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.
 

"Supermajority of Senators Vote to Consider Cooperation Act" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Charleston Chief Retires" (Charleston Post & Courier)
"Florida Fire Fighters Work Hard to Contain Wildfires" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Fire Report Draft Released" (Charleston Post & Courier )
"CPF Secretary Treasurer Dallas Jones Succumbs to Cancer" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Hometown Heroes Death Benefits Improperly Denied, Reports OIG" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Fire Fighters: Dangerous Airport Fire/Rescue Standards Jeopardize Safety" (Air Safety Week)
"Pension Decision Favors Providence Firefighters" (Providence Journal (RI))
"Interrogation Of Fire District Employees Violates Fla. Law" (National Public Employment Reporter)
"Fire Fighters Union Launches Lawsuit Against Township" (Edison Metuchen Sentinel)
"Alton Fire Fighters Win Battle For Pension Funding" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"A Statue Rises in Honor of Brockton Fire Fighters Killed in '41" (The Boston Globe)
"Bay City Fire Fighters Receiving Support" (ABC 12)
"Senators Dodd and Leahy Announce SAFER Funding for South Burlington" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Fire Fighters Save Life of Marathon Runner" (United Press International)
"Fire Fighters Get More Soothing Alarms" (NPR )
"FDNY Emergency Response Training Scrutinized" (EMS Responder)
"Court Ruling on Greenville Firefighters' Contract Stands" (The Herald (Sharon, Pa.))
"Oregon Fire Fighters Help Central American Town Establish Fire Department -" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"State Sues Avra Valley Fire Department " (Arizon Daily Star)
"Cops, Firefighters Advised to Get Shots for Measles " (Arizona Daily Star)
"Firefighter Gets The Promotion He Sued For" (Galveston Daily News)

 

Supermajority of Senators Vote to Consider Cooperation Act
International Association of Fire Fighters (05/13/08)

In a remarkable show of bipartisan support for the IAFF and its members, 69 senators voted May 13 to consider H.R. 980, the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act. The 69-29 vote on the motion to proceed permits the Senate to debate and amend the bill. "Today, senators from both parties stood up in support of America's fire fighters, and stood up in support of our right to collectively bargain," says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. "This vote is truly a testament to the strength of our union and the respect its members garner on Capitol Hill."
(Web Link)
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Charleston Chief Retires
Charleston Post & Courier (05/14/08); Menchaca, Ron

Embattled Charleston Fire Chief Rusty Thomas announced his retirement, saying that last year's Sofa Super Store fire had changed him forever and that stepping down is the best way to help the department move forward. The announcement comes on the eve of a highly anticipated report expected to be critical of the fire department's handling of the June 18 blaze that killed nine of Thomas' fire fighters.
(Web Link)
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Florida Fire Fighters Work Hard to Contain Wildfires
International Association of Fire Fighters (05/14/08)

Hundreds of fire fighters from across the state of Florida are responding to more than 17,000 acres of wildfires in 14 of the state's counties, including hardest-hit Brevard and Volusia. So far, no major fire fighter injuries have been reported, but one St. Lucie County Local 1377 member has lost his home. The first of the more than 100 wildfires began on Sunday, May 11. Since then, dry and windy conditions have fueled the flames, making it difficult for fire fighters to achieve 100 percent containment. Arson was suspected in some of the wildfires that began within hours of each other in separate locations. Police have arrested Brian Crowder, 31, who was seen throwing a glass bottle containing an accelerant into the woods.
(Web Link)
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Fire Report Draft Released
Charleston Post & Courier (05/09/08); Collins, Jeffrey

