Cartoon Gallery
John C. Kabachus (1957-1964)
When Secretary-Treasurer Buck was elected acting President after President John P. Redmond died in office, the IAFF Executive Board elected John C. Kabachus of Boston, MA Local 718 as acting Secretary-Treasurer.
Kabachus was a fast-rising champion of labor in his home state of Massachusetts. He served as Boston Local 718 president for just two years, but his list of accomplishments is long, including the establishment of a fire fighters’ credit union and successfully lobbing the state legislature to allow for union dues deduction.
He also served as president of the Associated Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, successfully lobbying for the state’s first presumptive law protecting fire fighters diagnosed with heart disease.
After losing his bid to become president of the IAFF in 1964, Kabachus returned to the Boston Fire Department as a lieutenant.
Samuel A. Fink (1919-1919)
Samuel A. Fink took office in May 1919 and served through September of that year. He spent his entire fire service career in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and with Pittsburgh Local 1. When the IAFF was organized in 1918, Fink was elected 1st Vice President. One year later, as president, Fink focused on growing the membership, organizing 96 new locals. Fink resigned during the latter part of 1919 due to family obligations.
William H. McClennan (1968-1980)
In 1968, delegates at the 50th anniversary Convention in Toronto, Ontario, elected William “Howie” McClennan of Boston, MA Local 718 president following the retirement of President William Buck.
McClennan joined the Boston Fire Department and Boston Local 718 in 1942. From the beginning, he was dedicated to his calling as a fire fighter and to his duty as a union member. Among his many accomplishments while serving as Local 718 president, he successfully campaigned to reduce the fire fighter workweek from 84 to 48 hours. In 1958, he was elected 3rd District Vice President, a position he held until 1968 when he was elected president.
In 1977, the McClennan Scholarship Fund was established to provide financial assistance to children of IAFF members killed in the line of duty to pursue post-secondary education.
Frank A. Palumbo (1972-1980)
Frank A. Palumbo of the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) of New York Local 94 was elected Secretary-Treasurer in 1972 following the retirement of Secretary-Treasurer Albertoni.
Palumbo joined the Fire Department of New York in 1956 and quickly became an active member of Local 94 as a company delegate. He continued to take on more responsibilities as sergeant-at-arms and vice president. He was elected 1st District Vice President in 1970.
John A. Gannon (1980-1988)
John A. Gannon was elected president in 1980. During his tenure, he established the IAFF Foundation to support members, their families and citizens affected by burn trauma. The Burn Foundation holds the International Burn Camp held annually in Washington, DC. IAFF members serve as camp counselors who work to make a difference in the lives of the campers who are burn survivors ages 13-15.
Gannon became a fire fighter in 1949, joining the Cleveland Fire Department and Cleveland, OH Local 93 after serving three years in the Navy Intelligence Unit in Europe during World War II.3. He held every office within Local 93 from steward to president. He was elected 8th District Vice President in 1976 and held that position until his election to General President.
Thomas H. Miller (2010-2016)
Following the retirement of General Secretary-Treasurer Vincent Bollon, then-8th District Vice President Thomas H. Miller was elected by the IAFF Executive Board to serve out the remainder of Bollon’s term. He was re-elected at the 2012 Convention.
After serving in the military, Miller followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the Indianapolis Fire Department and quickly became involved with Indianapolis Local 416. He served as trustee and vice president before being elected president of the Professional Fire Fighters Union of Indiana (PFFUI) in 1978.
In 2000, Miller was elected 8th District Vice President, a position he kept until he was elected General Secretary-Treasurer in 2010. As secretary-treasurer, Miller oversaw efforts to find revenue sources outside union dues. During his tenure, non per capita revenue went from $2.4 million to $19 million.
George J. Richardson (1920-1956)
The IAFF Executive Board selected George. J. Richardson of Vancouver, BC Local 18 to become the IAFF’s second secretary-treasurer in 1920, a position he held for 36 years.
Richardson began his career as a fire fighter with the Vancouver Fire Department in 1913. In 1916, he became a founding member of Canada’s first fire fighter union, which would later be chartered in 1918 as Vancouver Local 18.
He was officially designated as Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus of the IAFF in 1956. A year later, AFL-CIO President George Meany appointed him to be his assistant.
In 1974, Richardson published “Symbol of Action,” which chronicles much of what is known about the early history of the IAFF.
Fred W. Baer (1919-1946)
At the 2nd IAFF Convention in Portland, Oregon, Fred W. Baer of Kansas City, MO Local 42, was elected president. A fire fighter with the Kansas City Fire Department for 10 years, Baer played a critical role in organizing the Federal City Firemen’s Union in 1917, which became Kansas City Local 42 when the union affiliated with the IAFF the following year.
