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.
 

"International Association of Fire Fighters Condemns Use of Twin Towers in Florida Political Billboard" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Fire Fighter Killed, Two Hurt In St. Louis Standoff" (CBS News)
"Fire chief's post attracts more than 100 applicants" (Charleston Post & Courier)
"Results of Investigation of 2007 Contra Costa Line-of-Duty Deaths Released" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"It's Time to Stand Up and Be Accounted For" (Firehouse.com)
"Federal Fire Departments Vacancies Jeopardize Security at Military Facilities" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Garvin retires early on request" (Charleston Post & Courier)
"IAFF Member Promotes Defined Benefit Plans Before Congressional Committee" (International Association of Fire Fighters)
"Fire Fighters' Deaths Prompt Change In Colerain Township" (ABC 9 WCPO)
"Wildfires Bring Demand for Private Firefighters" (Associated Press)
"Alarming: Most Smoke Detectors Don't Detect Smoke" (The Hook)
"NOFD Raises Not Ready" (ABC26 News)
"State Labor Board Again Rules in Fire Fighter's Favor" (Daily Herald)
"Will Other Phila. Unions Embrace Police-Contract 'Model?'" (Philadelphia Inquirer)
"Delray Firefighters Protest Possible Removal of Pension Benefits" (Sun-Sentinel)
"Fire Department Nationally Recognized for Second Year in a Row" (Indianapolis Star)
"Proposal To Merge South Florida Fire Departments Postponed" (CBS 4)
"Police, Firefighters Go for Gold" (Star Phoenix)
"Shared Firehouse Brings Relief, and Trepidation" (Boston Globe)
"Things get hot in firefighter's kitchen" (Hanford Sentinel)

International Association of Fire Fighters Condemns Use of Twin Towers in Florida Political Billboard
International Association of Fire Fighters (07/17/08)

International Association of Fire Fighters issued this statement on the political billboards in the Orlando region that bear the image of the Twin Towers: The Florida billboards are offensive. The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks killed 343 of our FDNY members and thousands of innocent civilians. There's a big difference between honoring and remembering the fallen - fire fighters and civilians - and shamelessly plastering the image of the burning Twin Towers on a purely political billboard with an offensive statement currying favor for or against a political party. It is offensive to those who died on 9/11. It's offensive to their families. It's offensive to those of us in the fire service.
(Web Link)
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Fire Fighter Killed, Two Hurt In St. Louis Standoff
CBS News (07/21/08)

A gunman shot at fire fighters responding to a report of a burning pickup truck July 21, killing one, then opened fire on police, wounding two officers. Authorities believed the suspect had been holed up in a nearby burning house that eventually collapsed. The status of the suspect isn't known, but police were searching the ashes for his remains, as well as any evidence. Officials said 22-year-old Ryan Hummert, a fire fighter/paramedic from Maplewood, Missouri, was shot to death as he got off a fire truck. Hummert was a member of the Professional Fire Fighters of Eastern Missouri Local 2665.
(Web Link)
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Fire chief's post attracts more than 100 applicants
Charleston Post & Courier (07/22/08)

The name of Charleston's next fire chief could be among a stack of resumes sitting on Mayor Joe Riley's desk. The recruiting firm the city hired to conduct the national search, Waters-Oldani Executive Recruitment, has collected more than 100 resumes from candidates around the country hoping to succeed former fire chief Rusty Thomas. Thomas announced his retirement May 14, the day before the public release of a consultant's report highly critical of his department's handling of the Sofa Super Store fire that killed nine Charleston fire fighters on June 18, 2007.
(Web Link)
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Results of Investigation of 2007 Contra Costa Line-of-Duty Deaths Released
International Association of Fire Fighters (07/21/08)

A year-long investigation of the July 21, 2007, deaths of two fire fighters and two residents in a California house fire reveals weaknesses throughout the Contra Costa County Fire Department. The worst tragedy in the department's 43-year history, the fire took the lives of Contra Costa County, CA Local 1230 members Captain Matt Burton, 35, and Engineer Scott Desmond, 37.
(Web Link)
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It's Time to Stand Up and Be Accounted For
Firehouse.com (07/16/08); Mirkhah, Azarang

Home fire deaths still account for 80 percent of all fire deaths in the country, and while experts say that having both smoke alarms and sprinkler systems installed in a home reduces the risk of death by 82 percent, so far just 2 percent of homes in the country have sprinklers. Installing sprinklers in all newly constructed homes across the country could save thousands of lives each year, and fire fighters must participate in the International Code Council (ICC) code development process to advocate for such requirements, according to this opinion piece. The ICC fire sprinkler requirement, proposal RB-64, requires a two-thirds majority of voting governmental members to be present at the meeting, so it is vital that all who are able find a way to attend, debate and vote, the commentary says. The September 17-23, 2008, meeting is a rare opportunity for fire service professionals to make changes that will address the main cause of fire deaths in the country. Meanwhile, the International Association of Fire Fighters will be voting on a residential fire sprinkler proposal at its annual conference in August.
(Web Link)
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Federal Fire Departments Vacancies Jeopardize Security at Military Facilities
International Association of Fire Fighters (07/15/08)

