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.
 

"IAFF Mourns Passing of PFANJ President Canzanella" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Ontario Fire Fighters Endorse Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty" (International Association of Fire Fighters )
"Connecticut Poised to Battle GASB " (WebCPA)
"Alaska Fire Fighters Make Political Action Work " (International Association of Fire Fighters )
"Bargaining Bill Poised for Action" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Mississippi Members Win Discrimination Lawsuit" (International Association of Fire Fighters )
"Fire chief calls it quits " (St. Catharine's Standard)
"Palm Beach County considers vote to override state-ordered tax cut " (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
"For the First Time, New York Links a Death to 9/11 Dust" (New York Times)
"Toned firefighters set the bar for full-body fitness" (Tucson Citizen)
"Missouri Supreme Court Grants Collective Bargaining Rights" (International Association of Fire Fighters )
"High cost of pensions straps cities" (St. Petersburg Times )
"Dying on the Job Worth Compensation, Firefighters Say" (Campbell River Mirror)
"If Tower Arrives, Washington Could Be Part of a Key Study " (Litchfield County Times)
"Replacing St. Paul fire chief opens whole new debate" (Star Tribune)
"EMS, fire study will eye merger" (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
"IRS Completes Retirement Age Regs" (National Underwriter (Life and Health Financial Services Edition))
"Fire union agrees to stay fit to keep jobs" (Muskegon Chronicle)
"Wisconsin Fire Fighter to be Featured on "Escape to the Wild"" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Oceanside firefighters to aid British brethren" (Today's Local News)
"Firefighters Union Files Suit Against City" (Ottawa Daily Times (IL))
"Unions unite behind conservation spending in Farm Bill" (Bay Journal)
 

IAFF Mourns Passing of PFANJ President Canzanella
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/12/07)

The IAFF is mourning the loss of Tom Canzanella, president of the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (PFANJ) and Hackensack, NJ Uniformed Fire Officers Association Local 3172. Canzanella, 50, died June 12 from a heart attack. Last week he had suffered a sudden brain aneurism. "The unexpected and terrible loss of Brother Canzanella weighs heavy on the hearts of his family, friends and all IAFF members," says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. "His leadership and dedication to duty has led to the improvement of working conditions and benefits for all professional fire fighters in New Jersey. He was a true champion for fire fighter safety and a leader in supporting the IAFF on all issues of concern to union members."
(Web Link)
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Ontario Fire Fighters Endorse Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/13/07)

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, whose Liberal government recently enacted presumptive cancer and heart legislation for the province's 10,000 IAFF members, has won the endorsement of the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association (OPFFA) in advance of the October 10 provincial election. The endorsement was adopted unanimously by approximately 150 delegates gathered in Kingston, Ontario, for the OPFFA's Annual Convention. IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger greeted a jubilant McGuinty following the resolution's adoption.
(Web Link)
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Connecticut Poised to Battle GASB
WebCPA (06/05/07)

A bill that is now before the Connecticut State Senate would give its state comptroller the legal authority to establish GAAP for the state's financials, thereby sidestepping the Governmental Accounting Standards Board -- the standard-setter for governments and municipalities. Connecticut said that under GASB's accounting rules it makes it hard to achieve a balanced budget and like other states, Connecticut requires a balanced budget.
(Web Link)
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Alaska Fire Fighters Make Political Action Work
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/05/07)

While in her home state, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) visited a Fairbanks, Alaska, fire station to see a new aerial platform truck, paid for by Homeland Security grant dollars, and to discuss issues important to fire fighters, including collective bargaining. Mark Drygas, president of the Alaska Professional Fire Fighters, says, "Senator Murkowski was glad to be able to see the grant dollars at work."
(Web Link)
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Bargaining Bill Poised for Action
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/11/07)

Within the next few weeks, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to cast the first recorded vote in its history on granting fire fighters collective bargaining rights. The Committee on Education and Labor is working toward scheduling Committee action this month, followed by a vote in the full House of Representatives. "This is truly historic" says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. "We have been fighting for collective bargaining rights for fire fighters for more than half a century and are finally on the verge of getting the vote we rightfully deserve."
(Web Link)
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Mississippi Members Win Discrimination Lawsuit
International Association of Fire Fighters (05/31/06)

When Tiffany Alexander joined the Jackson, Mississippi Fire Department in 1999, she was trained and qualified to fight fires. Instead, she was fighting off sexual advances from several male fire fighters working in the same department. And she was not alone. Fellow female fire fighters Sandra Hawkins, Stacy Prophet and Jacqueline Moore were also targets of severe sexual harassment on the job, including unwanted groping and other sexually explicit conduct. "There are a lot of great men on the job, but a select few ruined everything," says Alexander.
(Web Link)
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Fire chief calls it quits
St. Catharine's Standard (06/06/07); Berhsma, Marlene

