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.
 

"Rising Temperatures Hinder Battle Against California Wildfires " (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"20 Years Later: Hackensack Ford Fire" (Hackensack Chronicle)
"College Receives $1M Grant to Study Firefighter Fitness" (Skidmore College)
"Senate Committee Approves Presumptive Disability Benefits for Federal Fire Fighters" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Family of Fallen Fire Fighter Speaks Out" (KTEN News)
"DoD Increases Uniform Allowance for Fire Fighters" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"S.C. House Revives Bill Paying for Sprinklers" (Myrtle Beach Sun News (SC))
"Edgerton Firefighter Case Is 'All Over and Done With'" (GazetteXtra.com)
"Nashville Fire Fighters Vote No Confidence in Chief" (Associated Press)
"Clearwater to pay ex-firefighter $75K in settlement " (St. Petersburg Times)
"Columbus Fire Fighters Join IAFF" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Study Suggests Closing Five Pittsburgh Fire Stations" (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
"Massachusetts Fire Fighter Loses Son in Iraq" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Alabama Leader Loses Life to Cancer" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Judge's Ruling: Huntington Can Implement New Insurance Plan" (State Journal (WV))
"Firefighters must obey speed limit" (Burlington Post)
"Philadelphia Local 22 President Emeritus Les Yost Dies" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Firefighter Receives Posthumous Honour" (Burlington Post)


 

Rising Temperatures Hinder Battle Against California Wildfires
International Association of Fire Fighters (07/08/08)

Cooler weather over the July 4 weekend provided some relief for fire fighters battling the California wildfires, but that relief is expected to be short-lived as temperatures are predicted to rise above 100 degrees this week. Since the fires ignited, more than 21,000 fire fighters - over half of them IAFF members - have been called to the fires' frontlines. To date, more than 595,000 acres and at least 69 homes have burned. While more than 1,400 fires have been contained, 330 remain active.
(Web Link)
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20 Years Later: Hackensack Ford Fire
Hackensack Chronicle (06/27/08); Bonamo, Mark J.

On Friday, July 1, 1988, Hackensack fire fighters were bonding over barbecue, getting ready for the long Fourth of July weekend. But by the end of the day, five of them would be suddenly, shockingly severed from their earthly bonds. They died fighting the fire that erupted at the Hackensack Ford dealership, their priceless lives lost protecting the city that they loved. And with their deaths, those who loved them began to say the long goodbye that still echoes 20 years later.
(Web Link)
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College Receives $1M Grant to Study Firefighter Fitness
Skidmore College (07/01/08)

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has granted $994,342 to Skidmore College for research of cardiac fatalities among first responders, a project titled "Effect of Physical Fitness on Physiological Recovery from Firefighting Activity." Between 40 percent and 50 percent of line-of-duty deaths among fire fighters are due to cardiac-related events, the United States Fire Administration says, and the biggest percentage of cardiac fatalities happen on the fire ground following fire fighting activity. The International Association of Fire Fighters and other organizations related to fire fighting see this high cardiac fatality rate as a true crisis, and the DHS is funding research to address critical fire-service issues through its Fire Act grant. "The overall goal of our research is to learn more about the factors that increase a fire fighter's vulnerability to heart attacks in an attempt to decrease line-of-duty deaths among fire fighters," said Denise Smith, a professor of exercise science who is co-head of the project, adding, "Specifically, we will focus on the role of physical fitness in determining the cardiovascular response to fighting fires, and how quickly the body recovers from the stress of that work." The two-year study aims to quantify the cardiovascular strain that fire fighting involves, delineating how the physiological responses relate to different kinds of physical fitness, and characterizing the recovery process in the period following fire fighting activity.
(Web Link)
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Senate Committee Approves Presumptive Disability Benefits for Federal Fire Fighters
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/26/08)

A U.S. Senate Committee voted to approve legislation granting presumptive disability benefits to federal fire fighters who contract heart disease, lung disease, certain cancers and certain infectious diseases. S. 1924, the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, was approved by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on a voice vote. The legislation was introduced in the Senate by Committee members Tom Carper (D-DE) and John Warner (R-VA).
(Web Link)
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Family of Fallen Fire Fighter Speaks Out
KTEN News (07/01/08)

