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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://daily.iaff.org/frontline/morenews.html.

Your feedback is also welcome - email pr@iaff.org with questions and comments.
 

"Unions Must Change Tactics and Not Pledge Blind Allegiance to Democrats" (Detroit News)
"Firefighters Lose Pay Raise Fight" (WXIA-TV (Atlanta))
"New Orleans Mayor Signs Fire Fighter Contract" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Tarrant Touts Health Plan; Sanders Gets Firefighters' Backing" (Boston Globe)
"Firefighters Who Get Sick on the Job Win Support" (Kitchener-Waterloo Record)
"Firefighters Awarded 3-Year Pact" (Philadelphia Inquirer)
"Can Congress Rescue FEMA?" (The Washington Post)
"HFD's Female Firefighters Climbing Ladder of Success" (Houston Chronicle)
"Casey stops to stoke fire" (Observer-Reporter)
"City loses grievance filed by fire union" (St. Petersburg Times)
"City agrees to hire 15 more firefighters" (Providence Journal)
"Fire Drills" (San Diego Union-Tribune)
"Fit to Survive Features No Rest Workout for Fire Fighters" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"San Francisco Fire Fighters Get Parity with Police" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"IAFC, VCOS, and IAFF to Conduct Safety Stand Down Survey" (Fire Chief)
"Wisconsin Holds First Statewide Fire Ops 101" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Rhode Island Fire Fighters Earn Day of Recognition" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"In Revised Design, Freedom Tower Sheds Its Look of Bulky Armor" (The New York Times)
 

"Frontline News Brief" is Sponsored By:

Unions Must Change Tactics and Not Pledge Blind Allegiance to Democrats
Detroit News (06/30/06); Schaitberger, Harold

International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) General President Harold Schaitberger argues in this editorial that rather than blindly following Democrats in the mid-term elections, union members should consider some Republican candidates. For instance, several Michigan Republican representatives have backed measures that benefit professional fire fighters, including measures to improve retirement and health benefits for fire fighters, as well as increase funding for homeland security. Several Michigan Democrats have also earned the support of the IAFF. Schaitberger writes: " ... we wear a bipartisan boot. We work with Republicans and Democrats sympathetic to working-class Americans whose health care and energy costs are rising .... Labor can't be an ATM machine for either party."
(Web Link)
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Firefighters Lose Pay Raise Fight
WXIA-TV (Atlanta) (07/05/06); Shirek, Jon

The Atlanta City Council has failed to override Mayor Shirley Franklin's veto of a 3.5 percent pay raise for city fire fighters, in line with the raise received by police officers. The Council had approved the raise last month by a 9-6 vote. One of the original supporters failed to endorse the veto override. The vote comes after a vigorous lobbying campaign by Atlanta, GA Local 134 President Jim Daws, who says he will encourage fire fighters to leave for higher paying departments. "It's really a kick in the gut and it's going to have repercussions for our fire department," says Daws. "I'm going to start advertising all the better fire fighting opportunities that are available nationwide to our members and there are greener pastures elsewhere for fire fighters too." Atlanta fire fighters say that their pay is up to 20 percent lower than other area fire departments and 7 percent less than the police starting pay. The starting pay for fire fighters in Atlanta is $34,563.
(Web Link)
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New Orleans Mayor Signs Fire Fighter Contract
International Association of Fire Fighters (07/10/06)

In a meeting July 7 with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, International Association of Fire Fighters General President Harold Schaitberger and New Orleans, LA Local 632 President Nick Felton were successful in getting Mayor Ray Nagin to agree to sign the city's fire fighters' contract that was originally negotiated in August 2005 - just before Hurricane Katrina. Local 632 unanimously ratified the proposal in December 2005, but the agreement languished without the mayor's signature.
(Web Link)
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Tarrant Touts Health Plan; Sanders Gets Firefighters' Backing
Boston Globe (07/06/06); Gram, David

Representative Bernard Sanders, an Independent running for an open Vermont seat in the U.S. Senate, has received the backing of the International Association of Fire Fighters and the Professional Firefighters of Vermont. Sanders has worked to obtain security funding for equipment and training, and has denounced proposals by President Bush to reduce funding for first responders.
(Web Link)
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Firefighters Who Get Sick on the Job Win Support
Kitchener-Waterloo Record (07/05/06); Pender, Terry