St. Catharines Fire Chief Tony Mintoff has retired. The embattled chief, who has been on sick leave since March 21, is the third top city official to leave since the new city council took office in December. Mintoff found himself embroiled in conflict with the fire fighters' union, which protested his tough stance on sick leave, disciplining fire fighters who exceeded the departmental average for sick days. Terry Colburn, president of the St. Catharines Professional Firefighters' Association, wished Mintoff well.
(Web Link)
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Palm Beach County considers vote to override state-ordered tax cut
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (06/12/07); Hafenbrack, Josh

Palm Beach County leaders for the first time raised the possibility of voting to override part of the Legislature's expected property tax cut package. Faced with digging at least $14 million deeper into a 2008 budget that's already been trimmed 7 percent, County Administrator Bob Weisman said he's working to put together a budget that demonstrates the county has made significant cuts, so later this summer commissioners can "justify to the public an override vote."
(Web Link)
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For the First Time, New York Links a Death to 9/11 Dust
New York Times (05/24/07); DePalma, Anthony

New York City Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Charles S. Hirsch recently changed the death certificate of civil rights attorney Felicia Dunn-Jones to indicate her death as not only related to the dust at Ground Zero, but to acknowledge her homicide. According to Hirsch, there is no doubt that the dust created by the collapse of the twin towers in 2001 contributed to Dunn-Jones' death; she died five months after she first had trouble breathing and began coughing. Critics have long urged the city to re-examine the deaths of many subsequent victims of the attacks, but Hirsch has no plans to re-open other cases to determine if dust caused their deaths as well. However, the New York State Department of Health and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health continue to study the deaths of rescue and recovery workers in the World Trade Center area after the terrorist attacks. Attorneys are hopeful that other victims of the dust, including fire fighters, police officers and volunteers, will be able to receive medical compensation as a result of Dunn-Jones' case. Hirsch stated, "Accumulating evidence indicates that in some persons exposure to WTC dust has caused sarcoidosis or an inflammatory reaction indistinguishable from sarcoidosis."

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Toned firefighters set the bar for full-body fitness
Tucson Citizen (06/11/07); Lee, Bryan

Fire fighters becoming their own personal trainers? It's a relatively new concept, but one of a most practical nature. As fire fighters become more fit, they also better serve the public and set a good example, particularly for children. "By the year 2015 it is predicted that the child incidence of obesity will be 25 percent," said Jan Chatelain, a captain in the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
(Web Link)
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Missouri Supreme Court Grants Collective Bargaining Rights
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/04/07)

A Missouri Supreme Court opinion in the case Independence-National Education Association, et al v. Independence School District has given all state public employees, including fire fighters, the right to collectively bargain. "This historic ruling dramatically changes the landscape for public employee bargaining in Missouri," says Louie Wright, IAFF 2nd District Vice President and president of Kansas City, MO Local 42. "All IAFF affiliates across the state can now bargain with their employers for better working conditions and benefits. Because the resulting agreements will hold up in court, fire fighters can also be assured that the employers will adhere to the contracts."
(Web Link)
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High cost of pensions straps cities
St. Petersburg Times (06/12/07)

The three-step method to soaring public pensions in Florida has typically worked this way: 1) Law enforcement union lobbyists tell legislators to increase the formula; 2) Lawmakers ask "how high, " and, 3) Cities and counties get stuck with the bill. Whether local governments can afford these lucrative retirement plans for deputies and police and fire fighters at a time when private companies are shedding pension plans is a reasonable public policy question. But the point this week is that lawmakers are trying to have it both ways. In many cases, they are the ones who have voted to enhance the pension benefits but are now blaming mayors and commissioners for a spending spree. Former Governor Jeb Bush did try to cut pensions for many state employees, but the Legislature stopped him. Now lawmakers are acting as though pensions are divorced from the rising cost of public safety. At a state gathering of fire fighters on Friday, Governor Charlie Crist went so far as to promise that "not one person" would lose a fire fighting job to the property tax cuts now being considered.
(Web Link)
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Dying on the Job Worth Compensation, Firefighters Say
Campbell River Mirror (05/25/07); Warkentin, Grant

Fire fighters and government officials are uniting to lobby the Canadian government for legislation that would provide $300,000 in compensation to families of fire fighters who die because of their work. In Canada, approximately 20 fire fighters die on the job each year, or due to job-related illnesses, says John Baker, treasurer for Campbell River, BC Local 1668. Moreover, a fire fighter's family receives no compensation, unlike in the United States where surviving families are given a $295,194 death benefit, explains Vancouver Island North MP Catherine Bell. Bell notes that fire fighters often have trouble acquiring insurance coverage because of their high-risk profession, and those who do have insurance typically do not have enough. Parliament passed a measure in 2006 that recommended providing death benefits, but no action has been taken to implement the motion. Bell and Baker hope that public pressure will compel Parliament to develop a federal compensation program.
(Web Link)
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If Tower Arrives, Washington Could Be Part of a Key Study
Litchfield County Times (06/07/07); Ransom, Rebecca

The town of Washington, Connecticut, may soon become one of the first communities in America to take part in a groundbreaking epidemiology study researching the effect of cell towers on human health. The study is being coordinated by the EMR Policy Institute, a national nonprofit environmental advocacy group, and Dr. Chris Busby, director of the United Kingdom-based independent scientific research group Green Audit, and a fellow of the University of Liverpool in the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Biology. The study hinges on a controversial proposal to build a freestanding cell tower in town being approved. Washington currently does not have a freestanding cell tower within its orders.
(Web Link)
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Replacing St. Paul fire chief opens whole new debate
Star Tribune (06/13/07); Medcalf, Myron P.

