The IAFF is organized on February 28, 1918, as 36 delegates representing 24 local fire fighter unions convene in Washington, DC. They debate on a name for the new organization, deciding between the International Brotherhood of Fire Fighters and the International Association of Fire Fighters.
Delegates propose publishing a magazine for members, decide the salary of officers, and set commons goals to live and work with dignity as well as with care for their safety and concern for their families.
The inaugural issue of the International Fire Fighter magazine is published – 10,000 copies are distributed. The cost of a yearly subscription is $1.
Initial Resolutions Emphasize Fire Safety
The IAFF adopts 20 resolutions to benefit fire fighters and the fire service, including a two-platoon system, pension laws, automatic sprinkler systems, building inspections and removal of hazards for fire prevention.
If you do not organize, and expect to get the cooperation of the citizens in general, you may wake up some fine morning and find that the citizens in general do not respond to your request. You know that the moneyed class will never hand you anything without a hard fight for it; therefore, if the class to which you belong should not cooperate with you in an unorganized body, you should not blame anyone but yourself.
William Smith, IAFF Secretary-Treasurer (1918-1920)
Strikes Prohibited During War
War-time standards decree that there should be no strikes or lockouts during the war.
Yes, this life may seem rather easy, This waitin’ around for the bell. But just put this down for your motto, That when it ain’t easy – it’s hell.
William B. George, Captain No. 8, Hose Co., Local No. 64, Kansas City, KS
Article 11 of the Constitution specifies that the organization shall be non-partisan and shall not promote the candidacy of any person seeking public office.
War Demands Boost Fire Service
November 11, 1918
World War I ends. Mechanical engines and pneumatic tires are invented from wartime efforts, creating faster response times.
149 Locals Join
By the end of 1918, 149 locals had joined the IAFF.
1919
Boston Police Strike
September 9, 1919
Boston police go on strike, causing public outrage with disastrous effects on public employee unions. Many city governments require IAFF locals to relinquish their charters in exchange for a pay raise. Meanwhile, in Canada, public support for fire fighters’ right to unionize remains strong.
Show your interest in your own welfare by organizing, attending the meetings of the union and living every day the principles it inculcates.
Samuel Gompers, AFL President
2nd IAFF Convention
The 2nd IAFF Convention is held in Portland, Oregon.
President Woodrow Wilson gives the right to all men to organize and bargain collectively.
Firemen are loyal Americans; that is a fact. They have bought Liberty Bonds, War Savings Stamps and contributed to all the war funds until it hurts, shed their blood on the battlefields of Europe, that the world might be saved for democracy. But when they ask for democracy for themselves it is denied them. If they ask for the right to organize, the wrath of the powers that be are immediately brought down upon their devoted heads. If they ask for a living wage, the city authorities throw up their hand and smilingly inform them ‘we have no money.’ If they ask for a shorter working day, they are told, ‘you are not working all the time, even if you are on duty; you are unpatriotic for even thinking of such a thing.
Thomas Spellacy, IAFF President (1918-1919)
Keeping the Books
IAFF cash balance is reported to be $4,946.97.
Story of the Maltese Cross
IAFF issues call for information from members regarding why the Maltese Cross is the fireman’s official emblem.
If you do not organize, and expect to get the cooperation of the citizens in general, you may wake up some fine morning and find that the citizens in general do not respond to your request. You know that the moneyed class will never hand you anything without a hard fight for it; therefore, if the class to which you belong should not cooperate with you in an unorganized body, you should not blame anyone but yourself.
William Smith, IAFF Secretary-Treasurer (1918-1920)
IAFF Joins Forces with Canadian Labor
The IAFF Executive Committee votes in favor of affiliating with the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada.
President Woodrow Wilson designates October 9 as Fire Prevention Day to be observed throughout the United States.
Two-Year Anniversary
IAFF celebrates two-year anniversary with membership of more than 25,000 fire fighters in 200 cities.
The right to organize and bargain collectively is the right of all workers. This privilege ought not to be denied to capital or labor. Organized labor established the fireman’s wage standard. Then inasmuch as organized labor sets our wage standard, does it not follow, as the night follows day, that we should make our common cause with the agency which in season and out of season, unceasingly and indefatigably strives for a higher standard of living for all workers – the organized labor movement.