The IAFF has sent a letter to Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter, warning that security at critical military installations in the Washington, DC, area is at risk because of more than a dozen vacancies in the fire departments responsible for responding to emergencies. Federal fire departments at the Washington Navy Yard, the Naval Research Lab and Bolling Air Force Base are short at least 14 fire fighters. "Staffing Naval and Air Force facilities in the Nation's Capital should be a high priority, national-security issue," IAFF General President Harold A. Schaitberger said.
(Web Link)
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Garvin retires early on request
Charleston Post & Courier (07/23/08);

Charleston Assistant Fire Chief Larry Garvin, the initial scene commander at the Sofa Super Store blaze where nine fire fighters perished, retired from the department July 22 at the acting chief's request. "I lost nine of my good friends, and now I feel like I've lost the rest of my family," Garvin said. "I had really wanted to leave in March of next year," he said. "Chief (Ronnie) Classen asked me to go ahead and retire." Garvin and former Chief Rusty Thomas, who stepped down in June, have been criticized in reports examining what went wrong at the Sofa Super Store.
(Web Link)
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IAFF Member Promotes Defined Benefit Plans Before Congressional Committee
International Association of Fire Fighters (07/11/08)

Will Pryor, a member of Los Angeles County, CA Local 1014 and Chair of Investment at the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association, testified July 10 on the importance of defined benefit (DB) pension plans to the retirement security of fire fighters and all Americans in a hearing before the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress chaired by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). 
(Web Link)
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Fire Fighters' Deaths Prompt Change In Colerain Township
ABC 9 WCPO (07/12/08)

The April deaths of two Colerain Township fire fighters have already produced changes in how the department operates. They were outlined in a preliminary report on the timeline of events that claimed the lives of Captain Robin Broxterman and fire fighter Brian Schira. Actions already taken include a comprehensive review of structural fire fighting tactical procedures -- especially when they involve basement fires. Broxterman and Schira were fighting a basement blaze at a home on Squirrelsnest Lane when a family room floor on which they were standing collapsed.

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Wildfires Bring Demand for Private Firefighters
Associated Press (07/15/08); Wollan, Malia

Worried about the high cost of having to replace homes damaged by wildfires, more insurance companies are turning to private fire fighting businesses for help. New Jersey-based Chubb Corp. hired Montana-based Wildfire Defense Systems Inc. to keep fires away from homes with a replacement value of at least $1 million. The firm subcontracts 50 fire engines to serve Chubb policyholders only. American International Group, meanwhile, deploys pickup trucks transporting fire retardant to hose down property in 200 affluent zip codes. However, officials at the International Association of Fire Fighters worry about the popularity of private companies. "In a fire, if there are houses, there is higher risk," said Lori Moore-Merrell, who does research for the union. "We don't know much about the contractors' level of training. And fire protection should be available to all citizens regardless of how much money they have."
(Web Link)
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Alarming: Most Smoke Detectors Don't Detect Smoke
The Hook (07/10/08); Stuart, Courteney

The smoke detector industry, tightly controlled by two giants, Kidde and First Alert, doesn't release annual sales figures for the different types of detectors. However, FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, indicates that by 1991, 88 percent of American homes had at least one detector, and current stats from the National Fire Protection Association put the figure-- thanks to low prices and vigorous campaigns by America's fire officials-- at an astounding 96 percent. But what if most of them don't actually detect smoke when you most need them to? This is a story about ionization detectors, which constitute the bulk of the installed detectors and which can now be readily purchased for less than $5.
(Web Link)
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NOFD Raises Not Ready
ABC26 News (07/10/08); Fox, Sheldon

The battle continues, and it's not a five-alarm blaze the NOFD is fighting but a hold-up of the money the department says it's owed. An official New Orleans City Council vote to bring fire fighter pay up to the southern regional average with a 10 percent pay raise is on hold. The Council supports raises for the department, which has been legally battling the mayor's office for years with respect to its pay.
(Web Link)
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State Labor Board Again Rules in Fire Fighter's Favor
Daily Herald (07/22/08); Edman, Catherine

State labor officials ruled - for a second time - that the Wood Dale Fire Protection District must reinstate Robert Cortese to the rank of lieutenant. Cortese was demoted in November 2007, then subsequently fired, in part, for talking to the media. In a scorching ruling, the Illinois Labor Relations Board fined the district $5,000 for the manner in which it appealed the first decision, saying the district's arguments were "stunningly devoid of merit." Additionally, the labor board said the fire district must pay Cortese's legal fees, all of his back wages and 7 percent interest.
(Web Link)
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Will Other Phila. Unions Embrace Police-Contract 'Model?'
Philadelphia Inquirer (07/15/08) P. B1; Shields, Jeff

