The IAFF is a co-sponsor of the Congressional Fire Services Institute’s (CSFI) first dinner in Washington, DC. President George H.W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle, along with more than 100 members of Congress, join with more than 2,000 guests to pay homage to the fire service. President Bush pledges support to fire fighters.
The U.S. Supreme Court opens the door for white workers to challenge affirmative action settlements by a vote of 5-4.
U.S. Representative Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania forms the Congressional Fire Services Caucus to direct Congress’ attention to the fire problem in America. According to Weldon, insensitivity to fire safety issues in government and among the public at large has given America the “biggest fire problem of any industrialized nation, and a dwindling level of recruitment into the fire service to tackle the growing crisis.”
The IAFF testifies in support of the Hotel/Motel Fire Safety Act of 1989, H.R. 94, which will require the installation of sprinkler systems and smoke detectors in hotels and motels.
Executive Assistant to the President Harold Schaitberger testifies before the House Ways and Means Committee on behalf of the IAFF in opposition to mandatory Medicare coverage for currently non-covered employees of state and municipal governments.
The IAFF Department of Governmental and Political Affairs undergoes a thorough review designed to ensure its continued effectiveness on Capitol Hill and to prepare detailed plans for the implementation of its current legislative program. The IAFF issues the first edition of a new legislative newsletter, “Capitol Alert,” to be published every two weeks while Congress is in session and mailed to the presidents of all U.S. affiliates for posting on firehouse bulletin boards.
The IAFF is notified by OSHA that officials of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) are insisting that OSHA exclude state and local emergency response employees from the OSHA safety standard of hazardous materials due to be promulgated soon.
What took place in Kansas City can take place in nearly every community in America. As a nation, we must recognize our inability or unwillingness to deal with the problems associated with fighting hazardous materials accidents. We must further recognize that the cost of ignoring the problem is paid in tragedies like that which took the lives of six dedicated fire fighters in Kansas City.
Al Whitehead, IAFF General President (1988-2000)
The IAFF’s “1987 Annual Death and Injury Survey” reveals that work-related death rates among fire fighters have increased by 6 percent since 1986, despite no change in death rates for other high-risk occupations.
The IAFF joins forces with the American Furniture Manufacturers Association to urge passage of legislation to require flameproof furniture in hotels and motels, nursing homes, day care centers, hospitals and other high-risk residences.
According to the National Council on Compensation, stress claims account for approximately 14 percent of occupational disease claims, up from five percent in 1980.
IAFF President Al Whitehead and Secretary-Treasurer Vinnie Bollon embark on “Operation Outreach,” a 13-city tour to hear from fire fighters about their problems and listen to possible suggestions on how the International can be more effective to the members it serves.
IAFF affiliates raise $6 million for the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.
Three Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, fire fighters are killed when they are hit by a flashover at a residential fire.
The International Fire Fighter invites the IAFF membership to send in Letters to the Editor, providing an opportunity to express their views, concerns, ideas or gripes.
Two Orange County, Florida, fire fighters are killed when an explosion occurs as they are fighting a blaze near a gift shop at Walt Disney World village.
The IAFF Executive Board establishes a permanent IAFF Reward Fund to pledge rewards to individuals who provide information that leads to the apprehension and conviction of persons responsible for major arson incidents that cause the death of IAFF members.
The International Fire Fighter’s annual subscription rate for non-IAFF members increases to $18, the first increase since 1974.
The wage differential between union and non-union members continues to grow. In 1989, full-time wage and salary employees who are union members had a median earning of $480 per week ($24,960 per year) compared with $356 ($18,512 per year) for those who are not union members, a $6,448 difference.
The IAFF offers several publications to affiliates, including Managing the Entry of Women in the Fire Service, Pregnancy and Collective Bargaining and Promotion Practices in the Fire Service.
The second phase of the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial dedication takes place in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Wall of Honor is inscribed with the names of more than 800 U.S. and Canadian fire fighters who died in the line of duty over the years. Nearly 750 fire fighters and their families, IAFF officers and others attend the events.
The Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program is upgraded to reflect the rise in the consumer price index. Effective October 1, 1989, the current benefit of $103,890 will be increased approximately 5.4 percent to $109,460.
IAFF President Al Whitehead meets with Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ron Brown at the AFL-CIO Winter Meeting. He shares his concerns that some Democratic mayors and other elected officials seek and receive substantial support from labor during their campaigns, but often turn their backs on fire fighters and other public employees after they are elected.
