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 Remembers 137 Fallen Fire Fighters" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"V.P. Nominee Arrives in Area; Firefighters Greet Biden at Toledo Airport" (Toledo Blade (OH)
"Schaitberger, New Hampshire Fire Fighters Stump for Shaheen" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"IAFF Continues Disaster Relief Efforts Following Ike" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Heroism and Reality Collide for Rescuers at Train Crash Site" (Los Angeles Times)
"IAFF Announces Media Awards Contest Winners!" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Fire Fighters Left Homeless By Hurricane Ike" (KPRC 2)
"Fire Fighter: Montgomery Unjustly Discourages Unions" (Montgomery Advertiser)
"Cancer Takes Heavy Toll on Seattle Firefighters" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
"Labor Leader of the Week: Mark Drygas of IAFF" (Alaska AFL-CIO)
"Deltona to Charge Tax on City Uniforms After IRS Audit" (Daytona Beach News-Journal (FL))
"Calcium Scoring Is Urged for Firefighters at Risk for Heart Attack" (NJ.com)
"Judge Rules Against Plan, But EMTs Are Still Laid Off" (Hackensack Chronicle)
"Richmond Firefighters Receive Grant for Better Health" (Contra Costa Times (CA))
"Firefighter Jobs Smolder After Sept. 11" (Fort Collins Coloradoan (CO))
"Fire Union Feels Burned" (Topeka Capital Journal )
"No Time to Spare" (Columbus Dispatch)
"Study Measures Firefighters' Racing Heart Rates" (Chicago Tribune)
"Trade Center Injury Claims Still Coming In" (National Underwriter (Property & Casualty - Risk & Benefits Management Edition))
 

IAFF Remembers 137 Fallen Fire Fighters
International Association of Fire Fighters (09/22/08)

On Saturday, September 20, 2008, fire fighters, family and friends from the United States and Canada made their 22nd annual pilgrimage to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial observance honoring 137 fallen fire fighters. As a special honor to the fallen, a procession of fire apparatus and motorcycles, known as the "Ride to Remember," journeyed to the memorial site in the shadow of Pike's Peak. On behalf of the 290,000 members of the IAFF, General President Harold Schaitberger presided over the ceremony. Schaitberger told all who gathered at the site that this year weighed heavier on him than most. More names were added this year than any other year since 2002 when 499 member names were etched into the memorial wall -including those who died September 11, 2001.
(Web Link)
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V.P. Nominee Arrives in Area; Firefighters Greet Biden at Toledo Airport
Toledo Blade (OH) (09/17/08)

Democratic vice presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) met with a small group of Toledo fire fighters during a campaign stop in Ohio. The contingent included Toledo, OH Local 92 President James Martin Jr., who described Biden as easygoing. "He's very upbeat, very positive. It was great talking to him, very down to earth, like talking to my uncle," Martin said. He added that Biden did not solicit support from the group; his running mate, presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama has already won the endorsement of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
(Web Link)
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Schaitberger, New Hampshire Fire Fighters Stump for Shaheen
International Association of Fire Fighters (09/17/08)

The Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire (PFFNH), with support from the IAFF, kicked off its campaign for former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen at a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire. IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger, Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire President Dave Lang and 150 fire fighters participated in the event held at Manchester Local 856's Somerville Street Fire Station/Engine 7. General President Schaitberger told the crowd that the reason Shaheen had earned the IAFF's gold and black was simple: The IAFF and the PFFNH "understand that the political process affects our members' jobs, their standard of living, their safety, their training and equipment and your community's safety."
(Web Link)
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IAFF Continues Disaster Relief Efforts Following Ike
International Association of Fire Fighters (09/17/08)

The IAFF continues to review disaster relief applications and distribute relief funds to IAFF members whose homes have been damaged by Hurricane Ike. Based on assessments conducted so far, most IAFF members have experienced housing damage due to flooding from Hurricane Ike and are waiting for insurance representatives to evaluate their homes. However, a number of members in Orange, Galveston and Port Arthur have homes that are completely destroyed and will need to be replaced or rebuilt.
(Web Link)
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Heroism and Reality Collide for Rescuers at Train Crash Site
Los Angeles Times (09/14/08); Lopez, Robert J.; Therolf, Garrett; and Gold, Scott

It was a run-of-the-mill call that unfolded into a rescue effort involving hundreds of fire fighters, law enforcement officers and others and would shock the senses of even the most hardened veterans. 
(Web Link)
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IAFF Announces Media Awards Contest Winners!
International Association of Fire Fighters (09/19/08)

The IAFF has announced winners in the 2008 Media Awards Contest! The complete list of winners is published on the IAFF web site and will also be featured in the September-October issue of the International Fire Fighter. More than 275 entries were submitted. Valor and loss were common themes, along with the all-in-a-day's-work acts of heroism that typify professional fire fighters and paramedics. Over print, broadcast and the Internet, these stories come to life from many perspectives.
(Web Link)
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Fire Fighters Left Homeless By Hurricane Ike
KPRC 2 (09/24/08); Scarborough, Elizabeth

