IAFF Seeks Fair Implementation of Hometown Heroes

April 20, 2007 -- The IAFF, in conjunction with the International Association of Fire Chiefs and other national groups representing the interests of the fire service, have sent a letter to President George Bush requesting that he examine the Public Safety Officers Benefit (PSOB) program to ensure that fallen fire fighters are receiving benefits mandated by the Hometown Heroes Act.

Three and a half years after the law’s enactment, the Department of Justice has only recently begun to consider claims under Hometown Heroes, denying 38 claims and granting only two. Additionally, the IAFF has serious concerns that the Department of Justice’s interpretation of the law is incorrectly denying the award of benefits to bonafide claimants.

“There is no reason for the delay that these families – who have already sacrificed so much for our country – have experienced,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “I urge the president to demand that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales properly implement the law to ensure that the families of our fallen fire fighters receive the benefits they deserve.”

Enacted in 2003, the Hometown Heroes Act provides death benefits to the survivors of fire fighters who die in the line of duty due to a heart attack of stroke. Working closely with key congressional allies, such as Representative Bob Etheridge (D-NC) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the IAFF played an instrumental role in the law’s passage.