"It's hard. It's not right, no wife should have to go through this. Something should have been done a long time ago," says fallen fire fighter Phillip Townsend's former girlfriend, Teresa Curtis. Nearly two years after his death, Townsend's family is still fighting for what they call "justice." Curtis says his death was the result of the Chief's decision, December 30, 2006, as a Denison business went up in flames. Now she wants something done about it.
(Web Link)
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DoD Increases Uniform Allowance for Fire Fighters
International Association of Fire Fighters (06/26/08)

The Department of Defense (DoD) has issued a final notice in the federal register establishing an initial uniform allowance rate for federal fire fighters employed by the Department of Defense. Previously, DoD federal fire fighters received an initial annual allowance rate of $400 at the start of their employment. The newly established initial allowance rate will be $1,600, effective June 23, 2008.
(Web Link)
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S.C. House Revives Bill Paying for Sprinklers
Myrtle Beach Sun News (SC) (06/27/08); Fuller, Kelly Marshall

A South Carolina bill that promises tax incentives to homeowners and businesses that install sprinkler systems on their properties was resurrected after state House lawmakers drummed up enough votes to override Governor Mark Sanford's veto. Sanford vetoed the measure because he opposed the idea of taxpayers footing the bill for improvements to private properties. The House defeat of the veto is welcome news to many local fire fighters, who helped compose the measure and worked to get the sprinkler legislation passed. "
(Web Link)
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Edgerton Firefighter Case Is 'All Over and Done With'
GazetteXtra.com (06/28/08); Vogel, Stacy

A settlement has been reached in the five-year case of three Edgerton, Wisconsin Fire Protection District employees who said they were terminated for joining the International Association of Fire Fighters. The district settled the case for $600,000 in attorney fees and back pay for the employees. The district had claimed it let the men go for budgetary reasons in 2003, but the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, as well as several courts, sided against the district and ordered the men reinstated with back pay. An agreement was difficult to reach, though, as neither side could agree on the amount of back pay to be awarded or on a union contract. Under the settlement, about $70,000 will pay for attorneys fees and the remaining $530,000 will be split among the former employees.
(Web Link)
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Nashville Fire Fighters Vote No Confidence in Chief
Associated Press (07/04/08)

Union fire fighters announced a vote of no confidence in Nashville Fire Chief Stephen Halford. With over half the members of the Nashville Firefighters and Fire Service Employees Association Local 140 voting Thursday, 88 percent said they've lost confidence in the chief. Members say they are frustrated with how Halford has managed the budget and that he doesn't listen to their concerns. Doug Conquest, president of the local union, said there are also safety issues that the union doesn't agree with.
(Web Link)
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Clearwater to pay ex-firefighter $75K in settlement
St. Petersburg Times (07/05/08); Lee, Demorris A.

A former Clearwater fire fighter has settled her lawsuit with the city over a sex discrimination charge leveled against the fire chief. Lt. Wendy Cason, a 20-year veteran and at the time the city's highest-ranking female fire fighter, will receive $74,999. "Wendy Cason is very pleased with the settlement and she thinks the amount indicates that the city realizes that she was treated unlawfully," her attorney Ryan Barack said. Cason said Geer discriminated against her when he didn't allow her to take a makeup test when she missed an examination required for a promotion to district chief. A male fire fighter who was also absent was allowed to take a makeup test.
(Web Link)
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Columbus Fire Fighters Join IAFF
International Association of Fire Fighters (07/07/08)

The International Association of Fire Fighters is more than 200 stronger since Columbus, GA Local 4655 received its charter in June. The Columbus Firefighters Association had been the largest unaffiliated fire fighter association. "I am very proud to welcome the Columbus fire fighters into our union," says IAFF 12th District Vice President Larry Osborne. "I know that they are going to bring a lot to the table and we'll be able to do the same for them." For the past 30 years, the Columbus Firefighters Association handled labor-management relations without outside assistance.
(Web Link)
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Study Suggests Closing Five Pittsburgh Fire Stations
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (06/27/08); Boren, Jeremy

