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.
 

"Economic Crisis News Headlines" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Two Kilgore, Texas Fire Fighters Remembered" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Phila. Firefighters Take Case to Airwaves" (Philadelphia Inquirer)
"New Study Focuses on Crew Size" (Firehouse.com)
"Firefighters Stretched Too Thin" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
"Deadly Australia Wildfires Defy Fire Fighters" (Los Angeles Times)
"Controversy Brewing Over Mental Health Standards" (Burlington Free Press )
"Unions' Share of U.S. Workforce Up in 2008" (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
"Union to Text in Case of Disaster" (Long Beach Press-Telegram)
"Fire Fighters Risk 60-Foot Fall to Save Chicago Church" (Chicago Sun-Times)
"British Columbia Local Signs Historic First Collective Agreement" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Older Would-Be Firefighters Ruled OK" (Philadelphia Inquirer)
"Fire Fighting Ranks Short" (Metro News Canada)
"Vallejo Council Rejects Public Vote on City-Union Pacts" (Times-Herald)
"Hundreds of Would-Be Firefighters Line Up in Miami" (Miami Herald)
"Hundreds Pay Tribute to Retiring Fire Chief" (Birmingham News)
"Fire Fighters Buy New Saws With Cash Won in Labor Case" (Seattle P-I)
"Berwyn Mayor, Alarmed Over Injury Claims, Pulls Firefighters' Workout Equipment" (Chicago Tribune)
"Black Helmet T-Shirt Helps Unemployed Firefighter Find Work" (MSNBC)
"Shreveport Fire Department K-9 Receives Pet of the Year Award" (KLSA News)
"Minneapolis Fire Fighter Wins Prize for Spicy Dessert Recipe" (Star Tribune)
"Lights, Camera, Action" (Bremerton Patriot)

 

Economic Crisis News Headlines
International Association of Fire Fighters

The economy is affecting IAFF members throughout this union through staffing reductions, station closures, cost shifting and wage concessions as local governments lose revenue. To help IAFF members get a clearer understanding of the depth of the financial crisis, the effect it's having at every level of the economy -- including local and state budgets -- the IAFF has prepared the following summaries of and links to "economic crisis" news articles related to cuts in state and local budgets, fire fighter staffing, health care benefits, compensation, pension plans and other areas as a result of the economic downturn.
(Web Link)
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Two Kilgore, Texas Fire Fighters Remembered
International Association of Fire Fighters (02/02/09)

Fire fighters, family and friends bid emotional farewells to two fallen Kilgore, TX Local 2996 fire fighters. Services for Kyle Perkins, 45, were held on Thursday, January 29, and for Cory Galloway, 23, on Friday, January 30. IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger spoke during both services. "We know when we get this calling that it could take any one of us, at any time," he said. "Everyone who has taken the oath to serve in our profession comes into it knowing the risk. But, nothing prepares us to cope with the grief that we feel when we lose a brother or sister in the line of duty, let alone two."
(Web Link)
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Phila. Firefighters Take Case to Airwaves
Philadelphia Inquirer (02/05/09); Matza, Michael

Philadelphia, PA Local 22 is using radio ads to drum up support for its fight against cuts in the city's fire fighting services that are intended to save the city $10 million per year. Mayor Michael Nutter has eliminated five engine and two ladder companies as part of a plan to reduce a budget deficit that could hit $2 billion in four years. The union disagrees with claims by the Nutter administration that companies near the closed ones can serve the affected areas adequately. It has spent $7,500 so far on the ads, and it plans to use billboards to make itself heard at a cost of as much as $15,000 per billboard per month. According to Brian McBride, president of the local, "As a matter of life and death … no expense is too high. We want the public to realize that these cuts put their lives in jeopardy."
(Web Link)
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New Study Focuses on Crew Size
Firehouse.com (02/06/09); Kyle, Susan Nicol