The Bush administration’s FY 1991 budget contains proposals that could adversely affect the paychecks of fire fighters and other public employees. The budget calls for imposing a 1.45 percent Medicare tax on fire fighters and state and local workers not currently covered by Medicare.
Every fire fighter who attends the National Fire Academy will pay a $25 user fee for each week of attendance. Further, federal fire fighters will receive a 3.5 percent pay increase rather than the 5 percent recommended by economists to battle rising inflation.
The IAFF works to push the Fire Fighters’ Hazardous Materials Act through Congress, despite opposition from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Chemical Manufacturers Association and the American Trucking Association. The International Association of Fire Chiefs endorses the IAFF-supported bill.
IAFF President Al Whitehead launches the FIREPAC 90 campaign to raise voluntary funds for the IAFF’s political action committee. IAFF members receive a request to help fight an assault on fire fighter pension plans by the federal government.
In the 1989-1990 election cycle, individual fire fighters contributed more than $260,000 to FIREPAC. Of the 196 races in which FIREPAC contributed money, 174 candidates were victorious for an overall 89 percent win record.
The 101st U.S. Congress acknowledges the dangers inherent in firefighting and takes steps to reduce some of the risks. Among the legislative issues addressed are passage of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act and the expansion of the Public Safety Officers Benefit (PSOB) program to provide a $100,000 indexed payment to fire fighters who are permanently and totally disabled in the line of duty.
Mrs. Marilyn Quayle, wife of Vice President Dan Quayle, participates in a ceremony to honor NBC News as a winner of the 1990 IAFF Media Awards Contest.
The IAFF completes its training course, “Hazardous Materials Training for First Responders,” through a grant program funded by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986. The training emphasizes the health and safety of fire fighters based on their level of experience. The three-day program and materials are disseminated to state fire training agencies, colleges and universities, IAFF state associations and local unions.
The IAFF cancels its 1990 Burn Foundation Conference scheduled for Las Vegas in March. The IAFF’s support of the American Federation of Musicians during its recent labor dispute in Las Vegas results in this decision to cancel.
Just as it is very important for every IAFF member to exercise his right as an American or Canadian citizen to cast their ballots on Election Day, it is also critical that we all play a financial role in ensuring the success of those federal issues that threaten our paychecks, our pensions and benefits, and our lives such as: hazardous materials transportation; limitations on early retirement; taxation of employee benefits; and mandatory Social Security coverage of certain state and local employees.
Al Whitehead, IAFF General President (1988-2000)
More than 225 IAFF members engage in a frank and open discussion of issues affecting minority and female IAFF members at the IAFF Civil Rights Conference in Denver, Colorado.
The 40th IAFF Convention is held in St. Louis, Missouri. The motto for the Convention is “A Proud Profession. A Bold Union. A Brighter Future.” The IAFF’s Department of Occupational Health and Safety offers voluntary screening of cholesterol levels. The average cholesterol level of delegates is 199 mg/dl. The IAFF aids Greyhound bus drivers on a picket line at the downtown St. Louis terminal.
The IAFF’s “1988 Annual Death and Injury Survey” places more emphasis on lost work time and premature fire fighter retirements caused by line-of-duty injuries, illnesses and contagious disease exposures. Fire fighter lost work hours resulting from line-of-duty injuries cost the public more than $150 million in 1988.
The IAFF produces a new video, Staffing for Survival, which is designed to assist locals in making a strong case to the public and in public hearings and arbitration for minimum staffing levels for four fire fighters per piece of apparatus.
IAFF affiliates raise $8 million for the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.
More than 180,000 professional fire fighters are members of the IAFF.
All affiliates receive a new IAFF manual, “Public Relations: Putting It All Together.”
Due to recent developments in a federal court case involving FLSA claims for federal fire fighters, the IAFF requests copies of collective bargaining agreements for all federal locals.
Jockey Alberto Delgado rides the winning horse at the IAFF Burn Foundation Race at the Pimlico, Maryland, race course.
The IAFF makes a new $2 million Catastrophe Major Medical Insurance Plan available to all U.S. members and their spouses, regardless of age, effective February 1991. Other family members are eligible to apply even if the member chooses not to do so.
In a major victory for the IAFF, the Canadian Labour Congress reaffirms the International’s position as the only fire fighters’ union in Canada with the right to affiliate with the national labor organization.
The IAFF announces the inception of a new Canadian supplement to the bi-monthly International Fire Fighter devoted exclusively to the activities and issues of Canadian locals and provincial affiliates. This new supplement replaces the separate quarterly magazine, Canadian Fire Fighter, which is produced by the Ottawa office and has a circulation of 2,500 copies.
