Delegates approved resolutions that establish funding for the IAFF to assist affiliates in political, legal and health and safety fights.

August 30, 2006 - Delegates completed debate on per capita resolutions Wednesday, approving a total of 80 cents in increases.

Several resolutions sparked lengthy and lively discussions as delegates considered resolutions that set an aggressive program for the IAFF in the years to come.

Delegates approved the 10 cent cost estimate for resolution 38 to establish the Political Referendum Operations Partnership (PROP) Fund to assist with supplemental funding and interest-free loans to IAFF affiliates and state and provincial associations engaged in referendum campaigns.

The per capita cost will be sunset after six years.

Ballot referendums and initiatives eligible for the PROP Fund loans include defending against right-to-work, paycheck deception, TABOR legislation, regressive tax proposals, attacks on public pension systems, bargaining or representative rights and proposals to eliminate professional fire or fire and EMS departments, among others.

The loans, which will be initially capped at $50,000, require unanimous Executive Board approval and must be repaid within three years.

After extensive debate, delegates passed resolution 33 to develop an international database of fire fighters with heart, lung and infectious diseases and cancer to track statistics related to these illnesses in fire fighters. This information, stripped of any identifying data, will be available to IAFF members for use in lobbying elected officials in support of presumptive laws.

A resolution to enable the IAFF Canadian office to develop a National Workers’ Compensation Seminar for provincial organizations to share knowledge, experience and success regarding Workers’ Compensation Boards also passed.

Delegates also approved a 3.5 cent per capita increase to enable the Canadian office to request and collect data regarding all types of cancers and heart disease in fire fighters. Delegates also approved a 1 cent per capita increase allocated to the biennial Ernest A. “Buddy” Mass Human Relations Conference to ensure its mission to strengthen this union through effective human relations.