When the engines rolled up and four fire fighters jumped off and grabbed ladders and hoses, it appeared to be just another drill at the Montgomery County Fire-Rescue Training Center. But, that wasn't the case at all. Those involved in the exercise were part of a study to determine if crew size really does make a difference when it comes to saving lives and property. Funded by a FIRE Act grant, the study is being conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in cooperation with Worcester Polytechnic Institute and International Association of Fire Fighters.
(Web Link)
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Firefighters Stretched Too Thin
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (02/05/09); Daws, Jim

The closure of seven fire companies and five fire stations in Atlanta on February 1 was the result of the fire-rescue department's inability to cope with normal fluctuations in employee sick leave, not a protest by the city's fire fighters, according to Jim Daws, the president of Atlanta, GA Local 134. Daws noted that just 2 percent of the city's fire fighters were out sick on February 1 -- a level that is so low that it could not be considered to be part of a "blue flu" as some have claimed. But since the fire-rescue department can no longer cover shortages by implementing overtime or cutting the staffing level on trucks, it was forced to close the stations, Daws said. He added that if the city wants to keep all of its fire stations open when there are staffing shortages, it will have to force fire fighters to limit their use of sick leave -- something fire fighters should not have to do since they have already been forced to take pay cuts of 18 percent.
(Web Link)
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Deadly Australia Wildfires Defy Fire Fighters
Los Angeles Times (02/10/09); Bennett, Jennifer and Cart, Julie

 At least 130 people have died in howling wildfires in Australia, so fierce that they incinerated people trying to flee in their cars, sent towering walls of flames sweeping through small towns and sparked a new debate over whether homeowners should be allowed to stay to try to protect their property. The country has a deadly history of massive bush fires. The weather, topography and even plant life conspire to create a flammability that has given rise to the nickname "continent of fire." Some of the world's foremost fire scientists reside in Australia, but all of that expertise and experience couldn't prepare fire fighters for the conditions they faced.
(Web Link)
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Controversy Brewing Over Mental Health Standards
Burlington Free Press (02/08/09); Remsen, Nancy

Fire fighters support a recent legislative measure proposed by Vermont Representative Paul Poirier (D-Barre) to extend the mental health parity language to the workers' compensation system. According to fire fighter groups, work-triggered mental conditions are only eligible for compensation through workers' comp if fire fighters show they faced "extraordinary stress" for their line of work. American Insurance Association lobbyist John Hollar says, "This is generally a middle ground in how other states have looked at the issue." However, during his testimony before the Vermont House Commerce Committee, Hollar explained that mental health claims are different from physical claims in that they rely on an employee's self-report. In 2003, a Supreme Court decision found that for regulators to settle workers' comp disputes involving mental illness, they must compare a claimant's situation to the kinds of stresses employees in the same line of work face. This is a hurdle Poirier's bill seeks to overcome, according to Hollar.
(Web Link)
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Unions' Share of U.S. Workforce Up in 2008
Bureau of Labor Statistics (01/28/09)

In 2008, union members accounted for 12.4 percent of employed wage and salary workers, up from 12.1 percent a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of workers belonging to a union rose by 428,000 to 16.1 million. In 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent, and there were 17.7 million union workers. The data on union membership were collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS). 
(Web Link)
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Union to Text in Case of Disaster
Long Beach Press-Telegram (02/09/09); Manzer, Tracy

The Long Beach Firefighters Association is implementing a text-messaging system that could be used in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. The Long Beach Firefighters Local 372 will use the text system, which has every private cell phone number for every fire fighter, to communicate extremely important information to its members, said Union Vice President Rex Pritchard. "It doesn't cost the city any money and there is no taxpayer money used for the program," Pritchard said, noting that the union pays a yearly fee for the use of the program and that the fire fighters pay for any texts they receive on their private cell phones out of their own pocket. The idea to expand the program for use in the event of a major disaster and to open it to fire department and city administrators came from the union's president, Rich Brandt, Pritchard said.
(Web Link)
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Fire Fighters Risk 60-Foot Fall to Save Chicago Church
Chicago Sun-Times (02/05/09); Spak, Kara and Dudek, Mitch

