Give Back Raises" (12 News)
"Firefighters and Presumptive Disability Status" (WorkersCompensation.com)
"Firefighter Health and Safety Supported With NFPA Podcasts" (States News Service)
"Fuel Costs Spur Firehouse Frugality" (Wall Street Journal)


 

Super Sofa Store Fire: One Year Later
Charleston Post & Courier (06/18/08)

A few hundred mourners gathered June 18 on a scarred and wounded patch of Savannah Highway to light a candle, say a prayer and remember nine fire fighters who lost their lives there one year ago. Behind a chain-link fence and under a hazy blue sky, a long line of Charleston fire fighters fanned out across the uneven earth where they had battled a raging inferno in the Sofa Super Store last June. The land was clear now, save for a lone flagpole and nine white wreaths marking where the nine men died.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Cedar Rapids Members Wade Into Floods
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/13/08)

Fire fighters across the Midwest are working overtime in their communities and providing mutual aid to others in the aftermath of severe weather conditions. One of the worst hit areas is Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Rising water from the Cedar River forced the City of Cedar Rapids to call for a mandatory evacuation, as well as the evacuation of the downtown hospital. Cedar Rapids Local 11's Central Fire Station is just a stone's throw from the Cedar River. "When we heard the rising water was going to be an issue, we immediately began evacuating the station and relocating apparatus," says Rickie Scofield, president of Cedar Rapids Local 11 and secretary-treasurer of the Iowa Professional Fire Fighters. "It's a good thing we did because it is almost completely submerged."
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Exhausted Fire Fighters Race From Fire To Fire
KTVU News (06/20/08)

In less than a day, an electrical storm unleashed nearly 8,000 lightning strikes that set more than 800 wildfires across Northern California -- a rare example of "dry lightning" that brought little or no rain but plenty of sparks to the state's parched forests and grasslands. Thousands of fire fighters battled the blazes from the ground and air. The lightning-caused fires have scorched tens of thousands of acres and forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Seattle Fire Fighter's Son Killed Serving in Afghanistan
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/25/08)

Seattle, WA Local 27 fire fighter Michael Washington Sr. was on duty at Fire Station 16 June 16, 2008, when he heard the devastating news. His son, Marine Sergeant Michael Washington Jr., had been killed while serving in Afghanistan. Washington Sr. is a 14-year veteran fire fighter, but he also served 23 years in the Marine Corps and reserves. He completed tours in Desert Storm (1991), Bosnia and in Afghanistan (2001 and 2003) before retiring in 2004. His father had served in the Marines in Korea, making Washington Jr. a third generation Marine. When word of the younger Washington's death reached Seattle Local 27 members, fire fighters were quick to reach out to their brother. Seattle and other regional fire fighters accompanied the Washington family to McChord Air Force Base in Pearce County, Washington, to await the arrival of Washington Jr.'s body.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

IAFF Conducts Study to Improve Fire Fighter Safety and Deployment
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/23/08)

The IAFF has partnered with four fire service research organizations to conduct a study to determine what staffing levels, response times and deployment of resources work best when responding to variety of fire or EMS events in an effort to minimize the safety risks to fire fighters, paramedics and the public. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (FIRE Act), this study will help develop tools for fire departments to use to better assess the risks in their communities and to deploy resources more effectively and efficiently to match the level of risk.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Edgerton Fire Fighters Settle Suit
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/23/08)

Following a five-year legal battle, three Edgerton fire fighters and Edgerton, WI Local 580 have settled a union discrimination lawsuit against the Edgerton Fire Protection District (EFPD). Fire fighters Kenneth Crandall, Arnold Lund Jr. and Mark Backes were terminated in June of 2003 after joining Local 580 and demanding collective bargaining with the EFPD.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

S.C. City Still Raw a Year After 9 Died in Blaze
Associated Press (06/17/08); Smith, Bruce

A year ago, nine fire fighters were killed in a furniture store blaze in Charleston, South, Carolina. In the wake of the funerals, Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. gathered a team of specialists to uncover what went wrong and make recommendations. The team's initial report had some 200 recommendations such as upgrading protective gear and equipment and making it mandatory that fire trucks have at least four fire fighters on board before being dispatched. The city intends to spend as much as $7 million on enhancements. International Association of Fire Fighters President Harold Schaitberger said that although "you can't find any good in the tragic deaths of nine courageous men," Charleston will get an improved fire department.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

House Committee Restores First Responder Funds
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/11/08)

The Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security in the U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously approved legislation to provide additional funding for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Services (SAFER) and FIRE Act grant programs. As approved, the 2009 Homeland Security Appropriations Act includes $230 million for SAFER and $570 million for FIRE Act. In his budget for 2009, the president proposed significant cuts to first responder grants, providing only $300 million for FIRE Act grants and eliminating the SAFER grant program altogether.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Kent Firefighter Mourned by Hundreds of Colleagues Across State
PNWLocalNews(06/14/08) ; Hunter, Steve

Fire fighters from the Kent (Wash.) Fire Department were joined by more than 300 fire fighters from across the state to bid farewell to a fellow fire fighter who lost his battle with cancer. Marty Hauer succumbed to a rare type of thymus-gland cancer called thymic carcinoma on June 3. The 41-year-old fire fighter had served 15 years with the department. "Marty lived each day as if it were a gift," said Kent Fire Chief Jim Schneider at his service. "He would want everyone to do the same." Hauer, who prior to becoming a fire fighter worked as a loan officer, restaurant manager and carpenter, esteemed his career as a fire fighter the most. In his eulogy, Kent Battalion Chief Paul Wright said Hauer once described fire fighting as "the ultimate customer service job." Hauer worked on behalf of the International Association of Fire Fighters Wellness Fitness Initiative to help develop and promote fire fighter fitness programs across the country. He hoped to open a wellness center in the Puget Sound area for fire fighters and police officers.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Fire Fighters Fired from Mehlville Will Sue for Wrongful Termination
South County Journal (06/20/08); Birmingham, Steve

Two Mehlville Fire Protection District fire fighters will sue for wrongful termination in the wake of their recent firings. Fifteen-year veteran Bob Strinni, president of International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 1889, and paramedic Jeri Fleschert were terminated following a closed session vote by the district's Board of Directors June 13. Both Strinni and Fleschert were suspended with pay April 22 and then suspended without pay May 8 pending results of an internal investigation by a private investigative company.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Los Angeles Fire Department Tattoo Cover Up Muddles Real Mission
Los Angeles Times (06/21/08); Banks, Sandy

A new controversy in the Los Angeles City Fire Department is a policy the department announced this spring, requiring fire fighters with tattoos to cover their body art whenever they are on duty. But for hundreds of fire fighters, that means wearing long-sleeved shirts, turtlenecks, long pants, even gloves, around the clock. It's not just when the fire bell rings, but inside the fire station when they train, eat, exercise and sleep. John O'Connor, a 20-year veteran whose forearms are covered with tattooed tributes to other fire fighters, says "When I show up on an emergency call, I don't think anybody's saying, 'I don't want the tattooed guy to touch Grandma.' "
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Ill Wind on Sick, Family-Leave Policy
Telegram & Gazette (06/12/08) P. B1; Kotsopoulos, Nick

The City of Worcester, Massachusetts, is administering the 1993 Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) -- which allows eligible employees to take reasonable unpaid leave for medical reasons for up to 12 weeks in a rolling calendar year -- in a way that some say is unfair. When a municipal employee is out of work for an extended period of time because of a serious health condition suffered by himself or an immediate family member, the city administration runs the family medical leave concurrently with the employee's use of sick days, injured-on-duty or worker's compensation status. According to Kathleen G. Johnson, the City of Worcester's director of human resources, the city does this because it is obligated to designate FMLA leave once it receives notice that an employee is out of work for more than three days as the result of a serious health condition to the employee or immediate family member. However, Frank Raffa, the president of Worcester, MA Local 1009, said the city had never done that until recent years. "They are taking a federal benefit away from us," Raffa said. "The city has changed its policy in how this benefit is administered without any bargaining. Our fire fighters are not asking to be put on family medical leave when they are injured while on the job. They continue to be compensated while on injured-on-duty status."
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Clearwater Fire Fighters Ramp Up Battle With City
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/20/08)

At the Florida Professional Firefighters (FPF) Annual State Convention in June, fire fighters called for increased support for Clearwater, FL Local 1158, as it continues its hard-fought battle against the City. Convention delegates voted to censure Clearwater Fire Chief Jamie Geer, boycott the Florida Firefighter Games because of the organizers' intention to hold the 2009 Games in Clearwater, and to boycott the City of Clearwater financially for its unfair and illegal treatment of its fire fighters.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Deteriorating conditions at many Dallas fire stations a cause for alarm to some
Dallas Morning News (06/25/08); Eiserer, Tanya