Fred W. Baer, IAFF President (1919-1946)
Richardson Becomes Secretary-Treasurer
George J. Richardson of Vancouver, British Columbia, assumes the duties of Secretary-Treasurer, filling the unexpired term of W. A. Smith, who was compelled to resign due to a drastic anti-organization law enacted by Congress.
IAFF sells a new button to all members in good standing – a Maltese Cross with the letters IAFF and the words “Organized February 28, 1918.” The new button is guaranteed for 10 years and costs 50 cents.
Early on, the IAFF faced many obstacles. Anti-union business and political interests prey on public fears of socialism and anarchy – banning and breaking up some IAFF locals. After still struggling to maintain a work schedule of less than 80 hours a week, the IAFF joins with other unions to form a permanent AFL Legislative Council, recognizing that political decisions affect their jobs.
Low dues make for weak unions. High dues, under workable laws, make for strong, virile and worthwhile (sic) unions.
Fred W. Baer, IAFF President (1919-1946)
Members Get Life Insurance
IAFF secures group life insurance policy for members. The $500 policies cost members 60 cents per month.
In a study of 1,624 Philadelphia fire fighters, doctors conclude that no actual diseases or illnesses are directly attributable to the occupation of firefighting.
1922
5th IAFF Convention
The 5th IAFF Convention is held in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
This month we celebrate the fourth anniversary of the formation of the International Association of Fire Fighters. Despite the many predictions that the fire fighters would be a failure because they were affiliated with labor, they have, on the contrary, prospered and progressed and today are regarded as a real asset to any community in which they are established.
IAFF breaks silence on prohibition. President Baer says that with asylums and hospitals crowded with victims of the “millions of gallons of poisoned concoctions sold under the guise of whiskey,” members can draw their own conclusions regarding the success of the enforcement of the National Prohibition Act.
Wireless Radios a Hazard
IAFF deems wireless radios to be fire hazards due to errors in installation.
No Charters Outside IAFF
At the Trades Congress of Canada, held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, members vote to not issue any charters to fire fighters’ organizations not affiliated with the IAFF.
1923
6th IAFF Convention
The 6th IAFF Convention is held in Montreal, Quebec.
Canadian Director General Colonel Charles A. Hodgetts recommends that all fire fighters become competent in first aid to provide emergency relief to injured persons. He offers to pay for course instruction and textbooks.
Ford Anticipates Minimum Wage
Automaker Henry Ford predicts that a minimum wage of $10 a day for skilled labor may be a regulation in industry 20 years from now.
There is no power on earth by which wages can be increased and maintained except through united effort and collective bargaining in our trade unions.
Fred W. Baer, IAFF President (1919-1946)
IAFF Warns of Oral Cancer
The IAFF reports on oral cancer prevention recommendations and urges members to keep their mouths clean by daily scrubbing and gargling with soap and water.
Home for Orphans Voted Down
Secretary-Treasurer George Richardson estimates if each member pays $1 per quarter, the IAFF could collect $80,000 to help the union start a home building costing $100,000 to care for orphans and indigent adults. Delegates vote against the proposal 4 to 1 at Convention.
1924
Anti-Labor Congressmen
The IAFF publishes list of 50 congressmen classified as bitterly hostile or “hard boiled” where labor is concerned.
7th IAFF Convention
The 7th IAFF Convention is held in Kansas City, Missouri.
The IAFF supports passage of the Child Labor Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to limit, regulate and prohibit labor of persons under the age of 18.
I am sorry that there were any judges in the United States who had to be told that labor is not a commodity but a part of a man’s life; the declaration that labor is not a commodity is a return to the primer of human liberty. But if there are judges in the country who have to have the primer of liberty opend (sic) before them, I am willing to open it for them.
President Woodrow Wilson
Fire Fighters Support Immigration Bill
The IAFF supports new immigration bill to allow 2 percent of the population of any foreign nationality that was in the United States in 1890 to come in, and permission is also given for wives or husbands of citizens to enter their children under 18 and their parents.
In seven years of IAFF affiliation, fire fighters in the United States and Canada have increased wages 100 percent, cut hours of service 50 percent and increased the efficiency of city fire departments at least 100 percent. Fire fighters call unions better than “political pull.”