A new study suggests that the city of Pittsburgh could cut costs and increase response times if it shut down five fire stations and combined the operations into three. The study further calls for the construction of two new larger stations. The recommendations are among the 152 suggestions put forth by Arlington Virginia-based TriData Corp. Pittsburgh, PA Local 1 President Joe King opposes the recommendations. "We have drawn the line as far as costs versus safety," King says. "We have to put a tourniquet on that." According to the report, upgrading Pittsburgh's fire stations would cost the city $19.6 million, while closing stations and trimming the number of fire fighters would save $4.48 million each year. Other recommendations include cross-training fire fighters as emergency medical technicians, and replacing seven of the city's 12 paramedic stations, which were found to be inundated with critical structural and asbestos-related problems.
(Web Link)
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Massachusetts Fire Fighter Loses Son in Iraq
International Association of Fire Fighters (07/02/08)

As the nation's troops continue to be called to serve overseas, IAFF members and those close to them are putting themselves in harms' way every day. In June, Taunton, MA Local 1391 fire fighter Keavin Duffy's son, Shane, was killed in the line of duty in Iraq.
(Web Link)
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Alabama Leader Loses Life to Cancer
International Association of Fire Fighters (07/08/08)

Hundreds of fire fighters, family and friends gathered July 7, 2008, at the Pine Crest Funeral Home in Mobile, Alabama, to pay their last respects to one of the state's most celebrated fire fighter leaders. Marvin Weekley, 74, died July 2 from cancer. Full fire fighter honors were extended to Weekley, who served as president of Mobile, AL Local 1349 for four years in the early 1970s and subsequently as president of the Professional Fire Fighters Association of Alabama for 15 years. Weekley was also an IAFF state representative for 10 years. Separate from the IAFF, he helped create and served on the Alabama State Fire Fighters Standards Commission.
(Web Link)
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Judge's Ruling: Huntington Can Implement New Insurance Plan
State Journal (WV) (06/27/08)

Huntington, West Virginia, has received clearance from a circuit court judge to implement its new insurance plan. In his ruling, Cabell Circuit Judge John Cummings said the city could activate the plan on July 1, but with the caveat that it also continue to offer its current insurance plan to retired fire fighters and police officers while the city and Huntington, WV Local 289 and other union organizers negotiate a compromise with the city. The new plan would raise insurance premiums to $73 a month for single workers and $153 a month for families. Union members say they will appeal the decision.
(Web Link)
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Firefighters must obey speed limit
Burlington Post (06/27/08); Misner, Jason

Burlington firefighters must now obey the speed limit when responding to an emergency call, according to a new policy created, in part, because of an increase in fire vehicle accidents. The policy started June 1 and is to remain in effect until at least September 30. According to a copy of the department's policy on Emergency Vehicle Response/Driver Safety, obtained by the Post, fire trucks and other department vehicles must follow the posted speed limit. Specifically it states: "The posted speed limit is the maximum speed authorized for all fire department emergency response vehicles while responding to an emergency incident."
(Web Link)
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Philadelphia Local 22 President Emeritus Les Yost Dies
International Association of Fire Fighters (07/01/08)

The IAFF is sad to report that respected Philadelphia, PA Local 22 President Emeritus Les Yost died June 29, 2008, in North Carolina. He was 68. "Yost devoted his life to improving the lives and working conditions for members of Local 22," says Brian McBride, president of Local 22. "He was a great mentor to all of us, even encouraging me to run for my first local office. I was fortunate enough to have him as vice president during my first term as president. He will be missed."
(Web Link)
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Firefighter Receives Posthumous Honour
Burlington Post (06/27/08); Smith, Dennis

Burlington, Ontario, fire fighter Paul Killingbeck, who died of lung cancer more than 20 years ago, is one of many fire fighters now receiving honors because their deaths have been reclassified as line-of-duty deaths. Recent amendments to the Workplace Safety Insurance Act recognize eight forms of cancer and heart damage as work related, and as a result many deaths are being reclassified and honors bestowed. Killingbeck's family was presented with the Martin E. Pierce commemorative medal, which honors fire fighters who die in the line of duty, and his name will appear on the International Association of Fire Fighters Wall of Honor for fallen fire fighters. Dan VanderLelie, president of Burlington, ON Local 1552, praised the work of the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association in getting the amendments approved. "It's a big step that represents the sacrifices fire fighters make on a daily basis for the community, putting themselves in harm's way," he said.
(Web Link)
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