Members of the Kitchener City Council in Ontario support providing monetary benefits to fire fighters who contract certain types of illnesses, such as cancer. Councilor Berry Vrbanovic is spearheading the effort to support the Kitchener Professional Fire Fighters Association (KPFFA), which aims to modify regulations at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Such benefits are already provided for fire fighters in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nova Scotia. "Fire fighters are absorbing chemicals and toxins continually when saturated with water, steam mists and moisture," notes KPFFA President Bill Duncan, adding that cancer occurs in fire fighters at double to quadruple the rate of the general population.
(Web Link)
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Firefighters Awarded 3-Year Pact
Philadelphia Inquirer (06/29/06); McDonald, Mark

An arbitration panel has awarded Philadelphia fire fighters a new, three-year agreement that calls for salaries to increase by 10 percent or more and health care benefits to rise nearly 45 percent. "This award is consistent with what the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) got, and we think it's a fair award," says Philadelphia, PA Local 22 President Brian McBride. The new raises include a 3 percent hike retroactive to July 1, 2005, 3 percent beginning July 1, and 4 percent beginning July 1, 2007, the same as the last three years of the FOP's four-year deal. In addition to getting a 12th holiday -- the fire fighter's birthday -- fire fighters will witness a significant increase in Philadelphia's monthly allocation to the union health and welfare fund.
(Web Link)
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Can Congress Rescue FEMA?
The Washington Post (06/26/06); Hsu, Spencer S.

Hoping to avoid another fiasco in the next catastrophic disaster, Congress is focusing on the Federal Emergency Management Agency. P ublic debate is centered on propopals to remove FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security and allow it to again report to the president. The White House opposes such a move, and many in Congress say it is unlikely. Experts say the argument obscures older, deeper problems that undermine the nation's preparedness. The issue of creating  a national system of preparedness stems from the failed response to Hurricane Katrina. Last year, nearly three-fourths of federal Homeland Security grants went to three terrorism-focused programs. Funds targeted at "all-hazards" fell from $1 billion in 2004 to $720 million, while those aimed at terrorism rose from $130 million in 2001 to $2.6 billion. Meanwhile, FEMA lost influence over states and cities, which provide police, fire and emergency workers in a disaster. FEMA stopped holding large-scale training exercises in 1998 and lost any big role in state drills as its budget for the office in charge of such exercises fell from $2 million to $196,000. Competing bills in the House and Senate to fix FEMA fall broadly into two camps. One would strengthen FEMA within the Homeland Security Department, recombining disaster preparedness and response activities, and restore its power over grants; the other would make it independent. The International Association of Fire Fighters believes that emergency response should remain at the core of the nation's homeland security and is playing a leading role in the effort to reform and strengthen FEMA's role within DHS.
(Web Link)
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HFD's Female Firefighters Climbing Ladder of Success
Houston Chronicle (07/03/06); Grant, Alexis

After 30 years, women are being appointed to senior level positions in the Houston Fire Department. The department hired its first female fire fighter in 1974, but it was not until the early 1990s that it began recruiting women aggressively. Of those appointed, only a handful have more than 12 years of experience, which is why it has taken so long to get women into the higher positions. Senior Captain Shelley Squires joined the department 10 years ago and has received three promotions over the course of her tenure. She credits her rapid climb up the ladder to the period in which she joined the department. "I was pretty fortunate because throughout my career the timing has been right for me," Squires says.
(Web Link)
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Casey stops to stoke fire
Observer-Reporter (07/06/06); Miller, Barbara S.

U.S. Democratic Senate candidate Bob Casey met with Washington, PA Local 2218 fire fighters during his "New Direction" bus tour to churn up support for his race against incumbent U.S. Senator Rick Santorum. Local 2218 has endorsed Casey in his Senate bid. Casey told Local 2218 members -- currently understaffed by four fire fighters from its complement of 21 at two stations -- "It is essential that you're given the tools that you need. You guys are at the frontlines."
(Web Link)
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City loses grievance filed by fire union
St. Petersburg Times (06/30/06); Lee, Demorris A.

Clearwater, FL Local 1158 has won an unfair labor practice complaint against the fire chief and city manager, who unlawfully threatened the jobs of union members last year. The state Public Employees Relations Commission has ordered the city to cease and desist from such actions and pay the union's legal fees associated with the claim. The Local 1158 complaint maintained that several of its members' jobs were threatened when the union was getting ready to take a no-confidence vote against the fire chief, and when it questioned the hiring of a new fire marshal. In the commission's order, the city is asked to stop "threatening employees with adverse employment action and lawsuits for engaging in protected concerted activity," and to stop "interfering with, resisting, or coercing public employees." Local 1158  has two additional unfair labor practice complaints currently before the commission. The union says it is awaiting a decision on a complaint concerning e-mail use for union business while on duty; and on July 27, a hearing will be held regarding what the union says is the fire chief's disciplinary actions against union members for use of the department's e-mail system.
(Web Link)
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City agrees to hire 15 more firefighters
Providence Journal (07/06/06); Mider, Zachary R.

