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 How is My Contribution Used?
Your
FIREPAC contribution allows the IAFF to educate Members of
Congress about issues important to your profession as fire
fighters and emergency medical personnel and to help elect
candidates to office who support those issues. For those
incumbents or candidates who are supportive of the IAFF’s
legislative agenda, FIREPAC will make a contribution to
their campaign.
During the 2007-2008 election cycle, FIREPAC
contributed more than $5 million to 368 pro-IAFF candidates running for Congress
across the country. While many candidates solicit FIREPAC for a contribution,
not all are successful in receiving its support.
To be eligible to
receive a FIREPAC contribution, candidates must meet specific criteria. For
incumbents, FIREPAC reviews voting records on IAFF issues as well as other
actions elected officials take, such as co-sponsoring legislation and working
behind the scenes with the IAFF to pass legislation critical to our members.
The IAFF also weighs the difficulty of the race and surveys the level of
participation by IAFF locals in the campaign.
Challengers must complete a candidate
questionnaire detailing their positions on a number of key IAFF legislative
issues. FIREPAC will also meet with the candidate to discuss the race and his or
her commitment to the IAFF’s legislative agenda. The IAFF also encourages
candidates to reach out to IAFF locals in their jurisdiction to seek support for
their candidacy. In addition, FIREPAC assesses polling data, the candidate’s
viability, the level of support from IAFF locals and, if applicable, the
candidate’s past voting record on IAFF issues at the state or local level.
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