| IAFF Home | Local Scene | Fit to Survive | IAFF History |

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.
 

"New Congress Highlights Fire Fighter Issues" (International Association of Fire Fighters )
"New York City Firefighters Ready to Defy Order--With 10,000 US Flags" (International Herald Tribune)
"Fire Fighters Call on Newton Mayor to Settle Contract" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Conservation Group, Unions Joining Forces" (The Washington Post )
"Health Insurers Deny Policies in Some Jobs" (Los Angeles Times)
"Lax Standards Threaten Public, Firefighters' Safety" (Salem News)
"Triangle Fire-Police Radio Better Than Most" (News & Observer)
"Report: Philly's Emergency Preparedness Average" (CBS 3)
"Vibrating Vest 'Talks' to Wearer" (Science Daily)
"Fire Crew Accused Of Ignoring Orders" (Fire Fighting News)
"Metal Burns Holes in Chicago Firefighters' New Gear" (The Chicago Sun-Times)
"Firefighters to get dues refunded" (Cincinnati Enquirer)
"Court orders 24-hour firefighter shifts" (The Boston Globe)
"A Question of Hours" (Governing)
"South Milwaukee Union To Discuss Safety Concerns" (Fire Fighting News)
"North Lyon County Fire Protection District firefighters form a union" (The Leader-Courier)

"Frontline News Brief" is Sponsored By:

New Congress Highlights Fire Fighter Issues
International Association of Fire Fighters (01/10/07)

The new 110th Congress is off to a quick start, placing fire fighter issues at the forefront of its agenda, including HR.1 - a proposal to fully implement the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission - which the House of Representatives passed overwhelming in a 299-128 vote January 9. HR.1, a bill long supported by the IAFF to improve homeland security programs, is a far-reaching initiative that contains several provisions important to the nation's fire fighters. The IAFF helped craft the language. "Designating an IAFF priority as HR.1 clearly demonstrates the significance that the new congressional majority places on the nation's fire service," says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. "Never before in our nation's history has a fire fighter bill been identified as the most important issue facing America."
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

New York City Firefighters Ready to Defy Order--With 10,000 US Flags
International Herald Tribune (01/10/07)

The Uniformed Firefighters Association of New York Local 94 is locked in a battle with the Fire Department of New York over its policy that prevents the posting of anything that is "offensive or controversial" in department buildings. Local 94 President Steve Cassidy says the display of "something offensive" may have led the department to begin enforcing the rule. The crackdown has upset fire fighters, who have had to remove from firehouses all kinds of items, including photos of soldiers who have died in Iraq and prayer books. In a letter to Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta, Cassidy says the policy should be changed or opened for negotiation. The union is distributing 10,000 American flag decals to fire fighters to protest the policy, and is considering suing the city for violating their free speech. "This rule not only infringes on free speech protection granted by the U.S. Constitution, but further reveals the excessive and controlling micromanagement by this commissioner and his chief of the department," says Cassidy. He compares the blanket enforcement to treating fire fighters like children, and says the city would be better off punishing individuals who post inappropriate material in their lockers or elsewhere.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Fire Fighters Call on Newton Mayor to Settle Contract
International Association of Fire Fighters (01/10/07)

More than 400 fire fighters from across New England joined IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger, Newton, MA Local 863 President Francis Capello Jr., IAFF 3rd District Vice President Michael Mullane, Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts President Bob McCarthy and Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Robert Haynes in a rally at Newton City Hall, calling on Mayor David Cohen to settle on a new contract for Local 863 fire fighters. The battle for a new contract is into its fourth year - the Newton fire fighters' contract expired June 30, 2003. The stalemate is a sick-time policy requiring fire fighters to file notes from their doctors whenever they call in to use sick leave. The city even goes to the extent of requiring fire fighters to get notes from doctors if they stay home to take care of a sick child or relative. "Four years is way too long to be without a contract," said President Schaitberger. "We need to make sure Mayor Cohen knows why we're here - we want a contract and we want it now!"
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Conservation Group, Unions Joining Forces
The Washington Post (01/16/07); Harden, Blaine

In a first-of-its-kind alliance that could fundamentally reshape the environmental movement, 20 labor unions - including the International Association of Fire Fighters - representing nearly five million members are joining forces with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership to put pressure on Congress and the Bush administration to increase federal funding for protecting wildlife habitat while guaranteeing access for hunters and anglers. The Union Sportsman's Alliance (USA) will be a dues-based organization. The marriage of union and conservation interests comes at a time when the Bush administration, with its push for oil and gas drilling in the Rocky Mountain West, has limited public access to prime hunting and fishing areas on federal land. Jim Range, chairman of the board of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, which includes most of the nation's mainline hunting and fishing groups, says his organization forged an alliance with the unions in large measure because of their manpower, money and lobbying savvy. Several senior union officials say they wanted to join forces with conservation interests because they are concerned about the declining percentage of unionized employees in the U.S. workforce. They see the alliance as a way to excite and involve blue-collar workers who are passionate about hunting and fishing. A poll that found that 70 percent of union members hunt or fish also found that about one quarter of union members belong to the National Rifle Association (NRA). "We know that the NRA is communicating to our members what clearly are anti-union positions and urging them to support anti-union candidates," says Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters. Schaitberger says the alliance with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership "is about connecting with our members, doing good conservation work and offsetting some of these anti-union messages they are getting from the NRA."
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Health Insurers Deny Policies in Some Jobs
Los Angeles Times (01/08/07); Girion, Lisa