Emergency crews didn't have enough hoses or adequate water pressure to properly fight a blaze that killed nine Charleston fire fighters in a giant furniture store fire almost a year ago, according to a federal report. Fire fighters struggled to find a hydrant for a fire engine, passing cars ran over hoses, and large-diameter hoses were not used until 20 minutes after the Sofa Super Store showroom was engulfed in flames, the draft report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health said. The agency is still compiling its final report on the June 18 blaze. The draft released by the city didn't include recommendations on how things could have been done differently -- those are anticipated in the final version, which is not expected for several more months.
(Web Link)
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CPF Secretary Treasurer Dallas Jones Succumbs to Cancer
International Association of Fire Fighters (05/11/08)

It is with the greatest sadness that the IAFF, California Professional Firefighters and Los Angeles County Local 1014 announce the passing of one of the giants of the fire fighter labor movement -- CPF Secretary-Treasurer Dallas Jones. Jones, who served 32 years with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Local 1014, died May 10 after a valiant battle with lung cancer. "This is a tragic loss for all who knew Brother Jones and certainly for me as a friend of mine for almost 30 years," says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. "He was a great leader and a loyal and giving friend to so many of us."
(Web Link)
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Hometown Heroes Death Benefits Improperly Denied, Reports OIG
International Association of Fire Fighters (04/24/08)

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has conducted a review of the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) implementation of the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act of 2003 (Hometown Heroes Act) in response to concerns expressed by several members of Congress that OJP was taking too long to process claims submitted under the Act and that OJP's narrow interpretation of terms found in the Act -- in particular the phrases "non-routine stressful or strenuous physical activity" and "competent medical evidence to the contrary" -- might be resulting in a high rate of claims denials.
(Web Link)
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Fire Fighters: Dangerous Airport Fire/Rescue Standards Jeopardize Safety
Air Safety Week (05/05/2008) Vol. 22, No. 18,

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) argues that Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards for fire and rescue operations are representative of a lax safety culture at the FAA and put lives in jeopardy. "The FAA has resisted modernizing its safety standards since 1988, even while air travel, the size of aircraft and the amount of fuel they carry have grown dramatically," said IAFF President Harold Schaitberger. "As Congress reviews the FAA's inadequate response to aircraft maintenance issues, it should also investigate the dangerous FAA fire and rescue standards at the nation's airports." The House of Representatives has passed a bill containing language requiring the FAA to improve Airport Fire and Rescue Standards, but this language is omitted in the version of the bill before the Senate. The IAFF says FAA requirements to get fire equipment to a scene in three minutes is too slow, as FAA itself has tests showing a crashed plane's fuselage can be deadly by that point; in addition, the IAFF says the FAA requires fire departments only to provide a safe exit path from the airport, leaving it up to airline flight crews to rescue passengers or put out fires within the aircraft.
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Pension Decision Favors Providence Firefighters
Providence Journal (RI) (04/30/08) P. 1; Barbarisi, Daniel

Higher pensions and a retroactive pay award will be given to 37 retired fire fighters from the fire fighters union in Providence, Rhode Island, after an arbitrator ruled that the city infringed their contracts. Rather than paying the fire fighters, all of whom retired between 2001 and 2004, a 3 percent compounded cost-of-living increase on their pensions each year, the city was giving them a smaller benefit established by a city ordinance instead of a fire contract. The fire union has been at odds with the city for some time over pension costs. "This is the 10th consecutive pension-related victory that we've won, in arbitration, in grievances and in the court and yet they continue to fight us tooth and nail," said Paul Doughty, president of Providence's Local 799 of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
(Web Link)
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Interrogation Of Fire District Employees Violates Fla. Law
National Public Employment Reporter (05/01/08) Vol. 12, No. 1

