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.
 

"IAFF Endorses Senator Obama at 49th Convention" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"IAFF Applauds Obama's Choice for Vice President" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"City, fire union build closer ties" (Charleston Post & Courier)
"Fire Fighters Pay Tribute to Flight 93" (KDKA.com)
"Florida Fire Fighter Awarded Two Medals for Service" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"MDA Telethon Highlights IAFF Partnership" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Vallejo Fire Fighters, City Employees Form Coalition to Keep City From Bankruptcy" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Indianapolis Fire Fighter Killed in Iraq " (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Newton Fire Fighters to Receive $6.1 Million in Retro Pay and Benefits" (Globe West Updates)
"EMTs Seek Public Vote on Private Ambulances" (North Jersey Record)
"Study Targets Indianapolis Fire Fighters' Heart Attack Risk" (Indianapolis Star)
"UFOA and UFA Conduct Toy Drive for Katrina Kids" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Oldsmar City Council Supports National Collective Bargaining Effort" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"IAFF Releases Line-of-Duty Injury Report" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Crew Chief Faces Sentencing in Thirtymile Fire" (The Bellingham Herald)
"Smoke Signal: Fire Fighters Take a Detector Stand" (The Hook News Blog)
"Providence Firefighters Protest Lack of Bulletproof Windows on Two New Trucks" (Providence Journal (RI))
"City Fire Fighters May Continue to Speed to Emergency Calls" (Burlington Post)
"Ceremony Honors Firefighters Killed in Deutsche Bank Blaze" (WNBC.com (New York))
"Reality TV Show Set to Film in Grand Rapids Fire Station" (Grand Rapids Press)
"Chattanooga: Unions Organizing in Effort to Topple Mayor" (Chattanooga Times Free Press (TN))
"Firefighters Union Seeks Input in Disciplinary Process" (TMCnet.com)
"And Baby Makes 3 Deliveries for Firefighters" (Associated Press)
"County Union Echoes City: Rambo Lies" (State-Journal (KY))
 

IAFF and MDA - - a Proud Tradition

IAFF Endorses Senator Obama at 49th Convention
International Association of Fire Fighters (08/15/08)

The IAFF announced its endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for president, praising the Illinois senator for his support of fire fighters and working families."On every issue important to fire fighters Senator Obama is and has been in our corner," IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger said. "The IAFF is the most bipartisan union in the AFL-CIO, and we support those who support us. We can't overlook Senator McCain's service to our country, but we also can't overlook his poor record on issues critical to the financial security of our 290,000 members." The IAFF endorsed Senator Obama on the final day of its 49th Convention in Las Vegas.
(Web Link)
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IAFF Applauds Obama's Choice for Vice President
International Association of Fire Fighters (08/23/08)

The IAFF applauds the choice of Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) for vice president by presumptive Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama. "Joe Biden is a fantastic choice for vice president. Senator Biden is a friend of labor and working families and he has a strong record on homeland security issues," says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. The IAFF endorsed Senator Obama on August 14, praising the Illinois senator for his support of fire fighters and working families. Senator Biden also spoke to fire fighters at the IAFF Convention on August 14. "Adding Joe Biden to the ticket just solidifies our support for Senator Obama. Senator Biden has always been a friend of fire fighters, just like Senator Obama," Schaitberger said.
(Web Link)
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City, fire union build closer ties
Charleston Post & Courier (08/24/08); Menchaca, Ron and Smith, Glenn

Once dismissed as a "boys club" of rabble-rousers, the Charleston fire fighters union has grown dramatically in size and clout since last year's deadly Sofa Super Store blaze, forcing city and fire department officials to acknowledge its members' concerns. As recently as two years ago, the local fire fighters union could claim fewer than half of the department's eligible fire fighters as members. The group's leaders struggled to recruit members, and its calls for more safety-oriented tactics were met with resistance from a fire department rooted in hard-charging, aggressive traditions.
(Web Link)
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Fire Fighters Pay Tribute to Flight 93
KDKA.com (08/24/08)