Supreme Court Spurns Labor
Two Supreme Court decisions bode poorly for labor. The Court decides that compulsory arbitration of industrial disputes is unconstitutional. The Court gives material dealers the right to refuse to sell materials to contractors who employ union workers.
Never miss an opportunity to secure a member for the union and never fail to patronize the union label!
Fred W. Baer, IAFF President (1919-1946)
States Adopt Pensions
IAFF lauds progress made towards adoption of state-wide “old age” pensions to replace the poor house system.
Benefits of Affiliation
Canadian fire fighters reap benefits of union affiliation as a mandatory two-platoon system exists in many provinces, with legislation in some provinces to provide fire fighters one day in seven off duty.
MGM Film About Fire Fighters
Metro-Goldwyn Mayer partners with fire service to create moving picture on fire service. Proceeds from admissions benefit the IAFF.
1926
IAFF Presses for Job Injury Benefits
IAFF publishes letter shared by Albert E. Guinness of the Uniformed Firemen’s Association advocating for the right of fire fighters to recover from injuries caused while fighting fires.
8th IAFF Convention
The 8th IAFF Convention is held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
President Fred Baer urges AFL members to march in the Labor Day parade rather than go out on outings so that the thinned ranks left to do the parading doesn’t give the impression of weakness and waning interest in the labor movement.
The Union Label is a bid for friendship. It carries no sting of malice. It says to the friend of unionism, ‘Here is a fair product, deserving of your patronage.’ Its mission is wholly constructive, thoroughly progressive. No red fire or excitement mark its progress, but it holds its gains and makes new ones every day.
Fred W. Baer, IAFF President (1919-1946)
Branded Leather Cases Offered to Members
Secretary-Treasurer George Richardson makes leather card cases with IAFF branding available to members for 25 cents. The name of the city or local union from which the fire fighter hails may be printed for an additional 5 cents.
1927
Fire Statistics
FIrst-ever tabulation of fire department statistics is published in the International Fire Fighter. Metrics include population, area square miles, number of fire fighters, number of alarms and fire loss.
Union Wages Double
Union wages are declared to have doubled since before World War I.
National Electric Code
IAFF lauds notable development in the industrial standardization movement, including the National Electric Code, considered to be the industry’s bible for wiring devices.
Men progress by helping one another. Patronize the union label, card and button.
Fred W. Baer, IAFF President (1919-1946)
Canadian Unions Demand Greater Benefits
Representatives from the Canadian Trades and Labor Congress appear before the Ontario Cabinet to advocate for a two-platoon system, right of way for fire apparatus and pensions for permanent fire fighters.
Magazine Launches Technical Q and A
The IAFF publishes a question-and-answer page in the International Fire Fighter. Questions must be confined to technical subjects, such as fire administration, inspection work and general fire department matters.
1928
Members Approve Dues Increase
IAFF Executive Committee recommends an increase of 5 cents in per capita tax per month for members. Delegates approve the increase.
9th Annual Convention
September 10-15, 1928
The 9th annual IAFF Convention in Milwaukee is deemed the most successful in the IAFF’s history.
As yet labor is very much asleep. Fully seventy-five percent of the men and women who depend upon toiling to earn their livelihood are still unorganized and at the mercy of the million and one schemes invented to take advantage of them.
Fred W. Baer, IAFF President (1919-1946)
10 Years of Progress
Ten years after its founding, the IAFF reports that 26 cities in the United States and Canada have installed the two-platoon system as a workday for fire fighters. Many cities also offer vacation and sickness or injury leave, pension plans and clothing allowances.
New Foam System Wins Praise
IAFF praises revolutionary new foam extinguisher systems for battling oil fires, lacquers and other flammable liquids.
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.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 is a U.S. labor law governing the federal law of occupational health and safety in the private sector and federal government in the United States. Its main goal is to ensure that employers provide employees with an environment free from recognized hazards, such as exposure to toxic chemicals, excessive noise levels, mechanical dangers, heat or cold stress or unsanitary conditions. The Act created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Following a hearing, the city was ordered to offer the plaintiff immediate employment as an ambulance attendant at the same pay as other attendants with commensurate qualifications and responsibilities. If she accepted this position, she would receive retroactive seniority and credit for vacation, sick leave and all other rights accrued from September 1972 to June 1975. The employer was ordered to pay back pay in the amount of $5,062. The plaintiff was also awarded attorney’s fees of $1,750. The city was further required to rehire her husband for work within the department as he was unlawfully discharged in retaliation for bringing charges, along with his wife. He was awarded $2,330 in back pay.