Health insurance companies in California often deny individual health insurance policies to workers based on occupation or prescriptions held. While Blue Cross of California does not exclude applicants based on their occupation, it does deny coverage based on prescriptions. Blue Shield of California and Health Net routinely deny individual coverage for fire fighters, roofers, migrant workers, pro athletes and dock workers because their jobs pose too large a risk for underwriters. Moreover, these insurance carriers are denying coverage to patients holding prescriptions for eight of the top 20 drugs sold in the United States, including Lipitor, which reduces cholesterol. Insurance carriers deny coverage for individuals even if workers are willing to pay additional premiums for the coverage, and critics argue that the underwriting practices are bordering on redlining tactics often used to cherry-pick the best risks out of the market -- a tactic considered illegal in other insurance lines. However, these practices could be curbed if Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislators get their way. One proposal on the table is to make health insurance mandatory for all residents of the state, but WellPoint representative Shannon Troughton believes that these mandates will only further increase premiums and leave many without health insurance. Thousands of fire fighters are covered through their jobs, but others find it hard to obtain coverage, even though workers' compensation would cover hernias and other job-related injuries.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Lax Standards Threaten Public, Firefighters' Safety
Salem News(01/09/07)

In December, a Superior Court judge ruled that city officials in Peabody, Massachusetts, should be allowed to use hair-follicle drug tests on Peabody Fire Department fire fighters when determining who to promote within the department. The city used a hair-follicle test on fire fighter John Brophy in 2005, and the test came back positive. Brophy was subsequently fired for numerous offenses, but an arbitrator ruled that the department wrongfully terminated Brophy because the fire fighter's contract does not permit hair-follicle drug testing.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Triangle Fire-Police Radio Better Than Most
News & Observer (01/04/07); Beckwith, Ryan Teague

During the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, New York City police officers could not warn fire fighters inside the twin towers to evacuate because their agency radios were not standardized and interoperable to talk directly with each other. Today, only six out of 75 major U.S. cities have standardized communication among various law enforcement and emergency agencies, reports the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. For instance, Johnston County, North Carolina, has its police and fire fighters on the same radio wavelength, so to speak. However, many Raleigh, North Carolina, agencies - such as the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the Raleigh police, and Orange County fire and police departments - cannot connect to statewide radio systems. These agencies around Raleigh today communicate by channeling messages through a central 9-1-1 system, which is a cumbersome process. North Carolina Highway Patrol Major Woody Sandy says, "The problem we're trying to fix is that every day there's a fire truck, an ambulance and a law enforcement officer responding to a call, and they can't talk to each other." The North Carolina Highway Patrol alone needs $190 million to create a statewide communication network, and to date has amassed about $80 million in total funding for that purpose.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Report: Philly's Emergency Preparedness Average
CBS 3; Rieger, Robin

A new study by the Department of Homeland Security gives poor grades for emergency preparedness to many U.S. cities. The best on the list include San Diego, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Washington DC, Columbus, Ohio, Laramie County, Wyoming and Sioux Falls, South Dakota . The worst? Chicago, Cleveland, Baton Rouge, and Mandan, North Dakota. The Homeland Security Department report says Philadelphia still has work to do on its efforts to protect and serve the public. The city was judged on its emergency plan, communications and government coordination. Philadelphia received the second highest mark for its emergency plan, but lower scores for communications and government coordination. Philadelphia Local 22 President Brian McBride says the report underscores the problem with the $56-million police and fire radio system that since its inception three years ago has continued to fail. "We have radios that don't work on fire grounds, radios that don't work in basements, radios that don't work in subways," says McBride."If we can't communicate, we can't save lives."
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Vibrating Vest 'Talks' to Wearer
Science Daily (01/03/07)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineer Lynette Jones says that a vibrating vest worn by fire fighters or military soldiers could warn them of danger. The vest, which uses technology to inscribe Braille-like messages on the backs of wearers, contains 16 vibrating motors. The motors receive wireless messages from a computer and can be used to communicate simple messages when hands are occupied and unable to use radios. Researchers have already created 15 symbols, several of which are in use in the armed forces, including the symbol of four corners that means stop.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Fire Crew Accused Of Ignoring Orders
Fire Fighting News (01/13/07)