The IAFF offers a collection of insignia watches to support FIREPAC. Prices range from $95 to $150, depending on type of watch face and strap.
The IAFF Executive Board adopts a new IAFF logo policy. Only authorized IAFF affiliates, including locals, state and provincial associations, ladies’ auxiliaries and firms producing products on behalf of the IAFF, are permitted to use it.
The IAFF solicits members’ design ideas for a new commemorative medal honoring union fire fighters killed in the line of duty.
The AFL-CIO backs an IAFF resolution demanding fair treatment for workers called up to serve in Operation Desert Storm. Of the fire fighters in the reserves, one in 10 has been called to active duty.
The IAFF Executive Board issues a formal policy statement supporting the allied military effort in the Persian Gulf.
The Supreme Court of Canada rules that unions are entirely within their rights to use non-member dues money for political action.
The IAFF honors three U.S. representatives with special recognition during the annual Legislative Conference for their work on important legislation the previous year: Representative Douglas Applegate of Ohio, Representative Dennis Eckart of Ohio and Representative Sherwood Boehlert of New York.
The IAFF publishes its 1991 legislative agenda, which addresses pass-through deposit insurance, OSHA coverage, collective bargaining, Hatch Act reform and striker replacement.
In its proposed regulations, OSHA requires hazardous materials response training be accredited for everyone – except emergency response personnel, including fire fighters.
The IAFF launches its FIREPAC 91 campaign to raise voluntary political action funds to protect the interests of IAFF members. Issues include pension protection as Congress is considering legislation that could harm the pensions of fire fighters and other public employees. Three membership lapel pins are offered based on the amount contributed.
The four-year-old collaboration between the IAFF and the American Furniture Manufacturers Association to push for state-by-state enactment of stringent flammability standards for furniture in public buildings results in two states adopting model legislation and four others considering such laws.
The IAFF forms a new political action committee – FIREPAC Canada – to support candidates for Parliament.
The IAFF launches a program to identify, encourage and train any IAFF members and their families who are interested in running as delegates to the 1992 Democratic and Republican National Presidential Nominating Conventions.
The first Canadian Legislative Conference is held in Ottawa. Delegates meet with their members of Parliament and senators and attend information sessions on Right-to-Know legislation, transport of hazardous goods, infectious disease notification and a Public Safety Officers Benefits Act.
The IAFF’s first Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Conference takes place in Miami, Florida. Nearly 400 IAFF members participate.
I salute you for the efforts you are making, because too often federal lobbying is left to management. What you are doing here is vitally important to you as fire fighters, to your brother and sister workers in Canada, and to the public you protect.
Joy Langan, Canadian Member of Parliament, addressing the first IAFF Canadian Legislative Conference.
The IAFF produces a top-notch program for members requiring hazardous materials training under the NIEHS Hazardous Waste Worker Training grant.
The first IAFF Canadian Policy Conference is held in Victoria, British Columbia.
The Labour College of Canada accepts applications from IAFF members who are interested in attending the residential labour studies program in Ottawa, sponsored by the Canadian Labour Congress.
Fire fighters are warned of common deadly chemicals that endanger their health: creosote, PCBs, plastics and pesticides. Two IAFF studies suggest that the heat of fighting fires and the many chemical fumes that fire fighters encounter may pose serious threats to reproductive health.
Given that the IAFF Death and Injury Survey statistics show that 40 percent of on-the-job injuries among fire fighters are sprains and strains, the IAFF recommends physical fitness programs as a way to cut injuries and reduce fatigue.
The new $60 million fire fighter epic, Backdraft, features fire fighters of Chicago Local 2 as extras. The movie, directed by Ron Howard, premieres Memorial Day Weekend.
The IAFF’s 1990 Muscular Dystrophy Association campaign raises $8.5 million. The IAFF has raised more than $80 million for MDA since the annual campaign began in 1954.
Two independent public opinion surveys show that fire fighters and paramedics are more admired than any other professionals, and that Americans think fire fighters don’t receive the recognition and appreciation they deserve.
IAFF President Al Whitehead and members of the IAFF receive a prestigious National Football League Players Association Service Award in recognition of the International’s long-standing commitment to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Infectious diseases, such as AIDS and Hepatitis B, pose a serious threat to fire fighters. About 4 percent of fire fighters contract infectious diseases each year.
The IAFF’s “1989 Annual Death and Injury Survey” confirms that firefighting remains one of the most dangerous occupations in North America.
