“You live a life that is about having a profound level of concern and care about the well-being or suffering of other people,” she said. “And you have taken on a life commitment to actually do something about that. You each take an oath to save lives. To empower people. To know that there are people who care about them.
“Your work is on behalf of some people that will never know your names. But you have answered a calling to serve.”
General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Líma, a native Californian like Harris, introduced the vice president, emphasizing her long track record supporting IAFF members. It dates back to her time as California’s attorney general (2011-2017) and U.S. senator (2017-2021).
“A sitting vice president in the Biden-Harris administration who has lifted labor up … somebody who’s a friend, who fights for dignity, who fights for respect, healthcare, safety on the job, proper staffing, collective bargaining rights, and retirement with dignity … that’s who she is,” Líma said.
The vice president said the Biden-Harris administration has been with the fire fighters since day one and will continue to stand with them on any issue.
At the top of the priority list is reauthorizing the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) and Assistance to the Firefighters (AFG) grants.
President Joe Biden and I understand what you do to protect and have dedicated our administration to make sure we protect and honor you. The administration has secured $720 million in AFG and SAFER grants for communities and added an additional $50 million in funding “to give you the resources you need.”
Kamala Harris,
Vice President of the United States
The administration recognizes that safety and staffing go hand-in-hand, Harris said. “I know one of the best ways we’re going to keep our fire fighters safe is to have more fire fighters to be able to work on the job with you – putting the resources into what our communities need.”
Harris is no stranger to the IAFF or to the serious issues facing the fire service.
“She has walked the wildfires with us countless times,” Líma said.
Not long after being elected to the U.S. Senate, Harris discovered that FEMA was basing its disaster relief response efforts on hurricane and flood protocols. She demanded protocols be established with wildfires in mind, so fire fighters could match resources to their response strategies.
“Who is on the frontlines of these wildfires? It’s all of you,” she said. “And so [we are] putting the resources into that. That is the kind of work that our administration has done and will continue to do.”
IAFF members are often at the front of the president and vice president’s mind, Harris added as she closed her remarks to a full crowd at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill.
“We understand the work you do is not only about being leaders and protecting communities,” she said. “[You] are also community leaders, you’re coaches, you’re active in your kids’ schools. You’re the best of what we can be as a country.”
Harris’ visit marks the second consecutive year the Executive Branch has attended the conference. President Joe Biden addressed the event in 2023, the first time in 25 years that a sitting president spoke at an IAFF conference. Harris is the first vice president to attend Leg Con since then-VP Biden spoke in 2015.