Union workers in non-farm jobs earned an average of $5.83 an hour in 1972, compared to $3.53 an hour for non-union workers. Organized workers received an average 36 cents an hour for paid leave, while unorganized workers received 13 cents. For private pension plans, unionized workers received an average of 23 cents an hour, while non-unionized workers got only 5 cents. Workers who belonged to unions received an average of 37 cents for life insurance and health and welfare, compared to 13 cents for the non-union worker.
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.
The IAFF played a vital role in Kerry’s ascent to the Democratic Party’s nomination – from the grassroots activities of members and strategic role in promoting the “Fire Fighters for Kerry” effort – and in ultimately securing labor’s support and endorsement. John Kerry embraced the issues of professional fire fighters throughout his career. On issues that impact working families, he had a 91 percent lifetime labor voting record. Kerry was the only candidate from either party to have ever used fire fighters and their issues as a major component of his campaign and platform.
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.
The research focused on the merits of fire alarms versus the use of telephone alarm system in 290 cities across the United States and Canada. The survey committee concluded that fire alarms were superior to leased telephone wires due to lower costs, lower average age of the communications system and the uncertainty of installation and maintenance of telephone wires by municipal governments.
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.
Talking Points: Reasons Why the Two-Platoon System Should Be Adopted
It will increase the efficiency of the fire department.
We should have less sickness and less pensions to pay.
The firemen’s children are virtually orphans.
The firemen’s wives are virtually widows.
We could get a chance to go to church as often as our conscience dictates.
It is inhuman to make a man do twenty-four hours’ continuous duty a day.
The American Federation of Labor was established in 1886 and was one of the first groups to organize skilled trade.
The Bush administration initially strongly opposed the use of federal funds to hire local government personnel. In addition, ballooning budget deficits and a weak economy stacked the odds heavily against passage of any new large-scale federal spending programs. The IAFF, however, succeeded in generating significant bipartisan support for the legislation in both the House and Senate. The key breakthrough came when Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) offered SAFER as an amendment to the Annual Defense Authorization Bill on the Senate floor. Although most amendments to the Defense bill were rejected, the IAFF was able to secure crucial endorsements from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA) and the committee’s ranking Democratic members. After considerable political maneuverings, SAFER passed and the president signed it into law.
The Labor Reform Law would help workers by making it quicker and easier for the government to conduct union representation elections and would impose more meaningful penalties on employers who willfully violate its provisions. It would require employers to pay 1.5 times back pay – less interim earnings – to workers found to be illegally fired because of union activities. It would allow the government to refuse federal contracts to employers who have been found to be in willful, flagrant violation of the law. It would force the speedy return to work of an employee fired because of support of a union during an organizing campaign. It would expand the National Labor Relations Board from five to seven members to handle the soaring workload of the agency.
The Supreme Court called for a re-argument of the National League of Cities v. Dunlop Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) case affecting all states and local government employees. Oral arguments on the constitutionality of the FLSA were presented to the U.S. Supreme Court on April 16. Attorney Charles Rhyne, representing the National League of Cities, the National Governors Conference, 20 states and four cities, argued that the amendments’ impact would be costly, particularly for fire fighters’ overtime and would discourage volunteer fire fighters. In addition, he stated that the amendments violate the constitutional spirit of federalism, through the 10th Amendment, by assuming power not delegated to the federal government. Attorney Rhyne also stated that the amendments were unnecessary, because “substandard labor conditions do not exist in state and local governments. They live with these people and they are not going to let them starve to death.”
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled that the first sentence of section 8336(c) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting after United States the following: “or are primarily to perform work directly connected with the control and extinguishment of fires or the maintenance and use of firefighting apparatus and equipment.” Approved August 14, 1972.
The Great Chicago Fire on October 8, 1871, was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10. The fire killed up to 300 people, destroyed roughly 3.3 square miles and left more than 100,000 residents homeless. The fire started in or around a small barn belonging to the O’Leary family. The shed next to the barn was the first building to be consumed by the fire, but city officials never determined the exact cause of the blaze. There has been much speculation over the years – the most popular tale blames Mrs. O’Leary’s cow, who allegedly knocked over a lantern.
