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The application period for Fiscal Year 2020 Assistance to Firefighters COVID-19 Supplemental Program (AFG-S) begins April 28. The deadline for applications is 5:00 p.m. (ET) May 15, 2020. The $100 million in available funding will help provide personal protective equipment to fire fighters and first responders who are managing emergencies during the coronavirus pandemic.

Workers Memorial Day and National Day of Mourning on April 28 commemorate workers who have been injured, killed or suffer illness as a result of occupational accidents and hazards. 

Efforts by the Colorado Professional Fire Fighters (CPFF) to lobby and collaborate with a special task force have paid off. The Colorado General Assembly has passed and the governor has signed legislation to help ensure the fiscal health of the fire and police disability and retirement plans.  

The IAFF is deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (PFANJ) President Dominick Marino on April 14.

After weeks of aggressively lobbying the Virginia General Assembly, the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters (VPFF) has made great progress on three major legislative priorities, including added protections for members diagnosed with certain cancers and post-traumatic stress. Legislation also passed to allow for collective bargaining with a delay in implementation due to financial concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

An April 11 report in The Washington Post confirms what many IAFF affiliates and local jurisdictions have been experiencing firsthand for some time – that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has failed to secure, prioritize and deliver adequate supplies of N95 masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) to fire and EMS departments.

The Fiscal Year 2019 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) application period is  now open. The application deadline is Friday, May 15, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. (ET). There is $350 million available in federal grants to add fire fighters to departments in need. Career, combination and volunteer fire departments are eligible to apply.

New interim guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for Implementing Safety Practices for Critical Infrastructure Workers Who May Have Had Exposure to a Person With Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 permits essential staff to continue working as long as they remain asymptomatic, even if they’ve been exposed to a positive COVID-19 patient or symptomatic coworker.

The IAFF is saddened to report the deaths of two members from the COVID-19 virus this week – Chicago, IL Local 2 member Mario Araujo and Detroit, MI Local 344 member Franklin Williams.

The IAFF is saddened to report the death of former IAFF 8th District Vice President Daniel “Danny” Delegato on March 21 at the age of 94.