Active and retired members of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA) of New York Local 854 and the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) of Greater New York Local 94 paid special tribute to Flight 93 with a piece of World Trade Center steel. The cross-shaped steel was permanently erected at the Shanksville Fire Department in remembrance of the lives lost on September 11, 2001.
(Web Link)
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Florida Fire Fighter Awarded Two Medals for Service
International Association of Fire Fighters (08/21/08)

After learning that Suncoast Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics Local 2546 member Donald Wendt had earned the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq, the City of Bradenton, Florida, awarded Wendt with the Distinguished Service Medal. "We are very proud of him," says Mike Stephenson, president of Local 2546. "He had a dangerous job to do and he did it, even at the risk of his own life. We are glad to have him back in Bradenton." In 2005, Wendt was serving as a staff sergeant in the 103rd Armored Division of the Army Reserves when a Vehicle Born Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED), which is similar to a car bomb, detonated and flipped a vehicle over onto a fellow solider. Using tow chains, Wendt was able to free the soldier, who later died.
(Web Link)
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MDA Telethon Highlights IAFF Partnership
International Association of Fire Fighters (08/26/08)

Long-time watchers of the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon know that whenever IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger strides onto the stage and greets Telethon star Jerry Lewis, he'll have a check in his hand and it won't be a small one. As MDA's largest national sponsor, the IAFF has raised nearly $300 million since the partnership began in 1954. These funds have fueled MDA's worldwide research program seeking treatments and cures for more than 40 forms of neuromuscular disease. In addition, IAFF fundraisers help make possible a nationwide network of specialized medical clinics, financial assistance with certain types of expensive assistive equipment, support groups, informative publications and, of course, accessible summer camp for kids. 
(Web Link)
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Vallejo Fire Fighters, City Employees Form Coalition to Keep City From Bankruptcy
International Association of Fire Fighters (08/25/08)

Vallejo, CA Local 1186 is part of a coalition of Vallejo City employees seeking dismissal of the City's May 23 bankruptcy filing in order to protect critical City services, wages and health care coverage for employees and retirees, and Vallejo taxpayers. The coalition maintains the City could have avoided bankruptcy - and still can - by accepting the employees' standing offer to cut their own pay, permanently give up two sets of raises due them (totaling 14.4 percent) and to change other work rules to save the city more than $10 million and avoid the immense cost of an ongoing bankruptcy.
(Web Link)
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Indianapolis Fire Fighter Killed in Iraq
International Association of Fire Fighters (08/12/08)

The IAFF regrets to announce the death of Indianapolis, IN Local 416 member Gary Henry. He was killed August 3 by a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq. Henry was a Sergeant with the Indiana National Guard's 38th Military Police. Military sources say Henry and two other Indianans were on a combat operation in southern Baghdad when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. Henry and another soldier were killed. The third was severely injured.
(Web Link)
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Newton Fire Fighters to Receive $6.1 Million in Retro Pay and Benefits
Globe West Updates (08/24/08); Rathi, Rachana

Newton fire fighters are expected to receive $6.1 million in retroactive salary and benefits pay from the City thanks to a binding collective bargaining award from a state labor panel. The August 6 ruling settled a five-year dispute between the fire fighter's union and the City.
(Web Link)
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EMTs Seek Public Vote on Private Ambulances
North Jersey Record (08/21/08); Van Dusen, Matthew

Supporters of Hackensack's EMTs submitted a 1,352-signature petition to the City clerk in an effort to force a referendum on the planned privatization of ambulance services. A coalition of fire fighters' union officials, residents and local advocacy groups hopes the petition will force the City Council to reconsider the layoffs of eight City emergency medical technicians who will lose their jobs September 14.
(Web Link)
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Study Targets Indianapolis Fire Fighters' Heart Attack Risk
Indianapolis Star (08/25/08); Gillers, Heather

Findings of an Indiana University study of local fire fighters could help lower the risk of heart attack among the nation's fire fighters. For six months, researchers have followed 56 members of the Indianapolis Fire Department, monitoring their heart rates to determine which parts of the job cause the most dangerous stress.