Resolution Number 1 “one man, one vote,” which changed the union’s voting procedures, was drafted after leaders of a so-called metro group of the big city locals complained that the larger locals were inadequately represented at conventions.
The widow of Lionel Desjardins, a former member of Kapuskasing, ON Local 1237, won a compensation claim after Desjardins suffered a fatal heart attack while driving a stand-by fire apparatus to the scene of a fire. The widow’s claim was initially rejected by the Workmen’s Compensation Board, which ruled that it did not consider the death the result of personal injury by accident arising out of or during employment. But Desjardins had previously suffered a slight cardiac arrest while fighting a fire that led to his hospitalization. Hence, the Workmen’s Compensation Board reversed its first decision and awarded the claim for compensation to Mrs. Desjardins.
“Individual members, as well as local unions which are not encouraging wives’ interest in union activity, are overlooking a real opportunity. And wives who are not now capitalizing on every opportunity to project the professional image of today’s fire service are passing up the opportunity to help their husbands, their families and themselves.”
President William D. Buck reported on the irresponsible actions taken by a large segment of the fire service in Atlanta, Georgia. More than 500 fire fighters who engaged in a strike against the city were members of an organization known as the Atlanta Fire Fighters Union. The IAFF did not participate in this strike in any manner, and did nothing to lend it encouragement. The IAFF believed in a no-strike policy for union fire fighters and criticized those strike leaders who led the charge. At the 28th Convention, delegates voted to overwhelmingly retain the IAFF’s self-imposed no-strike policy.
The drain on the International’s financial reserve was attributed, to a large degree, to the new and stepped-up programs mandated at the 1964 Convention where delegates adopted 30 resolutions calling for financial expenditures, which was unusual for IAFF. Expenditures included a two-day meeting of the By-laws committee in Windsor, Ontario, which cost $7,000, and improvements to the International Officers and Widows Retirement Plan, which cost an additional $28,000 each year. Increased staff salaries were a factor as well, with annual staff payroll increasing from $84,000 to $92,000 between June 30, 1964 and June 30, 1965.
“Fire fighters often are not awarded compensation for illnesses acquired and aggravated in the performance of their duties. It is therefore apparent that responsible public officials should have a detailed understanding of the connection between fire fighters’ working conditions and occupational diseases. This is the purpose of the Redmond Fund – to establish a medically sound and trustworthy basis for the recognition of certain diseases as occupational for fire fighters.”
Fire fighters often are not awarded compensation for illnesses acquired and aggravated in the performance of their duties. It is therefore apparent that responsible public officials should have a detailed understanding of the connection between fire fighters’ working conditions and occupational diseases. This is the purpose of the Redmond Fund – to establish a medically sound and trustworthy basis for the recognition of certain diseases as occupational for fire fighters.
Dr. Skolnick
At its founding in 1918, there were 65 IAFF locals representing approximately 5,000 fire fighters in affiliation. With the assistance of organizers of the AFL, IAFF vice presidents and their deputies added 155 more locals during the organization’s first two years. In 1935, the membership was reported at 35,000. In 1940 it was 45,000, and in 1958 there were more than 90,000 per capita-paying members in some 1,200 cities in the United States and Canada. Through the years, the IAFF endorsed and assisted locals in obtaining civil service, with almost two-thirds of locals covered by civil service. In the matter of pensions and insurance benefits, the IAFF’s professional fire fighters were “very successful.” Since 1950, the International sought the right of arbitration, consideration for overtime pay, and either compensatory time off or extra pay for holidays worked. The hard-fought, 40-year battle for the dignity and rights of those who protect lives and property from fire was declared a great victory.
At the IAFF 22nd Convention in Miami, Florida, delegates went on record as sponsoring the 1954 campaign of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of America. A copy of the resolution was forwarded to all locals whose officers and members were urged to cooperate in every way to make the campaign successful. The MDAA was only four years old at the time, and its work in the field of research, patient care and public education was deemed outstanding. Three IAFF Vice Presidents—Jack Bostick, S.P. Stevens and William D. Buck – were assigned to coordinate the campaign to help it run smoothly and effectively.
