Happy 91st Anniversary, IAFF

February 28, 2009 – It was 91 years ago today that 36 delegates from 24 professional fire fighter unions affiliated with the American Federal of Labor (AFL) came together in Washington, DC to form the International Association of Fire Fighters.

In 1918, many fire fighters were working as many as 84 hours a week for less than 30 cents per hour. There was virtually no safety gear, presumptive benefits, pensions or line-of-duty death benefits for families.

With the official formation of the IAFF, fire fighters could use their strength in numbers to fight for better wages, improved safety and greater service for their communities. In the years since, the union has been the driving force behind the development of standards for safe fire ground operations and important health and safety laws that keep fire fighters safe on the job.

In the 1930s, the IAFF worked with locals in Pennsylvania to pass one of the first presumptive and workers’ compensation laws. By 1943, the average fire fighter was working on a reduced work week of 70 hours, and wages had increased to an average of 50 cents per hour.

The 1960s saw a series of positive changes. Average pay rose to $2 per hour and fire fighters moved to 56-hour work week. There was also an emergence of trained emergency life support personnel. Today, about 80 percent of the IAFF’s membership provides some level of fire-based EMS.

At the 1976 Convention, the IAFF’s political action committee, FIREPAC, was created. Since then, FIREPAC has helped secure federal funding for the fire service and train members to become active in their government. Additionally, the program educates members on the importance of political action through seminars, the annual Legislative Conference and the IAFF Political Training Academy.

Also in 1976, the IAFF fought for and won a U.S. Public Safety Officer (PSOB) benefit that paid fire fighter families $50,000 in the case of a line-of-duty death. Later, the coverage expanded to include heart attacks and strokes.

PSOB funding has also increased. For deaths occurring on or after October 1, 2008, $315,746 in benefits is available to the families.

The International has also played significant roles in the development of standards for safe fire ground operations and important safety and health laws that protect fire fighters on the job.

The passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) provided for overtime and other critical benefits that have been successfully defended in court cases and trengthened over the past two decades, ensuring that members are paid for the work they put in.

On September 11, 2001, the IAFF weathered its darkest day when 343 of its members perished in the terrorist attacks on New York City, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In the weeks and months after the tragedy, the International devoted an extensive amount of resources to helps its members and families of the fallen.

Specifically, the IAFF provided financial assistance and other family services to survivors, counseling support to fire fighters and staff support to New York Locals 94 and 854.

The IAFF answers the call when any disaster strikes its members, including hurricanes, flooding and wildland fires.

After Hurricane Andrew devastated Florida in 1992, the union intensified its capabilities to help by creating the IAFF Disaster Relief Fund, which provides financial assistance to members affected by natural or man-made disasters.

Additionally – particularly when Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma struck the Gulf Coast in 2005 – the IAFF set up and staffed an incident command center to assist with communications, evacuation, food, medicine (including vaccinations and baseline medical evaluations), behavioral health and other counseling, building materials, crews for house repairs, transportation and housing support.

Local, state and provincial IAFF affiliates have added many more victories on behalf of IAFF members to the list of IAFF accomplishments and membership services, including passing laws to extend bargaining rights and employment protections, providing health care and other benefits, negotiating or lobbying for pay raises and representing member fire fighter interests 24/7.