Carrying 50 pounds of equipment, dragging hundreds of feet of heavy hose, fire fighters crawled along a foot-wide catwalk that hovered precariously between Holy Name Cathedral's roof and ceiling. There was no light except for the fire's glow, so the fire fighters used their training, senses -- and a healthy sense of fear -- to navigate around the building's beams and trusses. Their quick, careful action in the minutes when most of the city was just beginning to stir saved Holy Name Cathedral. "The boys saved the church," said Deputy Chief Tony Romano of the Chicago Fire Department's 1st District. "It was a heroic effort by all parties to save the church. Everyone chipped in to do their job."
(Web Link)
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British Columbia Local Signs Historic First Collective Agreement
International Association of Fire Fighters (01/28/09)

An IAFF local in British Columbia is celebrating the recent signing of a landmark first collective agreement that brings fire fighter salaries and working conditions into the modern era while securing efficient and effective fire protection 24/7 for the citizens of a fast-growing community. The remarkable rise of Langley Township, BC Local 4550 is due to a potent mixture of hard work and dedication by the local executive board, grassroots community activism and timely political action, backed by the resources of the IAFF.
(Web Link)
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Older Would-Be Firefighters Ruled OK
Philadelphia Inquirer (01/31/09); Zook, Stephen

Seven applicants who were denied fire fighter training because of their age will now be reinstated into the Philadelphia Fire Department, thanks to a recent decision by Pennsylvania's Human Relations Commission. The seven men, among them former military personnel, paramedics and a police officer, were between the ages of 40 and 44 when they passed the civil-service exam and physical fitness tests in 2005, but were then told that they had been placed on the list of applicants in error because of their ages. After filing a complaint with the commission in 2006, the men all took and passed a skills test at the Burlington County Emergency Services Training Center, even without the 90 days of training that most candidates receive. "I think it should be based on ability," said Philadelphia, PA Local 22 President Brian McBride. "There are 40-year-olds who can run rings around 20-year-olds."
(Web Link)
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Fire Fighting Ranks Short
Metro News Canada (02/10/09); Sylvester Krista

You can fill these boots. That's the theme of a new recruiting drive to bolster Calgary fire department ranks by 200 during 2009. Fire Chief Bruce Burrell said with looming retirements of 130 members this year and another 30 percent eligible in the next 10 years, it's critical the department addresses its staffing needs now. "Especially when the new fire halls are being built to meet the demands of the city growth," he added. At a time when other organizations are facing layoffs, the recruitment drive presents an opportunity to Calgarians looking for a stable career, Deputy Chief Ken Uzeloc said.
(Web Link)
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Vallejo Council Rejects Public Vote on City-Union Pacts
Times-Herald (02/05/09); York, Jessica A.

A bid to allow voters the last say on how employees and the city resolve contract disputes failed in a split Vallejo City Council vote. Council members Joanne Schivley and Stephanie Gomes proposed putting the issue to public vote this November after a grassroots petition drive failed. In 2007, an arbitrator ruled against the city in a contract battle with the city's fire fighters over minimum staffing. About eight residents spoke on the issue, all in support of letting the public decide the issue. 
(Web Link)
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Hundreds of Would-Be Firefighters Line Up in Miami
Miami Herald (02/02/09)

The Miami Fire Department recently attracted hundreds of applicants to fill some fire fighter positions. Job candidates began camping out two days before the department began accepting applications. The city will accept the first 750 applications.
(Web Link)
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Hundreds Pay Tribute to Retiring Fire Chief
Birmingham News (02/01/09); Anderson, John

Hundreds of people gathered at Hoover Fire Station No. 4 to pay tribute to retiring Hoover Fire Chief Tom Bradley, who served in the fire service for 60 years. The crowd included current and former Hoover fire fighters, city officials and city employees, as well as fire chiefs from other cities, Bradley's family and others who wanted to wish the 80-year-old Bradley well. Early in his career, Bradley was a member of Birmingham, AL Local 117. As chief of the Hoover Fire Department, he encouraged what is now Hoover Local 4035 to organize. Among other gifts, Bradley was presented with more than 200 letters from fire fighters, expressing what he meant to them.
(Web Link)
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Fire Fighters Buy New Saws With Cash Won in Labor Case
Seattle P-I (01/28/09); Castro, Hector