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UFOA and UFA Conduct Toy Drive for Katrina Kids
International Association of Fire Fighters (08/14/08)

August 29, 2008, marks the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which had devastating effects on the nation's Gulf Coast. Many families still have not recovered financially and are unable to buy Christmas presents for their children, but there is hope. Once again, active and retired members of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA) of New York Local 854 and the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) of Greater New York Local 94 will conduct its Katrina Toy Drive.
(Web Link)
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Oldsmar City Council Supports National Collective Bargaining Effort
International Association of Fire Fighters (08/07/08)

The Oldsmar, Florida, City Council has unanimously voted to support fire fighter and law enforcement personnel in opposing the League of Cities proposed initiative to fight pending federal legislation that would allow all national public safety employees the right to collective bargain. The council reviewed several proposals from the Florida League of Cities in preparation for theLeague's Annual Legislative Conference. For the second year in a row, the League has asked its affiliates to vote in favor of an initiative to defeat the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act (H.R. 980/S.2123).
(Web Link)
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IAFF Releases Line-of-Duty Injury Report
International Association of Fire Fighters (08/07/08)

The IAFF has released the results of its Contributing Factors to Fire Fighter Line-of-Duty Injury Study conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. The study compiled and analyzed two years of data from nine geographically diverse metropolitan fire departments to identify and quantify the major factors that contribute to fire fighter line-of-duty injuries. The results of this study will help efforts to standardize data collection for fire fighter injuries so that all fire departments collect the same data in the same way. The results of standardized data collection, analysis and reporting will establish a knowledge base for fire fighter injuries to further risk management and prevention of injuries in the future.
(Web Link)
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Crew Chief Faces Sentencing in Thirtymile Fire
The Bellingham Herald (08/19/08);

Ellreese Daniels, the incident commander charged for the deaths of four Central Washington fire fighters at the Thirtymile fire, is set to be sentenced today. More than seven years after the deaths, the sentencing at U.S. District Court in Spokane will be one of the last formal steps associated with the Thirtymile saga. Killed at Thirtymile were fire fighters Tom Craven, Karen FitzPatrick, Jessica Johnson and Devin Weaver.

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Smoke Signal: Fire Fighters Take a Detector Stand
The Hook News Blog (08/21/08); Stuart, Courteney

In his own words, for nearly 15 years Boston Deputy Fire Chief Jay Fleming has been on a "one man mission" to change the type of smoke detectors used in American homes. Last week, nearly 300,000 troops joined Fleming's battle when the IAFF became the first major American fire organization to formally endorse photoelectric smoke detectors and, in the process, to formally condemn ionization detectors, which Fleming argues are responsible for at least 10,000 fire-related deaths since 1990.
(Web Link)
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Providence Firefighters Protest Lack of Bulletproof Windows on Two New Trucks
Providence Journal (RI) (08/13/08); Barbarisi, Daniel

Providence, RI Local 799 has filed a grievance because two new fire engines have not been fitted with bulletproof glass. Fire Chief George S. Farrell says the 39-year-old contract stipulation is now outdated because civil conflicts are no longer common. City fire fighters, however, have not had a contract since 2005 and have expressed frustration at the department and Mayor David N. Cicilline for failing to address many of the union's concerns. An arbitration case has been postponed until some time next year; in the meantime, fire fighters will continue using outdated axes, hoses, and nozzles in the new trucks while they wait to for possible replacements.
(Web Link)
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City Fire Fighters May Continue to Speed to Emergency Calls
Burlington Post (08/13/08); Misner, Jason