The City of Cranston, Rhode Island, has settled a months-old dispute with Cranston, RI Local 1363 by agreeing to hire 15 fire fighters to fill most of the fire department's two dozen vacant positions. The union had filed a grievance contending that the low staffing level violated its collective bargaining agreement. Mayor Stephen P. Laffey insisted the department was overstaffed. T he settlement, reached early last month while the matter was under arbitration, calls for raising the number of fire fighters to about 190. Local 1363 sought the increased staffing because members are often forced to work extra, consecutive shifts when no one else can fill them. A second agreement, yet to be ratified by the union or the City Council, would allow the city to buy a truck to refill fire fighters' air tanks at a fire scene. The truck became a priority after cyanide was found in the bloodstreams of several Providence fire fighters in March. A subsequent report by a task force there concluded that fire fighters should wear air packs more often to prevent them from inhaling the deadly gas.
(Web Link)
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Fire Drills
San Diego Union-Tribune (07/11/06); Ignelzi, R.J.

The San Diego Fire and Rescue Department practices functional exercises that mimic normal movement patterns and help them do their job more efficiently with less risk of injury. For the past year, the San Diego Union-Tribune has worked with local fire fighters to demonstrate a variety of exercises and stretches in its weekly Firehouse Fitness column. "What we do as firefighters and what the average person does is basically the same. We use the same muscles and do the same basic movements. It just varies in intensity," says Jay Albrandt, a fire fighter and coordinator for San Diego, CA Local 145 Peer Fitness Trainers, a group trained and certified by the International Association of Fire Fighters and the American Council on Exercise to give one-on-one fitness coaching to other fire and rescue workers. "If you don't know how to move properly and keep your joints and core stable, you will get injured," he says.
(Web Link)
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Fit to Survive Features No Rest Workout for Fire Fighters
International Association of Fire Fighters (07/10/06)

Discover the new military-style workout for fire fighters on Fit to Survive, updated with routines for all levels of ability. Fit to Survive also features a guide to the best beans and other tips and advice for staying active, fit and healthy.
(Web Link)
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San Francisco Fire Fighters Get Parity with Police
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/29/06)

San Francisco, CA Local 798 fire fighters have won pay parity with San Francisco police officers beginning July 1, 2006, thanks to the parity provision in its new contract with the City and County of San Francisco.
(Web Link)
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IAFC, VCOS, and IAFF to Conduct Safety Stand Down Survey
Fire Chief (06/06)

The International Association of Fire Fighters, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and IAFC's Volunteer and Combination Officer's Section want to measure and document the participation of U.S. and Canadian fire departments in the June 2006 International Fire Fighter Safety Stand Down. The organizations are collecting feedback online from fire fighters who did, as well as did not, participate. The survey can be found online at http://www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB225EQDY4MGJ.
(Web Link)
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Wisconsin Holds First Statewide Fire Ops 101
International Association of Fire Fighters (07/07/06)

In conjunction with the 71st Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin (PFFW) Convention in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Green Bay, WI Local 141 held the first statewide Fire Ops 101 program.
(Web Link)
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Rhode Island Fire Fighters Earn Day of Recognition
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/29/06)

After some focused lobbying by the Rhode Island State Association of Fire Fighters (RISAFF), the State House of Representatives has unanimously passed a resolution proclaiming September 11, 2006, "Police Officers' and Firefighters' Appreciation Day."
(Web Link)
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In Revised Design, Freedom Tower Sheds Its Look of Bulky Armor
The New York Times (06/29/06) P. A19; Dunlap, David W.; Collins, Glenn

New York City's proposed Freedom Tower has been redesigned to be more aesthetically pleasing without losing any of the security to protect the symbolic building from terrorist attacks. The building will be reminiscent of the destroyed twin towers of the World Trade Center in its size and height, with the roof of the building located at the same height as the north tower. But the building will be capped by a spire that will make the building a symbolic 1,776 feet tall, largest in the country, and the spire will be illuminated at night, in an homage to the Statue of Liberty's torch. The revisions are most notable in the tower's 187-foot, bomb-resistant concrete base, where security is the primary focus. The base will still serve as a security pedestal for the tower, but it will be covered with sheathes of laminated glass that will sparkle and glisten with color in the sunlight, making the base much more pleasing to the eye. The building will feature a sky lobby and five service elevators capable of reaching every floor, including one water-resistant car located in a protected shaft that will be used by first responders.
(Web Link)
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