IAFF Calls for Hometown Heroes Implementation

July 12, 2007 – At a press conference on Capitol Hill, the IAFF, several members of Congress and many fire and police organizations called on Congress to step in to implement the provisions of the the Hometown Heroes Act, a law passed nearly four years ago that makes families of fallen fire fighters and police officers who die in the line of duty from a heart attack or stroke eligible for the Public Safety Officers Benefit (PSOB).

To date, of the 264 applications, seven families have received the benefit and 46 families have been denied.

“Congress must intervene,” said Barry Kasinitz, director of governmental affairs for the IAFF, speaking at the press conference. “It is time for an immediate congressional investigation into the Department of Justice’s refusal to fulfill its obligation to the families of our nation’s fallen heroes.”

International Association of Fire Chiefs President President Jim Harmes, said, “We just want to know three things: Why is it taking so long? Why has there been such a low approval rate? What needs to be done to fix it?”

In 2006, Atlanta, GA Local 134 fire fighter Russell Schwantes suffered a heart attack and died while responding to an alarm during his mandatory physical training. While both the Atlanta Fire Department medical director and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) agreed that the combination of exercise and alarm-induced stress triggered the attack, the Schwantes PSOB case is still pending.

“What I have learned is that everything can be taken away in an instant,” said Athena Schwantes, Schwantes’ widow. “The financial relief cannot take away the overwhelming grief from your loss. But, it can help relieve some stress as you find a way to move forward and reach out to others.”

“The Justice Department’s continued resistance to grant public safety officer benefits to families of the fallen is an affront to those who gave their lives in the line of duty,” said Kasinitz. “It is an affront to their loved ones who supported them in their service to their country. And it is an affront to every fire fighter who puts his or her life on the line every day to protect their neighbors and their communities.”

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Representatives Bob Etheridge (D-NC) and Dave Reichert (R-WA), officials from other major national fire and police organizations, Schwantes and two other surviving fire fighter family members all spoke at the conference.