A new study shows that civilian EMS workers suffer considerably more stress than cross-trained fire fighter/paramedics.
Three Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fire fighters die while battling a 12-alarm blaze that raged for 19 hours and consumed nine floors of a 38-story skyscraper. The fire began on the 23rd floor of One Meridian Plaza. The effort to control the blaze was hampered by several setbacks, including problems in the building’s standpipe system that prevented water from reaching the upper floors, failure of the building’s backup electrical system, low water pressure in the downtown area and a malfunctioning air conditioning system. The three fire fighters had trouble finding the exit from the floor, which was enveloped in heavy smoke as their air ran out. Rescuers found their fallen brothers on the 28th floor near an open window. The three men had died of asphyxiation.
According to 1990 IAFF salary figures, the average wages of a municipal fire fighter rose more than those of a typical public or private sector employee. The average municipal fire fighters’ salary in the United States is $33,732. Annual starting salaries for entry-level U.S. municipal fire fighters are highest in the West and lowest in the South. Canadian fire fighters’ salaries averaged $41,921.
The IAFF encourages members to remember the John P. Redmond Foundation and the William H. McClennan Scholarship Fund in their wills through bequeaths.
The IAFF makes three proposals to improve and strengthen the Canadian Labour Congress. The first calls for two new seats on the CLC Executive Council; the second is to enhance the CLC’s role and authority by clarifying rules of affiliation; and the third urges the CLC to be more active on Parliament Hill.
Six major declared Democratic candidates for president attack the anti-worker policies of the Bush administration and promise to change the conditions created by 10 years of Republican government at the AFL-CIO conference held in Detroit in November 1991.
The IAFF and IAFC sign an accord agreeing that America’s fire service must continue to provide pre-hospital medical care. The accord also urges all elected officials, professional associations and health care providers to recognize and support the provision of emergency medical care by the fire service.
The IAFF creates a database of all IAFF members, current or retired, who hold or held an elective office or political party office at the local or state level. This information assists the IAFF in developing its lobbying and political strategies.
The IAFF begins a new feature in the International Fire Fighter, a guest column on issues of interest to fire fighters by a distinguished commentator. The first column is written by Senator James M. Jeffords of Vermont on the topic of family protection from toxic workplace materials.
The IAFF offers rings and car tags for purchase to members to support FIREPAC.
IAFF President Al Whitehead and Secretary-Treasurer Vincent Bollon attend the dedication of a long-awaited memorial fire fighters fountain in Kansas City, Missouri. The fountain serves as a tribute to the men and women who risk their lives protecting the public.
IAFF membership exceeds 185,000 professional fire fighters in the United States and Canada.
The 41st IAFF Convention is held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Delegates formally endorse Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton for U.S. president and Tennessee Senator Albert Gore for U.S. vice president. General President Al Whitehead and General Secretary-Treasurer Vinnie Bollon are re-elected to their second four-year terms. The IAFF unveils a new commemorative medal honoring fallen fire fighters to be presented to the surviving spouse and family members of IAFF members killed in the line of duty. Cast from 10-carat gold, the words “Dedication, Honor, Sacrifice” are written in the middle of the medal and the inscription “In Memory” is on the bottom of the Maltese Cross.
The IAFF publishes pictures and brief biographies of IAFF-endorsed candidates seeking election to the U.S. House and Senate in the 1992 election. More than 200 candidates who were beneficiaries of FIREPAC support win congressional seats.
For the first time, the IAFF organizes a block of delegates for a major party presidential nominating convention. Sixteen delegates are elected from their local unions as delegates and alternates to the Democratic National Convention in New York City, helping put Bill Clinton and Al Gore on the presidential ballot.
Audrey McLaughlin, MP (Yukon), Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, summarizes recently introduced Right-to-Know hazardous substances bills in Parliament.
IAFF President Al Whitehead testifies before the House Committee on Education and Labor on the need for reform of the OSHA Act, which does not cover 7.5 million state and local employees who do not have state OSHA plans.
The IAFF’s “1990 Annual Death and Injury Survey” marks the most comprehensive compilation of such statistics for care of fire fighters in the history of the IAFF. Results show that career fire fighters suffer job-related injuries and illnesses at a rate that is more than four times higher and nine times more severe than the average for workers in the private industry. Similarly, the rate of line-of-duty deaths among career fire fighters is nearly three times that of workers in the private industry.
The Tory government is totally preoccupied by the constitutional crisis – and it is pushing everything else to the back burner. Whether it is the economic recession in Canada, important social problems, or the IAFF’s issues and concerns, the Tories are using the constitutional crisis as a pretext to ignore them. We can’t let them do that.