Some of Houston's finest who help residents every day need help themselves after they were left homeless by Hurricane Ike.
(Web Link)
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Fire Fighter: Montgomery Unjustly Discourages Unions
Montgomery Advertiser (09/11/08); Nolin, Jill

A veteran fire fighter, who is president of a local union chapter, has filed a complaint in federal court claiming that the city of Montgomery fosters an anti-union climate within the Montgomery Fire Department and has violated his right to be associated with a union. The International Association of Fire Fighters has filed the complaint on behalf of Captain Ronnie Bozeman, who heads up the IAFF's Local 1444 Chapter. The city has not yet responded to the complaint.

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Cancer Takes Heavy Toll on Seattle Firefighters
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (09/12/08); Mulady, Kathy; McNerthney, Casey

In Seattle, more than one-third of fire fighters employed before 1977 have acquired some kind of cancer. Under state law, seven kinds of cancer found in fire fighters are believed to be job related. Seattle fire fighters say the City needs to be proactive and screen them for cancers and other illnesses. The International Association of Fire Fighters found that cancer topped heart attacks and fire-related injuries combined as the cause of death for union fire fighters last year, and the trend is continuing this year. This year, Seattle fire fighters are receiving health and fitness tests especially created to look for heart disease and cancers connected to their jobs, but the exams are finishing up and there are no plans to prolong them. Seattle has participated in a 10-city health and wellness program for fire fighters for 13 years; however, the city has never been fond of investing in the work-specific exams. Union leaders estimate that it would cost Seattle between $500,000 and $800,000 to give the checkups. Other cities that pay for the yearly exams say it actually ends up saving money. "We have a really, really good fitness program that include[s] health and wellness testing on a yearly basis, routinely for every fire fighter," said Captain Rita Reith of the Indianapolis Fire Department. The City pays $640 each year for each of its 949 fire fighters. Fire fighters have an increased risk of developing 10 cancers and a significantly increased risk of developing testicular cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, prostate cancer, and multiple myeloma, according to a 2006 University of Cincinnati study. The researchers, who examined data on 110,000 fire fighters, say the risk could be decreased if fire fighters used better protective equipment to help keep out toxic materials.
(Web Link)
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Labor Leader of the Week: Mark Drygas of IAFF
Alaska AFL-CIO (09/10/08); Dorsey, Roland

The AFL-CIO Labor Leader of the Week is Mark Drygas, president of the Alaska Professional Fire Fighters Association. Drygas is one of 39 fire fighters in Fairbanks. "Early on I could see that we had to be more politically involved with the actions of our city council. I spent 10 years as a Business Agent for our union before we reorganized along the IAFF national union administration model with a strong president. Gradually I realized that we needed to have more of a voice in Juneau. I worked hard to get more involved with our national union and with the Alaska AFL-CIO. I realized we couldn't do it alone and that Alaska's Professional Fire Fighters needed a united voice in state politics."
(Web Link)
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Deltona to Charge Tax on City Uniforms After IRS Audit
Daytona Beach News-Journal (FL) (09/18/08); Service, Nicole

Deltona, Florida, is going to start taxing city workers on the cost of uniforms required for their jobs, and Kurt Vroman, president of Deltona, FL Local 2913, is not happy about it. The City informed the union that it plans to tax members for some "uniform components" retroactive to January 1. "This is absurd to demand that an employee pay taxes on equipment required for safety," Vroman stated in a press release. "They issue a uniform and now they are going to tax us on something we are required to wear? If we don't wear it we are going to be punished. It is a term and condition of our employment." So far, the only fire fighters' clothing that will be taxed includes blouses and cardigans featuring the City of Deltona name and logo. Vroman said he is not aware of any other city in Volusia County that taxes workers on uniforms. The Internal Revenue Service, which performed an audit on the City's finances, is requiring the city to tax shirts with the seal of the City because employees can wear that clothing away from work.
(Web Link)
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Calcium Scoring Is Urged for Firefighters at Risk for Heart Attack
NJ.com (09/17/08); Stewart, Angela

Fire fighters gathering for an annual convention in Atlantic City this September will likely be urged to receive a calcium scoring test, or CT scan, to determine their risk of enduring a heart attack, the leading cause of death among workers in this field. "One minute you're still in the firehouse and then two minutes later you're going down a roadway with lights and sirens blaring," said Captain Norman Tahan, a fire fighter in Clifton, New Jersey. "Your heart was at rest, but a minute later it's pumping 100 miles an hour." According to the U.S. Fire Administration, heart attacks accounted for 44 percent of all at-work fatalities among fire fighters from 1990 to 2000. The stressful nature of the job can cause calcified plaque to gather in coronary arteries, and a high percentage of affected arteries increases a fire fighter's chance of having a heart attack.
(Web Link)
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Judge Rules Against Plan, But EMTs Are Still Laid Off
Hackensack Chronicle (09/18/08); Bonamo, Mark J.