As president, Baer fought for members who were retaliated against for union organizing. When he was appointed in 1924 by then-Secretary of State Herbert Hoover to serve on a street and highway safety committee, Baer helped craft several national safety regulations related to highway traffic.
He served until his death in May 1946. Baer was attending a banquet during the Kanas State Council of Fire Fighters Convention when he suffered a fatal heart attack and cerebral hemorrhage.
Thomas G. Spellacy (1918-1919)
Thomas G. Spellacy of Schenectady, New York, was elected president at the first IAFF Convention in 1918. He chose to be Local 28 because he served on Engine 28 in Schenectady. President Spellacy took on the profound responsibility of developing the IAFF’s core mission of improving wages and benefits, increasing fire fighter safety and creating basic job security for fire fighters. He left office in 1919, handing the office over to 1st Vice President Samuel A. Fink.
William A. Smith (1918-1920)
William A. Smith of Washington, DC, was elected the first IAFF Secretary-Treasurer in 1918. In 1913, Smith was instrumental in forming and serving as secretary of the Fireman’s Association of the District of Columbia, which was later chartered as Washington, DC IAFF Local 36.
Smith introduced the first Convention resolution to be adopted by delegates, which resolved to form an international organization of unions and to affiliate with the American Federation of Labor.
John P. Redmond (1946-1957)
After the untimely death of President Fred Baer, the IAFF Executive Board voted to elect John P. Redmond of Chicago, IL Local 2 as acting president on May 15, 1946. Just a few days later, he was officially elected as president by delegates at the IAFF Convention in Toledo, Ohio.
Redmond began his firefighting career in 1912 with the Chicago Fire Department and soon joined the Chicago AFL’s Federal Local 12270. When Chicago fire fighters joined the IAFF in 1918 as Local 2, he served as vice president and trustee, as well as a member of several committees.
In 1930, Redmond was elected 8th District Vice President at the 10th IAFF Convention in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
President Redmond died from a heart attack in December 1957 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he was attending the AFL-CIO Convention. The cause of death was determined to be occupational heart disease.
In his memory, the John P. Redmond Memorial Fund for Research of Occupational Disease of Fire Fighters was established by Convention Resolution 1 in 1958. Subsequently, the first John P. Redmond Symposium, the IAFF’s premier health and safety conference, was held in 1971 in his memory.
William D. Buck (1956-1957)
William D. Buck was first elected secretary-treasurer by delegates at the 23rd IAFF Convention in Montreal, Canada.
Buck began his career as a fire fighter with the St. Louis Fire Department in 1930 and soon became an active member of Local 73. He served as a vice president for the local and was also a member of several committees.
Buck was elected 2nd District Vice President in 1940. During his tenure, he was credited with forming three state affiliates, including the Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters, the Professional Fire Fighters of Nevada and the Kansas State Council of Fire Fighters.
William D. Buck (1957-1968)
William D. Buck was first elected secretary-treasurer by delegates at the 23rd IAFF Convention in Montreal, Canada. Less than a year later, he was elected by the IAFF Executive Board to serve as acting president after the untimely death of President John P. Redmond. As president, he set increasing membership as a priority, successfully growing the ranks by 50 percent to 115,370. He retired from his position as president in 1968 after celebrating the IAFF’s 50th anniversary.
Buck began his career as a fire fighter with the St. Louis Fire Department in 1930 and soon became an active member of Local 73. He served as a vice president for the local and was also a member of several committees.
Buck was elected 2nd District Vice President in 1940. During his tenure, he was credited with forming three state affiliates, including the Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters, the Professional Fire Fighters of Nevada and the Kansas State Council of Fire Fighters.
Albert E. Albertoni (1964-1972)
Albert E. Albertoni of Oakland, CA Local 55, was elected Secretary-Treasurer in 1964. Previously, he served two terms as 10th District Vice President from 1956-1960.
As a member of Local 55, Albertoni held several positions on the Local 55 Executive Board. He was also heavily involved in the Federated Fire Fighters of California (later renamed the California Professional Firefighters). He served in the offices of Vice President (three terms), president (one term) and Chairman of the Executive Board (one term).
Upon his retirement in 1972, Convention delegates adopted a resolution to bestow him with emeritus status, commending him on his dedication to solidifying the financial health of the IAFF.