After months of turmoil between St. Paul fire fighters and Chief Doug Holton, controversy in the department was supposed to subside when Holton left to take the chief's job in Milwaukee . But setting the requirements for the city's next fire chief has kicked up its own brouhaha. 
(Web Link)
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EMS, fire study will eye merger
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (06/05/07); Lord, Rich

A consultant's look at the city of Pittsburgh 's fire fighting and ambulance services could reignite debate about the structure of two lifesaving bureaus whose workers have been at odds.  The Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority voted to pay Virginia-based System Planning Corp.'s TriData division $74,000 to study the Emergency Medical Services Bureau, on top of as much as $194,000 it is getting to review the Fire Bureau. "They're looking at everything from equipment to safety to training to coverage," said Barbara McNees, chair of the ICA .
(Web Link)
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IRS Completes Retirement Age Regs
National Underwriter (Life and Health Financial Services Edition)(05/22/07)

The Internal Revenue Service has published a final rule that is of importance to large employers that have defined benefit pension plans. The "Distributions From a Pension Plan Upon Attainment of Normal Retirement Age" rule establishes an age of 62 for the safe harbor "normal retirement age." Or employers can instead choose a two-part option that sets normal retirement at age 62 or the fifth anniversary of plan participation, whichever comes last. For fire fighters and other public safety employees, the normal retirement age is 50. The rule, which is published in the Federal Register, could give older employees the ability to begin receiving pension benefits while they work beyond the normal age of retirement.
(Web Link)
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Fire union agrees to stay fit to keep jobs
Muskegon Chronicle (06/06/07); Stier, Nancy

Norton Shores, Michigan, fire fighters will soon be running the treadmill and pumping iron if they aren't already, due to a new agreement requiring all members of the force to be physically fit. The change was prompted partly by the fact that fire fighters have suffered injuries in the past few years responding to emergencies.
(Web Link)
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Wisconsin Fire Fighter to be Featured on "Escape to the Wild"
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/11/07)

Gary Green, a member of Racine, WI Local 321, was selected to appear on "Escape to the Wild," a VERSUS television series sponsored by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), the IAFF and other AFL-CIO unions. Green will be featured during the 2008 season. In May, Green traveled with "Escape to the Wild" host Tom Ackerman to Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico -- located on the Gulf of Mexico off the Yucatan peninsula, to hunt wild turkey and forest puma.
(Web Link)
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Oceanside firefighters to aid British brethren
Today's Local News (06/08/07); McIntosh, Linda

Oceanside fire fighters Tracy Hawk, Jeff Driessen, Rocky Rehberg and Jose Ward are among the fire crew personnel who are helping host fire fighters from England participating in the Race Across America.
(Web Link)
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Firefighters Union Files Suit Against City
Ottawa Daily Times (IL) (05/26/07); Sloup, Tammie

The fire fighters' union in Ottawa, Illinois, is fighting the suspensions of two fire fighters in 2006 in court. Ottawa, IL Local 523 filed a complaint in La Salle County Circuit Court after the City declined to arbitrate. Court documents indicate that Fire Chief James Duback suspended Brett Kozlowski for three shifts in September because he reportedly abused sick time on July 9 and July 12. In a letter, Duback wrote in August that Kozlowski had actually been working at another job on the days he called in sick. According to court documents, Kozlowski presented a doctor's note saying he should not work until further notice, but Duback said the note failed to give any details about when that could be. The union countered that the doctor's note was sufficient to prevent the suspension, and in a grievance asserted that Duback infringed on the Fireman's Discipline Act. The second suspension was against William Manley after he allegedly caused an accident while driving the department's all-terrain vehicle. Duback said Manley was performing "doughnuts" with the vehicle, causing it to flip and injure a passenger. The union contends the incident was accidental; Manley was suspended without pay for five shifts and removed as assistant training-safety officer.
(Web Link)
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Unions unite behind conservation spending in Farm Bill
Bay Journal (06/01/07); Bancroft, David

The AFL-CIO sent letters to the Senate and House leadership stating that increased funding for conservation provisions in the Farm Bill was its number one conservation priority. It appears that 70 percent of the membership of the AFL-CIO and 20 other labor unions are avid outdoorsmen and are concerned about access to land and the loss of habitat. Some of the other labor unions covered by the AFL-CIO letter include: the United Steel Workers of America, the International Association of Fire Fighters and the United Mine Workers of America.
 
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