The Florida Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) has ruled that the East Lake Tarpon Special Fire Control District committed an unfair practice by interrogating bargaining unit members about their communications and interaction with a fire lieutenant and EMT who served as a union local vice president in 2005. In its ruling in the case of Local 1158, Clearwater Fire Fighters Association, Inc., International Association of Fire Fighters v. East Lake Tarpon Special Fire Control District, PERC awarded legal fees and costs to the union, as well as a cease and desist order. In 2007, the deputy fire chief issued a "notification of formal inquiry" claiming that the fire lieutenant did not follow exchange of duty procedures, and the fire lieutenant made copies of audio recordings of the disciplinary process. The lieutenant left copies of the recordings at three fire stations, and the fire district investigated whether the lieutenant, the current union vice president, and the union local were breaking the law by disseminating records, opinions, and arguments supporting the union position. A memo from the fire chief sought information from bargaining unit employees about the fire lieutenant's activities, and six employees pre-typed affidavits of their written statements under the chief's directions, while the fire lieutenant was discharged. The union filed an unfair practice charge contending that the fire district violated Florida law by unlawfully interrogating bargaining unit members, and PERC ruled that the district chief's memo was overly broad and that the district did not have a valid purpose for ordering employees to respond to the memo.
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Fire Fighters Union Launches Lawsuit Against Township
Edison Metuchen Sentinel (05/14/08); Gaetano, Chris

The Edison Firefighters Association (EFA) has launched a lawsuit against the town for unfair labor practices over a payroll dispute. The case seeks monetary compensation for what the lawsuit alleges is a deliberate withholding of shift differential pay. The township and the union recently completed a new contract through third party arbitration in which the fire fighters agreed to increase the amount of money they pay into their health care plans, and raises, which had been up to 8 percent for previous contracts, were set just shy of 4 percent in the current one. The 10-page lawsuit also alleges that the township's random drugtesting policy unfairly singled out paid fire fighters while mostly ignoring volunteers.
(Web Link)
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Alton Fire Fighters Win Battle For Pension Funding
International Association of Fire Fighters (05/12/08)

The Alton Firefighters Pension Fund (AFPF) and its Trustees reached a settlement with the City of Alton in its case to get full funding of the fire fighters' pension plan. The settlement agreement, which will be entered by the Circuit Court as an Order and Judgment, requires the City of Alton and its City Council to comply with state law and properly fund the pension.
(Web Link)
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A Statue Rises in Honor of Brockton Fire Fighters Killed in '41
The Boston Globe (05/11/08); Valencia, Milton J.

Retired Brockton fire chief Edward Burrell tipped his hat at the conclusion of a ceremony in memory of the city's fallen fire fighters. At 93, Burrell is the last living survivor of the Strand Theatre blaze that killed 13 fire fighters in 1941, and he finally saw his comrades memorialized with a 10-foot bronze statue built in their honor.
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Bay City Fire Fighters Receiving Support
ABC 12 (05/09/08)

Bay City fire fighters are getting support from fire fighters across the state as the city contemplates an on-call system. The Bay City City Commission is looking at going from a career fire department to a combination of on-call fire fighters along with full-time personnel. The idea isn't sitting well with the fire fighters union. What happens when you get a bunch of fire fighters together for a conference in a city where a big debate is going on about fire fighting? You get a pretty big protest. It's estimated more than 400 fire fighters hit the streets, all saying that Bay City's decision to look at implementing a combination force of on-call fire fighters with a full-time staff is wrong.
(Web Link)
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Senators Dodd and Leahy Announce SAFER Funding for South Burlington
International Association of Fire Fighters (05/05/08)

U.S. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) visited with members of South Burlington, VT Local 3671 to announce that the fire department has received a $632,550 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant. The funding will be used to hire six additional fire fighters and to provide more consistent advanced life support services.
(Web Link)
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Fire Fighters Save Life of Marathon Runner
United Press International (05/05/08)

Fire fighters and paramedics running in Cincinnati's Flying Pig Marathon saved the life of another runner who suffered a heart attack, race officials said. Bobby Edwards, 55, collapsed and stopped breathing near the 10-mile mark just ahead of a group running to raise money for fire fighters killed in the line of duty. The fire fighters and paramedics stopped running and performed CPR, saving his life, then resumed the run.
(Web Link)
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Fire Fighters Get More Soothing Alarms
NPR (04/03/08)