Al Whitehead, IAFF General President (1988-2000)
Two Indianapolis, Indiana, fire fighters are killed while battling a three-alarm hotel fire when a flashover occurs and engulfs them in flames. Faulty electrical wiring in a refrigerator or the electric wall outlet on the third floor of the seven-story structure was blamed as the source of the fire.
An IAFF study of 63 major cities shows that fire fighters in companies of less than four are one-third more likely to be killed or injured on the job.
The American Medical Association states that all firefighting units should carry defibrillators and be trained in their use, that fire departments should handle emergency medical dispatching and that at least four personnel should respond to any call for cardiac arrest victims.
The IAFF offers the first new design of the St. Florian medal in 30 years. St. Florian is the patron saint of fire fighters.
The IAFF sends powerful new video public service announcements featuring scenes from the movie Backdraft to 500 television stations in the U.S. and Canada.
The IAFF Burn Foundation holds its first Sports GrandSlam Sweepstakes to raise funds. Tickets costs $5.00 each and the grand prize is two 1993 Super Bowl tickets, two 1993 NBA Finals tickets and two 1992 World Series tickets, including roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations for all three events. The IAFF raises a total of $37,000 from sweepstakes ticket purchases.
IAFF pay and benefits data reveal that in 1991, the average U.S. municipal fire fighter earned $34,340. Canadian fire fighters averaged $41,340. U.S. federal fire fighters continued to suffer from the government’s inequitable pay practices, averaging $29,834 (for a GS-5), while working shifts much longer than their municipal counterparts.
The IAFF’s agreement with the Bank of Baltimore to offer an official IAFF credit card yields an excess of 7,600 new applications. U.S. locals obtain IAFF-branded corporate cards. Efforts to obtain a credit card for IAFF Canadian members is unsuccessful.
Two Alton, Illinois, fire fighters die when the roof of a vacant building collapses during a fire. Two men are charged with arson in connection with the tragedy and the deaths of both fire fighters are ruled homicides.
IAFF members raise $8.75 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the Labor Day Telethon.
The U.S. Department of Labor issues regulations intended to protect fire fighters and paramedics from infection via blood-borne diseases. The OSHA-developed rules require employers to provide workers with training and protective clothing, puncture-proof receptacles for medical wastes and free vaccinations against hepatitis B.
The IAFF claims that the IAFC and the National Volunteer Fire Council and their allies endanger professional fire fighter safety in opposition to the NFPA 1500 standard. The IAFF, the USFA and fire fighters push for a minimum staffing level of four. The IAFF publishes a special issue of the International Fire Fighter to outline the controversy and defend its position. The IAFF asks members to write to NFPA regarding its proposed Tentative Interim Amendment, which would add to the NFPA 1500 Standard a requirement for minimum safe fire ground staffing.
Because of the outrageous maneuvers of a small group of fire chiefs, volunteers and civilians, some of you will probably die needlessly in the line of duty. Never before in the 74-year history of the IAFF has the need arisen to have a special edition of our newspaper. But the latest actions by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to block efforts by the IAFF and others to include a safe fire ground staffing provision in the NFPA 1500 standard amount to nothing less than premeditated administrative manslaughter and requires this special edition.
Al Whitehead, IAFF General President (1988-2000)
At least six fire fighters are injured by rioting mobs in the wake of the Rodney King beating by police officers in Los Angeles.
The IAFF membership exceeds 195,000 professional fire fighters in the United States and Canada.
The IAFF supports modification to Bill C-45, which makes it possible for the government of Canada to establish a national electronic registry for the transportation of hazardous goods.
The IAFF publishes the entire text of a “Fire Chiefs Under Attack” document designed to assist chiefs in dealing with IAFF locals in relation to wages and working conditions. A confidential resource guide for fire chiefs who “felt that they were having problems with local unions,” the guide warns members to “check your office, car and conference room for listening devices,” suggesting that fire chiefs should be wary of surveillance by private investigators lurking in the shadows.
The Auxiliary to the IAFF (formerly the Ladies Auxiliary) creates a 310-recipe cookbook that sells for $8.00.
The IAFF and its state and local affiliates contribute approximately $8 million to political candidates in the 1991-1992 election cycle.
With the support of the IAFF, James Lee Witt is confirmed as FEMA director by the U.S. Senate. He is a guest of the IAFF at the Congressional Fire Services Institute dinner in Washington, DC.