The latest round in the fight between the City of Hackensack and its EMTs could be considered a split decision. Superior Court Judge Menelaos Toskos ruled that the city administration's plan to transfer Hackensack's daytime ambulance service to Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) was invalid because the move did not adhere to public contract law by not being put out for competitive bid. However, Judge Toskos also ruled that the city was within its rights to go forward with the scheduled September 14 layoffs. All eight EMTs, who worked under the command of the Hackensack Fire Department, are now seeking other work.
(Web Link)
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Richmond Firefighters Receive Grant for Better Health
Contra Costa Times (CA) (09/13/08); Fischer, Karl

Fire fighters in Richmond, California, have been awarded a $225,000 federal grant for staying in good physical condition. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) selected Richmond fire fighters because of their commitment to health and wellness. The grant will be used to purchase new exercise equipment for every Richmond firehouse over the next few months. But the bulk of the grant will go toward establishing a standardized program that teaches about the merits of good nutrition and health. FEMA would like to do this in partnership with Kaiser Permanente and the Hilltop YMCA. Such a program would have to clear the union before being enacted. "It's a good idea, and we would not be opposed to a good program," says Richmond, CA Local 188 President Captain Jim Russey. "But they have to show us what they want to do, and it has to make sense."
(Web Link)
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Firefighter Jobs Smolder After Sept. 11
Fort Collins Coloradoan (CO) (09/11/08); Frustaci, Erin

Fire departments across the country saw interest in fire protection careers surge in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but fire officials say enthusiasm has waned in the years since the attacks. Statistics compiled by the National Fire Protection Association show there were 1,078,300 fire fighters in the nation in 2001, up from 1,064,150 in 2000. Today, the fire service industry is in flux, with some departments recruiting more women, and others being confronted with layoffs or hiring freezes.
(Web Link)
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Fire Union Feels Burned
Topeka Capital Journal (09/07/08); Elliott, Kevin

Jeff Davis won't start his job at the Topeka Fire Department for nearly a month, but some fire fighters are already predicting an icy reception for the Fort Scott resident who will be the department's second in command. One day after Davis' hiring was announced, local fire fighters union president Kent Dederick accused Topeka Fire Chief Howard Giles of sending a message of no confidence to longtime department employees.
(Web Link)
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No Time to Spare
Columbus Dispatch (09/21/08); Caruso, Doug; Rozenman, Martin; and Woods, Jim

In a race against a house fire, which can double in size every minute it burns, fire fighters should strive to get there in six minutes. That improves their chances of saving lives and property, according to a widely accepted national standard. But the farther you live from central Ohio's urban centers, the less likely it is that your fire department will make it in time, according to a Dispatch analysis of state fire-run data.
(Web Link)
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Study Measures Firefighters' Racing Heart Rates
Chicago Tribune (09/15/08)

A new study by researchers at Indiana University (IU) found that fire fighters experience dangerously rapid heartbeats at fires where civilians or other fire fighters are in peril. The seven-month, $1 million study, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, included 56 members of the Indianapolis Fire Department who wore vests that measured heart and breathing rates while following their movements. Cardiovascular stress -- provoked by both physical exertion and adrenaline -- soared at fire scenes, the study found. Heart rates jumped quickly when fire fighters learned on the way to a fire that a rescue situation was unfolding. Researchers identified several risk factors that contribute to a fire fighter's risk of having a heart attack, the cause of almost 50 percent of all on-duty deaths among fire fighters, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The risks are higher for less experienced fire fighters, who exhibited greater cardiovascular stress than experienced members. Fire fighters who experience fitful sleep are also at higher risk for hypertension and stroke, said Jim Brown, leader of the IU project. "Most athletes warm up before they compete, but we have to go from bed rest to full exertion in a matter of seconds, which puts a big strain on the heart," he added.
(Web Link)
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Trade Center Injury Claims Still Coming In
National Underwriter (Property & Casualty - Risk & Benefits Management Edition) (09/11/08)

The New York Workers Compensation Board estimates the number of workers filing claims related to the World Trade Center cleanup has increased 10 times since the board adopted the eight-question WTC-12 form in 2006. Workers eligible to file for benefits are those performing rescue, recovery or cleanup at the site after the 2001 terrorist attacks. The forms will help preserve those benefits, according to officials. A public campaign through English and Spanish advertisements and outreach among private and public firms, unions, state and national fire fighter and emergency services groups, and civic groups hopes to register all workers with the World Trade Center Health Registry. The final filing deadline for benefits is September 11, 2010. Of the 4,297 claims for rescue, recovery and cleanup, 55 percent of those workers did not pursue claims beyond initial filings. Those cases pursued resulted in 78 percent of workers receiving benefits, with a majority of cases receiving benefits for respiratory ailments, say officials.
(Web Link)
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