Martin Pierce Sr. (1980-1982)
Martin Pierce Sr. was elected Secretary-Treasurer in 1980. He joined the Boston Fire Department in 1943 and became a member of Local 718 – which had formed just one year earlier. He was assigned to Ladder 17, where he served his entire 37-year career.
Pierce served as Local 718 president for seven, one-year terms before being elected president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts in 1960. In these leadership positions, he helped champion the reduction of the workweek from 84 to 48 hours and passage of the Heart Law, which presumed fire fighters with heart disease contracted the condition on the job.
He was elected IAFF 3rd District Vice President in 1968, a position he held until he was elected IAFF Secretary-Treasurer in 1980.
Alfred K. Whitehead (1982-1988)
Alfred K. Whitehead was elected General Secretary-Treasurer in 1982 before being elected General President in 1988.
He became involved in the labor movement as a member of the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He joined the Los Angeles Fire Department in 1954 and joined Los Angeles County Local 1014, where he was elected president in 1970.
At the state level, he helped what was then called the Federated Fire Fighters of California (later renamed the California Professional Firefighters) develop an effective political action program and worked to save the state association from bankruptcy.
When Whitehead retired in 2000, Convention delegates renamed the IAFF Legislative Conference the Alfred K. Whitehead Legislative Conference.
Vincent J. Bollon (1988-2009)
Vincent J. Bollon was elected General Secretary-Treasurer in 1988.
Bollon joined the Fire Department of New York in 1959 after serving in the military and immediately became a member of the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) of Greater New York Local 94, where he served as company delegate and secretary-treasurer before he was promoted to lieutenant and became a member of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA) Local 854. There, he served as a lieutenant representative before being elected president.
Bollon served alongside General President Al Whitehead and General President Harold Schaitberger.
He retired in 2009 due to a lengthy illness and died in March 2011. In his honor, the Affiliate Leadership Training Summit was renamed the Vincent J. Bollon Affiliate Leadership Training Summit by IAFF Convention Resolution in 2012.
Harold A. Schaitberger (2000-2020)
General President Harold Schaitberger was elected by acclamation in 2000. Under his leadership, he has ensured that the IAFF is at the forefront in addressing health issues in the fire service, including cancer and behavioral health, devoting resources to preventing and treating cancer, as well as push for presumptive protections. He has also led efforts to help members struggling with post-traumatic stress and other behavioral health issues, including opening the IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery.
The IAFF’s political influence has increased considerably since Schaitberger was elected. The IAFF’s political action committee – FIREPAC – has grown by more than 600, raising and contributing more than $16 million to federal candidates and their campaigns.
One of the greatest challenges to face the union came soon after Schaitberger took the helm – the September 11 terrorist attacks. The IAFF committed its full resources to help members and the families of the fallen, including raising and distributing more than $160 million for the families of the 343 FDNY fire fighters killed in the line of duty and worked tirelessly in the efforts to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act establishing the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program and the September 11 Victims Compensation Fund to provide health monitoring, treatment and compensation for 9/11 responders and survivors in all 50 states.
In his first term, he formed the IAFF Financial Corporation (IAFF-FC) to provide financial services and quality insurance programs at a minimal cost to IAFF members.
Schaitberger began his career as a professional fire fighter in Fairfax County, Virginia. He quickly rose to the rank of lieutenant, organized and served as president of Fairfax County Local 2068 and was elected president of the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters – all before he had seven years on the job. Before being elected General President, he headed the IAFF’s political and legislative operation for nearly 25 years.
Alfred K. Whitehead (1988-2000)
Alfred K. Whitehead was elected General President in 1988 after having served as General Secretary-Treasurer since 1982. He became involved in the labor movement as a member of the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He joined the Los Angeles Fire Department in 1954 and joined Los Angeles County Local 1014, where he was elected president in 1970.
At the state level, he helped what was then called the Federated Fire Fighters of California (later renamed the California Professional Firefighters) develop an effective political action program and worked to save the state association from bankruptcy.
When Whitehead retired in 2000, Convention delegates renamed the IAFF Legislative Conference the Alfred K. Whitehead Legislative Conference.
Edward A. Kelly (2016-present)
Delegates at the 53rd IAFF Convention elected Edward A. Kelly of Boston, MA Local 718 IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer in 2016.
The son, grandson, brother, nephew and cousin of fire fighters, Kelly joined the Boston Fire Department as a fire fighter/EMT in 1997.
Kelly rapidly climbed the ranks of organized labor and is known and respected for his dedication to the fire service and labor movement. As president of Local 718, he helped members weather some of the most difficult times in the local’s history before he went on to become president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts in 2011.