In March 1954, seven representatives of the American Federation of Labor and the International Association of Fire Fighters toured Germany as the guests of the German federal government to investigate conditions in that country. The group of 28 men and women included eight women who were to investigate primary education, eight German college professors who toured the German universities, three men who investigated social conditions and seven AFL and IAFF representatives. The group reported on reconstruction work in Germany after World War II, finding marked progress in many areas.
The text of a typical agreement specifies 12 essential provisions: coverage, term of agreement, remuneration, pay for acting in a senior capacity, special allowances, vacations and statuary holidays, employee benefits, working conditions, absence from duty of union officials, deduction of union dues, grievance procedures and arbitrations procedure.
In a serious emergency, such as a large fire, peak demands were imposed on both fire and police services simultaneously. In such a crisis, neither police nor fire forces can respond adequately while doing both jobs. In addition, both professions have specialized training and cannot enable a man to use a nightstick and a nozzle simultaneously. The fundamental purpose of a fire department is to prevent fires and suppress them. The fundamental function of a police force is to fight crime and catch criminals. Firefighting is not a “side line” job – it never will be.
If there is any one piece of equipment a fire fighter values, it is the helmet. A tradition from before the prevalence of radio communications is that a fire fighter’s helmet lying on the ground unattended was a signal of distress. To the average citizen, the fire helmet can be a status symbol or just something really interesting to wear. To those working on the job, the helmet is a tradition that allows us to express our respect for those who have gone before, but is also a means to keep us from harm.
The national allocations plan for the use and guidance of the fire radio service was officially announced on May 6, 1949, to become effective July 1, 1949, making frequency channels available to base and mobile stations. Additional channels shared with the Railroad Service were also made available.
The Great Depression lasted from 1929 to 1939, and was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world. It began after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors. Over the next several years, consumer spending and investments dropped, causing steep declines in industrial output and employment as failing companies laid off workers. By 1933, when the Great Depression reached its lowest point, some 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half the country’s banks had failed.
The influenza epidemic results in the loss of several thousand lives and taxes the medical profession to its limits. Fire departments have hundreds of men incapacitated at one time and several fire fighters die from the infectious disease.
“The firemen of the United States who are members of the International Association of Fire Fighters, affiliated with the American Federation of Labor, will not go out, if the threatened nationwide strike is ordered in the event of antistrike legislation by Congress….I do not believe that President Gompers for one minute would consider calling the fire fighters out as part of a nationwide general strike….If the Chambers of Congress and other organizations of this nature had only considered firemen as human beings a few years ago, affiliation of firemen with the American Federation of Labor would never have taken place.”
On January 24, 1920, Congress passes a law, with the able assistance of some Washington firemen, making it a crime punishable by imprisonment and a heavy fine for joining or belonging to any labor union. With the passage of this law and as a reward for their withdrawal from organized labor, Congress increases the pay of the District of Columbia firemen; they, however, enjoy this increased compensation for only a brief period. On July 1, 1920, the bonus of $240 per annum which they had been receiving is cut $120 and on January 1, 1921, a further cut of $120 is made, reducing their pay $240.
New regulations are also put into effect. For example, firemen are required to take their annual vacations starting January 1, resulting in some men taking their entire vacations during the winter months. In addition, fire fighters are required to be in uniform on the street, when saluting superior officers, and even sitting in front of the fire station.
Under the new rules and regulations just put into effect, the right of collective bargaining and petition to Congress is denied to firemen.
All members from the youngest age to the oldest are taken regardless of occupation, nationality or locality, without a medical examination. New members under 50 years of age will be automatically added upon notice without a medical examination after the original group closes March 15, 1921. No member over 50 will then be accepted for insurance.
The vote to move to Chicago was soundly defeated by a vote of 36 to 11. The question of removing the International office has been an issue at each and every convention since the IAFF was founded. After lengthy discussion at each and every convention, the delegates have always voted to keep the International Office in Washington, where they are in immediate touch with the labor movement and the United States legislature.