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and other observers hope the new one-year contract with the police union, which reduces city health care contributions, marks a trend in union negotiations. The other three unions engaged in continued contract negotiations with the City have not commented on how the police union's contract will impact their discussions with the City. Philadelphia, PA Local 22 President Brian McBride says, "We're still reviewing it." All four unions' contracts with the city expired on July 1, but negotiations have been extended. Fire fighters are unable to strike and must work out differences in binding arbitration, but those hearings do not commence until mid-August.
(Web Link)
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Delray Firefighters Protest Possible Removal of Pension Benefits
Sun-Sentinel (07/17/08); DiPino, David

Fire fighters from across Florida attended a Delray Beach City Commission meeting on July 15 in an effort to protest the commission's consideration of a proposal to take away pension benefits from the city's fire fighters. The 132 fire fighters participated in a silent protest organized by Palm Beach County, FL Local 2928. Mike McCleary, a representative from the local, also spoke for three minutes during the public hearing part of the meeting. McCleary is hopeful fire fighters will receive a public hearing with the commission in two weeks to further discuss the importance of fire fighter pension benefits.
(Web Link)
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Fire Department Nationally Recognized for Second Year in a Row
Indianapolis Star (07/16/08); Bessler, Jerry

Indiana's Washington Township/Avon Fire Department has been recognized for the second consecutive year by the National Fire Protection Agency as a Risk Watch Safe Community. To qualify as a Risk Watch Safe Community, a department must comply with three requirements for the program, including using the Risk Watch: "Unintentional Injury" and the Risk Watch: "Severe Weather" curriculum. The department employs the "Unintentional Injury" data in its Preschool safety initiative, and the data helps supplement its first-grade Project SAFETY (Schools and Firefighters Educating Together Year-round) program. Meanwhile, the "Severe Weather" curriculum is used in the department's third-grade programs. Both curriculums are used to offer life-safety messages that are provided to the community with the department's Safety Trailer. Risk Watch Safety Communities must also host an event that offers life-safety information to a city or town. The Washington Township/Avon Fire Department hosts a pair of events that fulfill that mandate: the Bike Rodeo, which was held in May and was sponsored by the Hendricks County Community Foundation; and Community Awareness Day, which was held in conjunction with the Danville Fire Department and Dugan Chevrolet. Lastly, a Risk Watch Safe Community has to work in tandem with other community groups.
(Web Link)
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Proposal To Merge South Florida Fire Departments Postponed
CBS 4 (07/18/08)

Miami-Dade County Commissioners have postponed a decision concerning the future of hundreds of South Florida fire fighters and paramedics. Commissioners were planning to vote on a proposal that would allow voters to decide in November whether or not five South Florida fire departments should be merged with the Miami-Dade County Fire Department. Fire departments that may be consolidated into the Miami-Dade Fire Department are: The City of Miami, Key Biscayne, Miami Beach, Hialeah and Coral Gables. Miami-Dade Fire Union President Stan Hill supports the proposal because he believes if the county has one cohesive fire department, instead of six, response time will be better for those who need a paramedic or fire fighter in a hurry.
(Web Link)
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Police, Firefighters Go for Gold
Star Phoenix (07/14/08); Kyle, Cassandra

Fire fighters from across North America have traveled to Saskatoon, Canada, to compete in the Can-Am Police-Fire Games. The event includes traditional-style Olympic sports designed to showcase participants' physical fitness. For example, the Toughest Competitor Alive event is a full day of extreme challenges, including a five-kilometer run in the morning and ending with a demanding obstacle course in the evening. Other events are designed to increase camaraderie between competitors, including darts, pistol shooting, table tennis and arm wrestling. The games provide the public with an opportunity to get to know the men and women who put their lives on the line for them in a non-emergency setting, as well as to showcase the skills and athletic ability that contributes to each fire fighter's ability to protect their communities.
(Web Link)
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Shared Firehouse Brings Relief, and Trepidation
Boston Globe (07/10/08) P. Reg1; Conti, Katheleen

The Malden, Massachusetts, and Revere, Massachusetts, fire departments will share a new $2.5 million station. Malden fire fighters, however, are concerned that it will take them longer to respond to calls made in Malden since the station is actually in Revere. "There's issues of how we're going to respond if there's a call in Revere and a Revere engine is down," said Brian Parow, president of Malden, MA Local 902. "For Revere, it's an ideal situation because they've been trying to get a station in [that] end. For us it's not." James Caramello, president of Revere, MA Local 926, is also not without worries. "What would happen if Revere was activated to go to one call and another Revere call came from the same place? Would we send our second backup piece or Malden?" he asked. To work out these issues, both cities are attempting to arrange for a meeting with the unions, as well as the mayors and fire chiefs from both cities.
(Web Link)
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Things get hot in firefighter's kitchen
Hanford Sentinel (07/22/08); Johnson, Joe

For some, cooking comes naturally. A dab of this, a sprinkle of that, and the meal creates itself. For Kings County Fire Department Engineer Rick Levy, it's all about experimenting with flavors. "I'm always trying to come up with new recipes to keep the guys going," 28-year-old Levy said while basting a grilled chicken with Italian dressing. "There are only so many times you can eat mac and cheese. You have to understand that we are usually stuck here at the station for 48 hours at a time, so it's nice to have something good to eat."
(Web Link)
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