IAFF General President Al Whitehead joins U.S. President Bill Clinton in New Orleans to announce the National Service Program to allow youths to defray the costs of a college education by working in community service.
The IAFF supports the nomination of Carrye Burley Brown as administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration.
IAFF General President Al Whitehead forms a special task force to study the Clinton administration’s National Health Care proposal and to evaluate its impact on IAFF members and their families, as well as to pursue any necessary changes in the bill.
The IAFF’s “1991 Annual Death and Injury Survey” reveals that more than one out of every three fire fighters is hurt on the job.
The IAFF FIREPAC program is the 58th largest political action committee in the United States among the more than 4,300 PACS that contribute to federal candidates, according to the Federal Election Commission.
State and local affiliates that raise money for FIREPAC will now be recognized in a new class of FIREPAC membership, the Century Club. An affiliate must reach 100 percent of its target amount to achieve this designation. Century Club members will be recognized in the International Fire Fighter and receive a special certificate.
The IAFF supports H.R. 2722 to exempt fire departments and police departments from the provisions of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The ADEA bars employers from using age for hiring or retirement purposes.
During the first session of the 103rd Congress, the IAFF makes substantial gains in the legislative arena, including passage by the House of Representatives of the ADEA, President Bill Clinton’s signing of the reformed Hatch Act into law, and passage of the hazmat bill by the House of Representatives.
The IAFF’s second conference on EMS and the Fire Service is held in Seattle, Washington. The delivery of emergency medical services is considered to be an integral part of the fire service’s future.
At the 12th John P. Redmond Symposium on the Occupational Health and Hazards of the Fire Service in Boston, Massachusetts, Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts speaks to the need for OSHA reform.
Thanks to the hard work of IAFF locals throughout Canada, the House of Commons plans a hearing to allow fire fighters to inform the government and the public of the dangers infectious diseases pose to emergency personnel. A parliamentary committee asks Health and Welfare Canada to work with the provinces to set up notification programs.
A National Academy of Sciences report points out serious flaws in the system used to identify hazardous materials shipments and calls for major improvements. The report stemmed from congressional action backed by the IAFF two years prior.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control warns emergency medical personnel, especially those working in rural areas, to be alert for victims of the deadly virus, also known as “The Four Corners Flu.”
IAFF members raise $9 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the Labor Day Telethon.
IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer Vincent Bollon provides guidelines to help fire fighters estimate how much to save for retirement.
The IAFF per capita rate is increased from $5.27 to $5.42 for active members and from $2.64 to $2.71 for active-retired members.
The very nature of a fire fighter’s job obviously involves danger, but there is no justification for willful exposures to unnecessary risks. And when this legislation is enacted, public employees, including fire fighters, will be protected when they challenge an order to take unnecessary risks.
Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) speaking at the IAFF John P. Redmond Symposium on Occupational Safety and Health in the Fire Service
Several studies confirm that fire-based emergency medical services have by far the best response times, higher levels of patient survivability, lower fees to the public and lower levels of stress for EMS providers.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) denies the IAFF’s formal request to add safe fire ground staffing language to the NFPA 1500 Standard on Fire Service Occupational Health and Safety. The IAFF formally ends its 71-year relationship with the National Fire Protection Association, citing the NFPA’s utter contempt and disregard for the safety of fire fighters and the public. The IAFF severs its organizational membership and discontinues its representation on all NFPA committees and sections. This action does not affect any existing laws or policies at the local, state, provincial or federal levels that are based on NFPA standards.
A new IAFF Union Member Mortgage and Real Estate program helps members make buying a home easier and more affordable.
The nearly 100 delegates to the IAFF Canadian Policy Conference approve a name change from the Canadian Association of Fire Fighters to IAFF Canada.
The IAFF offers participating unions personal checks decorated with the Union Yes logo, their union’s logo and the printer’s union label.
At the Sixth Memorial Observance honoring IAFF members who died in the line of duty in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Canadian affiliates install a new flag standard for the Canadian flag.
The IAFF offers members a 75th anniversary ring with a free diamond. Prices vary by gender and metal type. Proceeds benefit the FIREPAC.
The IAFF issues a supplement to the International Fire Fighter on health care reform. On November 20, 1993, President Clinton’s 1,348-page “Health Security Act” is officially introduced in Congress. The IAFF awaits specific legislation prior to formally responding to its provisions.
The IAFF offers a limited number of Ben Franklin’s Firefighters’ Silver Medals issued by the U.S. Mint. The medals commemorate Ben Franklin’s role in establishing the U.S. fire service. The medal costs $50 and proceeds benefit the William H. McClennan Scholarship Program.