Seven firemen were killed in the line of duty while fighting a fire at the Atlantic Refining Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The fire broke out in a tank containing 10,000 gallons of oil. Fire fighters were on a ladder above the top of a tank adjoining the burning oil when the ladder broke and the men fell into the tank. A chemical extinguisher, automatically released by the heat of the burning oil nearby, overcame the struggling firemen. They sank almost at once and their bodies were recovered through the manhole at the bottom of the tank.
On April 18, eight members of the Chicago Fire Department were crushed to death in a fire in a four-story brick building. The blaze appears to have been intentionally set. Fire fighters placed their ladders against the front wall of the building. The water tower was also in the front of the building at the time of the blast, which came without warning. The roof, together with the third and fourth floors fell through, carrying with them all the firemen inside the upper stories. The men were carried down with the falling walls and buried in the debris.
On average, each fireman in the United States and Canada is protecting $1,097,729 worth of property and is responsible for the safety of 826 persons. The fire loss per fireman is $2,591 a year, better than 99 percent efficient protection.
Attendance was the largest and the delegates represented 20,000 members.
With the signing of HR 1982 by President Roosevelt on July 31, 1939, the barrier that stood since January 24, 1920, prohibiting the members of the Washington, DC, Fire Department from affiliating with the IAFF, was removed. The U.S. House and Senate passed both of these bills without a dissenting vote. After 19 years, the IAFF was successful in leading the charge to allow Washington, DC fire fighters to affiliate with the union.
President Fred W. Baer died while addressing fire fighters in Topeka, Kansas. He was stricken with a heart attack and cerebral hemorrhage. His death was practically instantaneous. Vice President William D. Buck was sitting beside President Baer at the banquet table and was the first to recognize that he had been fatally stricken. Vice President Buck accompanied the body to Washington, DC, where services were held on May 20. Representatives from many locals, as well as several Executive Board Committee members, attended the funeral.
On January 23, James M. Landis, director of the U.S. Office of Civilian Defense, sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requesting that the rules of the War Emergency Radio Service be amended so that radio service could be used and made available to the fire service. This action came about due to the realization that the fire service was being mobilized for mutual aid in time of war and that many of the nation’s rural fire departments were without any type of wire communications, impeding their ability to protect the public in their communities.
To ensure cities would not be held financially liable, many city officials required persons volunteering as auxiliary fire fighters to sign an agreement that the city would not be liable for any damage or injury to such a person suffered as a result of his participation in civilian defense as an auxiliary fireman, and also that he would assume all risk of injury to himself. The House of Representatives voted against Senate Bill 2208 due to tremendous pressure from city officials. Hence, Congress ultimately failed to provide any protection to persons engaged in voluntary civilian defense work.
The purpose of the Fire Defense Committee was to determine how the fire service could best be of assistance in the U.S. national defense program. The IAFF vowed to cooperate with the government in every possible way in making the country safe against any form of aggression. The president was asked to set up a national committee to study and develop proper methods for defense by the fire service to fight fires and at the same time properly protect the citizens under modern warfare. The IAFF reported that the fire service in Great Britain had performed this important function during the air raids in London.
Dr. Skolnick had considerable success in securing disability pensions for fire fighters. He analyzed and reported on the results from 262 fire departments at the 1938 Convention. As a result of this report, and the interest it generated among the delegates, Dr. Skolnick was named the first IAFF medical advisor, and continued to gather, analyze and report on medical issues affecting fire fighters. One of his first efforts in 1939 was to publish a series of articles on heart disease and fire fighters in the International Fire Fighter.
A May 1938 U.S Supreme Court decision held that city employees, as well as those of states and counties must pay federal income tax, and that unless legislation is passed to the contrary, such employees also had to pay back income taxes for the past 12 years.
From time immemorial there has been opposition to ideas and different projects as planned in accordance with the progress of the times. That many of these ideas have fallen short of reaching their mark goes without saying, and a great number have even succeeded the fondest anticipations. Among the latter we include two – Christopher Columbus in the discovery of America and the International Association of Fire Fighters. Nor I do not for an instant wish to infer than an analogy may exist in the way of a comparison between the noble and daring explorer, who discovered this beautiful, glorious country, and the formation of a body of men, for any purpose—even though it be a firemen’s union – but what I wish to say, and that most emphatically, is that Columbus in explaining his views met with no more opposition than many of the locals affiliated with this International; but, like the great discoverer, their unions have been vindicated.