Many of Dallas ' 56 fire stations desperately need an extreme makeover. At Station 4, faulty plumbing routinely sends raw sewage gushing into the city streets. At Station 43, the mess is worse - it rises through drains in the floors, stinking up bathrooms and covering them with a layer of waste. At Station 3, home of the city's hazardous materials team, fire fighters say fetid air from the mildew-infested, frequently flooded basement rises through a vent into their kitchen. At Station 11, designated a historical landmark, the cranky air-conditioning system often leaves fire fighters baking in the hot firehouse during the long Texas summers. "There's other city buildings that are in worse shape, but there's no other city building where people have got to live there 24 hours a day," said Station 11's Captain Rett Blankenship. Dallas ' fire stations have fallen victim to years of shoestring budgets and staffing cutbacks that have left city maintenance workers overwhelmed, understaffed and unable to meet the repair demands of more than 500 city buildings, city officials said. Requests for repairs, minor and major, sent to the city's Equipment and Building Services go undone - sometimes for years - as roughly 1,500 firefighters make do at stations across the city. Some firefighters even do painting and remodeling themselves.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Condition of Firehouses Source of Frustration
WWLTV (06/11/08)

Union leaders say 22 of the city's 33 fire stations flooded after Katrina, and that 15 of those have been repaired by fire fighters themselves, and volunteer groups from around the world. But fire fighters are not praising the City's repair efforts. Nearly three years after Katrina, many of the City's fire stations still are in disrepair. "Very, very slow at best," said Nick Felton, the head of the firefighters' union. "Other than a couple of roofs repaired, there's not a lot of work that has been initiated by the City."
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Nutter's Honeymoon May End as City Union Contracts Expire
Philadelphia Daily Local News (06/16/08) P. 8; Brennan, Chris

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter faces his first test in office when he meets with union leaders to negotiate new contracts for fire fighters. He has already distinguished himself from previous administrations by announcing recently that the city has earmarked $400 million under a five-year financial plan to bankroll increases for benefits and wages for certain unions. But there remain unresolved issues. Nutter, who has promised unions not to negotiate in public, says he hopes public employees consider the city's forthrightness in disclosing the $400 million earmarked for wage and benefit increases a gesture of good faith and see "that we're not trying to play games and hide money and all that kind of stuff." Philadelphia, PA Local 22 head Brian McBride says health benefits are a large concern. "We are in a profession that many die in every year and many, many more are injured in every year," he notes. "Things like pensions and health care are important to us because we use them."
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Fire Fighters Give Back Raises
12 News (06/17/08); Eschbach, Jana

Martin County fire fighters voluntarily returned their 5 percent cost of living raise to county taxpayers. Martin County Commissioners say the fire fighters giving back their raise is unprecedented.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Firefighters and Presumptive Disability Status
WorkersCompensation.com (06/12/2008); Ferguson, Julie

For most professions, worker's compensation in the case of an illness depends on the employee's ability to prove the illness is a direct result of work-related activity. However, more than 40 states have presumptive disability rules when it comes to worker's comp for fire fighters. Under these rules, the burden of proof shifts from employee to employer to prove the disease is not work-related. Disability presumption for worker's comp is an important part of a fire fighter's benefits because many studies have shown that fire fighters have a higher risk of developing certain serious illnesses. However, it is not always easy to determine which diseases are directly work-related and which are not. For this reason some experts have suggested that fire fighters receive "24-hour coverage." Under this type of coverage, fire fighters would be entitled to comprehensive health are for both on- and off-the-job illnesses and injuries.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Firefighter Health and Safety Supported With NFPA Podcasts
States News Service (06/17/08)

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is teaming up with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) to highlight fire fighter and EMS health and safety during Fire/EMS Safety, Health, and Survival week, which kicks off June 22. The three areas of concentration include to completely implement NFPA 1500, particularly sections focusing on personal protective equipment; to completely execute the Wellness-Fitness Initiative; and to commence an emergency vehicle policy that requires all fire fighters to wear seat belts. NFPA will post podcasts on its web site. The topics include medical issues for fire fighters, apparatus safety and modifications to NFPA 1901, and wildland fire fighter safety, among others.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Fuel Costs Spur Firehouse Frugality
Wall Street Journal (06/18/08) P. A4; Miranda, A.J.

The diesel fuel used in most fire engines has become so expensive that many fire departments are paring down their training and maintenance budgets in order to keep their trucks running. Diesel used to run 40 cents to the gallon cheaper than gasoline, according to the Department of Energy, but diesel now costs 70 cents more per gallon. Many local governments were unprepared for the hike and fear jeopardizing public safety when initiating cutbacks. In Marion County, Oregon, fire fighters spend nearly $5 for each gallon of diesel in their trucks and have a fuel efficiency of five miles per gallon. Though their fuel budget has increased by 25 percent this fiscal year, local authorities are not defraying the costs, which leaves the fire department little choice but to reduce spending in other areas.

Return to Headlines