When Please Isn’t Enough

May-June, 2006 International Fire Fighter

We don’t get handouts. We don’t get what we need by standing meekly in line and waiting to be called on like some shy school kid.

We do not wake up in our firehouses in Denver or Dayton or Deep River to discover that a wealthy benefactor has donated the boots and respirators and helmets our members need to do their dangerous job, day after hazardous day.

Our needs are met through our political efforts on Capitol Hill and Parliament Hill, in state and provincial legislatures, and in county and city councils and boards.

Our needs are met through the relationships we build with elected and appointed officials, and the strategic contributions we make to the campaigns of those running for office, regardless of their political party, who — when they win their elections — take our message and support with them.

We can’t wait to be called on and asked our opinion. Our mission of protecting our members and improving the security of our two nations is too important.

We already know that preparing for a potential outbreak of pandemic flu will stretch our resources and that helping people in the Gulf Coast region since three hurricanes hammered the coast continues to be a responsibility so enormous that it seems the blood, sweat and tears from all of us won’t be enough to repair the damaged homes and shattered lives of the victims there. And hurricane season began again June 1.

Our members have already been tested in Oklahoma, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York, battling vicious wild and grass fires this year. Wildfires have blanketed Florida and led Governor Jeb Bush to declare a state of emergency there in May. And wildfire season in the West is approaching.

But the more allies we have on city and county councils, in state and provincial legislatures and on Capitol Hill, the more likely we are to get what we need to help us fight wildfires and prepare for the next hurricane season, to respond to floods in New England or to Earthquakes out West, and to make sure that our members go home safely after their shifts each day.

So we have to make allies. The more allies we have, no matter what party they’re in, the more likely we are to find a sympathetic ear when we need to promote a bill that will help you do your jobs.

This primary season is a great example of how political action can make a difference. On May 2 we came one step closer to gaining another ally in Washington. Betty Sutton, whose husband is a former IAFF member, narrowly won a close primary, and she will be on the ballot in November to represent northern Ohio’s 13th U.S. congressional district.

I stood behind her on the podium when she said to a group of fire fighters, “You were the first to stand up for me, and you know I will always stand up for you when I am elected.” And I will stand with her until the last ballot is counted in the November general election.

On a more local level, Austin, TX Local 975 President Mike Martinez won a great victory, winning a seat on the City Council of a major city, without the need for a runoff vote. Gary Coons, a 34-year old member of Indianapolis Local 416, won a Republican primary to represent Perry Township, Indiana, on its board of trustees, and Phoenix Local 493 member Scott Somers won his race for Mesa, Arizona City Council.

But these shining examples aren’t our only political friends, and one needn’t be a former fire fighter or spouse of a fire fighter to contribute to the worthy cause of promoting our interests. Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) and Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) attended our IAFF Legislative Conference in Washington, DC this year, and made their support for our cause clear. And when our delegates at that conference went to the Hill the next day, they heard words of support from hundreds more elected officials, Democrats and Republicans alike.

The primaries are over and significant mid-term elections are fast approaching. The outcome of the elections will determine how effective we are at getting elected officials to listen to us and respond to our needs.

We need you to get involved to help us find the resources to help you do your jobs. And we know from experience that we are unlikely to get what we need by being political wallflowers.

We have to fight for federal, state and provincial and local money to back fire fighters and paramedics on the frontlines. We have to fight for money to fund training programs. We have to fight for money to buy equipment. We have to fight for money to bolster staffing.

Saying “please” isn’t enough in politics. We have to work for it. We don’t get handouts.