A crew of Merseyside, United Kingdom fire fighters are facing disciplinary action for refusing to carry out an order they believed would endanger their lives. Four fire fighters were ordered to move a gas cylinder from the site of a major warehouse fire that drove nearly 900 residents out of their homes. The fire fighters said they were concerned the cylinder would explode. T he Fire Brigades Union (FBU) says the incident was indicative of the animosity which has dogged the fire service since more than 1,000 fire fighters began strike action in August 2006 and only returned to work September 29. External negotiators will hold more talks between the FBU and the fire service, just two months after the end of the region's longest fire dispute in 30 years. The London Fire Brigade is calling for improved government controls over the safe use, signage and storage of acetylene gas cylinders and a greater awareness of the dangers when the cylinders are involved in fires and other incidents. It has now emerged that the FBU has lodged 30 complaints about the conduct of managers and officers.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Metal Burns Holes in Chicago Firefighters' New Gear
The Chicago Sun-Times (01/16/07); Spielman, Fran

Two incidents in Chicago -- one at a warehouse fire, the other during fire academy training -- have raised new concerns about the safety of $10 million worth of protective clothing purchased for Chicago fire fighters. F ire fighters burned a hole in the pants of their bunker gear while using a high-powered saw to cut through a metal fence. Sparks flew and a piece of red-hot metal hit the pant leg and damaged the outer shell.  No fire fighters were injured. T he pants were taken to a Virginia laboratory for testing. Chicago Local 2 had opposed the selection of Lion Apparel, the clothing manufacturer. For decades, Chicago fire fighters wore three-quarters-length coats and rubber boots extending to the hip. Chicago is the last big city in the nation to buy fire-resistant clothing tailor-made to protect fire fighters and paramedics from head to toe. The gear consists of pants, suspenders, jacket, gloves, hood and boots.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Firefighters to get dues refunded
Cincinnati Enquirer (01/05/07)

Non-union fire fighters in Cincinnati, Ohio  will share approximately $36,000 in refunded dues as part of a federal court settlement reached with Cincinnati Local 48. The settlement ends a long-running battle between Local 48 and a group of African-American fire fighters who say the union did not effectively represent black members. They objected to the deduction of union dues from their paychecks. Local 48 President Mark Monahan says the settlement is reasonable and he is working with representatives of the 88 nonmembers to bring them into the union.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Court orders 24-hour firefighter shifts
The Boston Globe (01/14/07); Wallgren, Christine

A preliminary injunction from a Plymouth, Massachusetts, Superior Court judge has ordered Fire Chief Daniel Hopkins to put his staff on a 24-hour shift rotation rather than assign them to 10- and 14-hour shifts. The 24-hour shift issue has been a major point of disagreement between the Board of Selectmen and Plymouth, MA Local 1768 fire fighters for more than two years. The dispute has prevented the two sides from reaching a contract agreement since July 2004. Selectmen want the department to operate on shorter shifts. The union prefers the 24-hour rotation because the schedule works better for the eight full-time fire fighters in the department and their families. Under the preliminary injunction, the department will assign 24-hour shifts until a pending court case on the dispute can be settled. "It's a step in the right direction," says Local 1768 President Tim Collins.  
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

A Question of Hours
Governing (12/06) Vol. 20, No. 3, P. 53; Swope, Christopher

Local governments are increasingly having to answer charges from paramedics that they deserve to be paid the same overtime rates as police officers and fire fighters. In general, municipalities are required to pay special overtime rates to law enforcement and fire departments because of the unusually long shifts required of those professions. As paramedics increasingly work on the same shifts and schedules as fire fighters, often working together as tight-knit teams, different courts hearing the cases have ruled that whether paramedics get overtime pay depends on whether they perform some of the same duties as fire fighters and are trained in fire suppression. In some municipalities, paramedics work with fire fighters on fire suppression, while in others their duties are more clearly separated. However, no legal standard yet exists to determine whether a given city's paramedics meet these requirements or not.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

South Milwaukee Union To Discuss Safety Concerns
Fire Fighting News (01/10/07)

South Milwaukee, WI Local 1633 fire fighters have conducted an aggressive public campaign in recent weeks to restore minimum staffing levels trimmed in the city's 2007 budget. Local 1633 also is holding a public meeting to discuss safety concerns. Glen McCoy, president of Local 1633, says that the city cut the department's minimum staffing in retaliation for the union's winning an arbitration ruling in November. He adds that the change puts fire fighters' lives and the lives of residents at risk. Fire fighters received raises in the arbitration ruling of 3 percent effective January 1, 2006, and 3 percent effective January 1 of this year.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

North Lyon County Fire Protection District firefighters form a union
The Leader-Courier (01/10/07); Aleck, Betty

The North Lyon County, Nevada Fire Protection District Board voted unanimously to recognize the North Lyon Fire Fighters Association as an affiliate of the International Association of Fire Fighters and the exclusive bargaining representative. IAFF State Service Representative Jose Espinoza says one of the benefits is that the fire fighters will now speak as a unified voice rather than as individual employees.  

Return to Headlines

© copyright 2006 International Association of Fire Fighters