The Burlington, Ontario, fire department stated that fire fighters can exceed the posted speed limits on roads by as much as 10 km per hour given that speeding helped improve emergency call response times in July. The ban on speeding was temporary in the month of June, and the pilot project regarding speed levels of fire trucks will continue throughout August when response times will be re-evaluated. The city hopes to achieve response times of just four minutes for at least three-quarters of emergency calls. While response times rose in June 2008 by 12.7 percent, response times in July fell 1.9 percent compared to 2007 levels. Experts suggest the decline in response times for July is related to the heavier than average rainfall the area sustained during that month. When the speeding ban was instituted, the number of fire truck accidents had risen by 60 percent. Burlington, ON Local 1552 President Dan VanderLelie says, "We need to address that issue still, that we need to better our training. The more training my members get, the better."
(Web Link)
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Ceremony Honors Firefighters Killed in Deutsche Bank Blaze
WNBC.com (New York) (08/18/08)

Plaques memorializing two New York City fire fighters who died in a blaze on the 14th floor of the former Deutsche Bank tower last year were dedicated by Mayor Michael Bloomberg on August 18. Surviving family and friends of fire fighters Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino, who were killed a year ago at the ground zero skyscraper, attended the ceremony. The incident raised awareness about the negligence of a patchwork of government agencies responsible for inspecting the building.

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Reality TV Show Set to Film in Grand Rapids Fire Station
Grand Rapids Press (08/12/08); Kolker, Ken

At the LaGrave Avenue fire station, fire fighters don't sit around playing cards and checkers. That would make for a boring reality TV show. A Beverly Hills production company has announced it will film some of the pilot for "Station House" at the downtown station, following the lives of some of Grand Rapids' finest. Filming for the pilot began at a fire station in Peoria, Ill., and will begin next week at LaGrave. Grand Rapids is one of about a half-dozen cities nationwide that will be featured in the reality TV show, if it is picked up by a network.
(Web Link)
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Chattanooga: Unions Organizing in Effort to Topple Mayor
Chattanooga Times Free Press (TN)(08/20/08); Hightower, Cliff

Chattanooga, TN Local 820 is one of four unions attempting to unseat Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield because of his indifferent attitude toward the city's civil servants. The union groups are actively recruiting an opponent to run against Littlefield in the March election. A few experienced local attorneys are considering a campaign against Littlefield on a pro-union platform, but so far no contenders have announced their candidacy.
(Web Link)
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Firefighters Union Seeks Input in Disciplinary Process
TMCnet.com (08/11/08)

The city of Lockport, New York, is taking the fire fighters' union back to court over the structure of the union's disciplinary process. The Lockport Professional Firefighters Association was initially sued by the City in a tactical maneuver to override union calls for arbitration on the structure of the standard disciplinary process. According to union President Sam Oakes, the union is lobbying for a say in the selection of the hearing officer in the disciplinary hearings. "Under Article 75, the City had handpicked the hearing officer," Oakes said. Allowing the union to weigh in "would make it more evenhanded," he noted.
(Web Link)
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And Baby Makes 3 Deliveries for Firefighters
Associated Press (08/19/08)

On August 18, Rochester, New York-area fire fighters delivered three babies in emergency situations. Just after 5:00 a.m., fire fighter-emergency medical personnel and fire officials helped a woman deliver a baby in a parked car by the road. Some two hours later, a woman pulled into the parking lot of the fire station, where she delivered a baby with the assistance of fire fighters. Finally, a third birth took place in Rochester. Fire officials note that it is unusual for fire fighters to help deliver babies.
(Web Link)
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County Union Echoes City: Rambo Lies
State-Journal (KY) (08/19/08); Zambenini, John

Franklin County, Kentucky, fire fighters would like to see Emergency Operations Coordinator Deron Rambo removed from his position for ethical violations. In a letter to officials, Franklin County, KY Local 3952 said Rambo has a "penchant to lie," is underqualified for his position, and should not have been tapped to replace the previous operations coordinator. The union's ire stems from an earlier allegation by the Kentucky Fire Commission that Rambo submitted false training course completion documents in order to receive $30,000 in training incentive pay. The union argued in its letter that Deputy Coordinator Tommy Russell and Rambo would be unprepared in the event of an emergency in Franklin County.

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