Heart failure is actually the greatest cause of death for on-duty fire fighters. A new alarm aims to ease one major source of stress by waking up fire fighters with peaceful sounds.
(Web Link)
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FDNY Emergency Response Training Scrutinized
EMS Responder (05/07/08)

The New York City Fire Department has started retraining dispatchers in an effort to lower fire response times, however, some are worried that crews are responding to scenes before they even have all the facts. "They'll say the wrong street, but we're already being dispatched and sometimes they're sending us to the wrong address," said Ed Brown of the Uniformed Firefighters Association.
(Web Link)
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Court Ruling on Greenville Firefighters' Contract Stands
The Herald (Sharon, Pa.) (05/05/08); Pryts, Monica

A panel of Commonwealth Court judges in Greenville, Pennsylvania, has decided to let a decision reached by a Mercer County judge on a contract between the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1976 and the borough stand. Borough officials complained that the contract violated Act 47, the state's debt recovery plan for communities that are hurting financially, because its longevity pay scale led to wage increases over 3 percent, which is higher than what the plan recommends for base hourly wages or salary raises. The contract also calls on the borough to keep an apparatus staffing level of two fire fighters, while Act 47 says how many employees are hired or laid off is something the borough should decide.
(Web Link)
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Oregon Fire Fighters Help Central American Town Establish Fire Department -
International Association of Fire Fighters (04/30/08)

A small town in northern Nicaragua now has a functioning fire department thanks to the generosity of Bend, OR Local 939 fire fighters and others. Today, Condega operates with 30 active fire fighters equipped with one fire engine, turnout gear and other essential tools. In 2004, the Bend City Council moved to make Condega its sister city. Bend Mayor Bruce Abernethy visited Condega and was shocked to learn that the closest fire department was 23 miles away. Upon returning to Bend, Abernathy immediately turned to Bend Local 939 for assistance, which led to the creation of the Condega Bomberos Project.
(Web Link)
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State Sues Avra Valley Fire Department
Arizona Daily Star (04/25/08); Pedersen, Brian J.

The Industrial Commission of Arizona has filed a lawsuit against the Avra Valley Fire District on behalf of five fire fighters. The fire fighters say they were retaliated against for their part in a workplace-safety investigation that led to $366,000 in fines against the fire district. The lawsuit, filed April 8 in Pima County Superior Court, says Avra Valley "engaged in adverse and retaliatory conduct" toward Kevin Booth, Kelly Hamilton, William Howe, Levi Kring and Brian Lassen between April and November 2007. The state and the fire district have been negotiating a settlement of the fines and the fire fighters' complaints for the last four months.
(Web Link)
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Cops, Firefighters Advised to Get Shots for Measles
Arizona Daily Star (05/15/08); McClain, Carla

In Tucson, Arizona, approximately 1,200 police officers and 600 fire fighters will be required to receive the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine if proof of immunity cannot be provided. In the past three months, the area has seen 20 confirmed cases of measles and more than 12 suspected cases. "It just takes one contact with an infected person to bring it back to a briefing here, and expose all of us," says Tucson Police Department spokesman Sgt. Mark Robinson.
(Web Link)
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Firefighter Gets The Promotion He Sued For
Galveston Daily News (05/06/08); Collette, Mark

The president of the fire fighters' union in Texas City, Texas, appears about to settle with the city for the promotion and back pay he sued for two years ago. In its tentative settlement with Steve Cooley, the city does not acknowledge the claims that he was passed over for promotion due to union activities, but it will pay him $91,400 for damages and fees and promote him to captain, according to Cooley's attorney Craig Deats. "We vigorously deny that Steve engaged in any disruptive conduct at any time," said Deats, who added that he still believes Cooley was passed over for promotion in retaliation for his activities in collective bargaining for the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1259.
(Web Link)
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