The IAFF offers members 14-carat gold St. Florian medals, “turn of the century” helmets and axe pendants in honor of its 75th anniversary.
IAFF General President Al Whitehead is named to the board of the National Fallen Fire Fighters Foundation.
Representative Austin J. Murphy of Pennsylvania’s guest column in the International Fire Fighter focuses on the Firefighters and Police Retirement Security Act of 1993. He plans to introduce legislation to make permanent an exemption to allow state and local governments to set mandatory retirement ages for fire fighters and law enforcement officers.
To celebrate its diamond anniversary, the IAFF publishes a special four-page insert in the International Fire Fighter tracing the history of the union. The inserts are excerpted from a special 75th anniversary book available from the Department of Education.
The U.S. Senate confirms Carrye Burley Brown to serve as administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration, despite opposition from a few fire service organizations.
U.S. President Bill Clinton signs legislation authorizing $75.31 million over four years for hazardous materials transportation programs, including fire fighter training.
Two Chillicothe, Missouri, fire fighters are killed when the ambulance they are driving is struck head-on by a tractor trailer on an icy highway. The patient who was being transported also died in the crash. The force of the crash tore the front of the ambulance off and hurled it end over end across the road and into a field. The tractor trailer was knocked off the road and into a ditch. Witnesses reported that the truck had turned in front of the ambulance, causing the crash.
The International Fire Fighter features the names of approximately 400 locals and state affiliates that are members of the FIREPAC Century Club and achieved 100 percent of their targeted voluntary contributions. Franklin, WI Local 2760 topped the list, fulfilling its target by 1,158 percent.
The scenes from the television screens and the front-page photos of heroic fire fighters and emergency medical personnel overcoming natural and manmade adversity to protect the public have captivated audiences across North America for months. But did these images really have any impact? It is up to our International and every affiliate of the IAFF to constantly remind those who make decisions about staffing and safety about what it takes to do our jobs and protect ourselves from unnecessary death and injury because no one is going to do it for us.
Al Whitehead, IAFF General President (1988-2000)
Reform Party M.P. Jim Gouk calls on the Canadian government to support his upcoming bill that addresses situations in which emergency medical personnel may come into contact with infectious diseases while carrying out their duties.
Based on intense lobbying by the IAFF, the Canadian Minister of Health reschedules a meeting to develop an infectious disease notification protocol for Canadian fire fighters and other emergency workers. The Ontario Health Ministry releases a new province-wide protocol that mirrors the IAFF’s proposal on infectious disease notification, and it goes into effect immediately. Delegates hope the protocol will serve as a model for national Canadian guidelines.
The IAFF’s eight-year campaign to win the right for fire fighters, paramedics and other emergency response personnel to be told when they have been exposed to infectious diseases leads the CDC to issue a final list of diseases and guidelines for the notification system.
The IAFF holds its 42nd Convention in Detroit, Michigan. More than 1,600 delegates attend.
List of All IAFF Conventions →
An article in the Annals of Emergency Medicine indicates that response times to people suffering heart attacks were cut by almost a third when an Ontario, Canada, community equipped its fire fighters with automatic defibrillators and trained them in their use.
IAFF General President Al Whitehead calls for a probe of every death of an IAFF member killed in the line of duty.
IAFF members raise $10 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the Labor Day Telethon.
The IAFF announces that NBC will air an episode of “Unsolved Mysteries” focused on the 1988 Kansas City explosion that killed six fire fighters.
Tony Bennett performs at a benefit concert in Washington, DC, to raise funds for the IAFF Burn Foundation’s first national burn camp.
Two Memphis, Tennessee, fire fighters die from smoke inhalation while fighting a high-rise apartment fire. A building tenant is arrested and charged with arson.
Fourteen federal wildland fire fighters perish in Canyon Creek, Colorado, in one of the worst forest fire disasters in history. The fire fighters were not members of the IAFF because the International has not organized part-time federal wildland fire fighters. They were employees of the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.
Base pay for municipal fire fighters in the U.S. averages $33,915 per year. U.S. federal fire fighters lag behind at $21,639. In Canada, base pay averages $42,746. The average salary for unionized fire fighters is 21.3 percent higher than that of non-union fire fighters, according to data released from the International City-County Management Association.
Membership in the IAFF in the U.S. and Canada totals 200,000.
The AFL-CIO offers its Union Privilege Loan Program to members. Personal loan amounts range from $2,500 to $15,000 with terms from four to seven years at a 13.25 percent fixed interest rate.