Seattle fire fighter Ken Stuart said it's a scenario that has come up more than once. An engine company races to a car wreck, finds it's first on the scene, but can do little to extricate anyone trapped inside because most of the needed gear is stashed in the ladder trucks. "You sit there and wait for the truck to show up," said Stuart, president of the Seattle Fire Fighters Union. It can be a helpless feeling, he said. That's why, Stuart said, he's pleased that the union has been able to buy power saws for all 33 fire engines. The money came from $18,000 that the city was ordered to pay the union after a decision in a labor dispute.
(Web Link)
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Berwyn Mayor, Alarmed Over Injury Claims, Pulls Firefighters' Workout Equipment
Chicago Tribune (02/05/09); Ruzich, Joseph

A workers' compensation claim from fire fighter Stephen Petergal proved to be the last straw for Berwyn, Illinois, Mayor Michael O'Connor, who forbid the use of exercise equipment at the city's firehouse in an effort to reduce claims. The fire fighters union issued a grievance against the mayor and asserted the right to use the firehouse equipment. The mayor asked city workers to "take responsibility" and refrain from filing lawsuits during the tough economic times. Petergal claimed he needed to file the workers' comp claim in order to get health care coverage for his injury and the ensuing surgery, but a city HR official said the injury was already covered and that Petergal's claim was unnecessary. Berwyn, IL Local 506 President Tom Hayes explained that fire fighters' erratic shifts make it almost impossible to fit in regular exercise routines outside of work. The union leader pointed out that Petergal was the first of Berwyn's 61 fire fighters to ever be injured while using city exercise equipment
(Web Link)
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Black Helmet T-Shirt Helps Unemployed Firefighter Find Work
MSNBC (01/29/09)

Black Helmet Apparel clothing is becoming increasingly popular among fire fighters, and in one case it even landed someone a job. Rafiq Pringle of Orlando, Florida, recently graduated from the Fire Academy and had not yet been able to find work, but when a fire fighter saw him wearing a Black Helmet T-shirt with artwork that honored 9/11 fire fighters, that fire fighter eventually hired him. The company’s designs are hand-drawn and salute the brave and dangerous work that fire fighters do, says Black Helmet owner James Love.
(Web Link)
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Shreveport Fire Department K-9 Receives Pet of the Year Award
KLSA News (01/29/09)

A Shreveport Fire Department Search and Rescue K-9 has been nominated and selected to receive the Louisiana Veterinarian Medical Association 2008 Pet of the Year award. Tracker, a 5-year old black Labrador Retriever and his trainer and fire fighter Rick Morrow, were specifically nominated for their efforts in locating two girls, ages 4 and 6, who had been kidnapped near a wooded area. Morrow and Tracker will receive the award at the LVMA Annual Convention and Awards Banquet in New Orleans during the weekend of February 7-8, 2009.
(Web Link)
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Minneapolis Fire Fighter Wins Prize for Spicy Dessert Recipe
Star Tribune (02/05/09)

 A Minneapolis fire fighter's dessert recipe using Tabasco sauce has won her and her firehouse a cool $10,000. Tracy Moore, with Engine 5, was crowned "America's Hottest Firehouse Cook" in the fifth national Tabasco Cook and Ladder Competition in New York City, sponsored by the makers of Tabasco sauce. Moore cooked up her favorite recipe -- Mount Tabasco Chocolate Lava Cake -- to go tastebud-to-tastebud with nine other fire fighters from around the country.
(Web Link)
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Lights, Camera, Action
Bremerton Patriot (01/15/09); Brant, Rachel

Many fire fighters have interesting stories to tell. And local producer/director Rick Foxworth is traveling from fire station to fire station listening to the funny, frightening and memorable tales of Bremerton fire fighters. Foxworth is making a film about the Bremerton Fire Department that will chronicle the history of the department and highlight some of the fire fighters' memorable stories and experiences throughout the years. Proceeds from the DVD sales will go to the Bremerton Local 437 charity account set up to support the families of fire fighters injured or killed in the line of duty.
(Web Link)
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