The IAFF rejoins the National Fire Protection Association after resolving a dispute over NFPA’s refusal to support a minimum safe fire ground standard. The IAFF once again is represented on the NFPA Board of Directors and technical committees relevant to the interests of paid, professional fire fighters.
An article in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services reveals that the fire service continues to provide most of the emergency medical services in the 200 most populous U.S. cities.
The IAFF establishes a Disaster Relief Fund for IAFF members who are displaced from their homes or suffer serious losses as a result of natural disasters. Disaster funds are depleted in response to earthquakes in Southern California.
The IAFF alerts members to the activities of the American Ambulance Association (AAA), the main lobbying and public relations arm of the private EMS industry. The AAA has developed seminars and public relations materials specifically to take EMS away from the fire service.
To help defray the cost of printing and hosting the activities at the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, the IAFF sells a lithograph of a working high-rise fire entitled, “All Hands” for $50.
IAFF General President Al Whitehead reaches out to members to assess interest in serving as delegates to the Republican and Democratic 1996 U.S. Presidential Nominating Conventions.
The IAFF and 22 other AFL-CIO unions call for new AFL-CIO leadership. Endorsed candidates for the October election include John Sweeney for president, Rich Trumka for secretary-treasurer, and Linda Chavez-Thompson for executive vice president. All three win their elections.
Four Seattle, Washington, fire fighters perish after they plunge through the floor of a burning warehouse. Nearly 10,000 fire fighters attend their memorial service. An arsonist is charged with four counts of first degree murder.
The IAFF joins a coalition of unions opposing Transport Canada’s transfer of air crash/rescue responsibility to municipalities.
IAFF General President Al Whitehead writes to IAFC President Tom Siegfried questioning the rationale behind his opposition to OSHA’s “two-in/two-out” fire fighter safety regulation. Congressional Republican leadership also works to rescind the OSHA regulation.
In light of the 1993 election results, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) resolves to undertake a comprehensive review of the historic relationship between the CLC and the New Democratic Party (NDP).
Three Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, fire fighters are killed when they are trapped inside a burning wood home while searching for survivors. The fire fighters were killed as they were descending a staircase when a fireball erupted, causing the stairway to collapse, leaving them no way out. Fire is later identified as arson.
Based on the IAFF’s advocacy, Representative Dale Kildee of Michigan announces that he will introduce a bill guaranteeing national collective bargaining rights.
IAFF General President Al Whitehead testifies before a U.S. Department of Labor task force charged with finding ways to improve labor management relations in the public sector.
The IAFF’s lobbying and political action campaign succeeds in stopping the Republican-majority House of Representatives from eliminating the OSHA federal fire fighter safety regulation in effect for the past 25 years requiring a minimum of four fire fighters (two-in/two-out) for responding to a structural fire or other hazardous incident.
At the IAFF EMS Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, more than 800 delegates assemble to discuss the inherent advantages of fire-based EMS systems, outline strategies to acquire and preserve fire-based EMS and examine the motives and techniques of the growing private EMS corporations.
The IAFF’s “1993 Annual Death and Injury Survey” reveals that more than 40 percent of professional fire fighters suffer injuries in the line of duty. In addition, professional fire fighters are five times more likely to be injured on the job than workers in the private industry, and the injuries are generally more severe.
NIOSH issues a warning following the deaths of two Memphis, Tennessee, fire fighters, stating that fire departments must review their safety programs and emergency operating procedures to prevent injuries and deaths to fire fighters.
As a result of a four-year lobbying effort by the IAFF, Health Canada issues national consensus guidelines for establishing infectious disease notification protocols by all provinces and territories.
IAFF members raise $11 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the Labor Day Telethon.
The first IAFF Fire Fighters National Children’s Burn Camp held in Washington, DC, is deemed a success. Approximately 25 children ages 12 to 15 attend the five-day event, along with 25 fire fighters.
A $50,000 reward is offered for information leading to the arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the arson-fire explosion that killed six Kansas City, Missouri, fire fighters in 1988.
OSHA cites two federal agencies for unsafe conditions that led to the deaths of 14 federal wildland fire fighters in Colorado in 1994.
The Standards Council of the NFPA reneges on a commitment to the IAFF to create an NFPA Technical Committee solely dealing with occupational standards for professional fire fighters. The NFPA instead establishes a committee that also includes volunteers, as well as part-timers.
The U.S. Department of Labor upholds the IAFF’s long-held position that fire fighters who are cross-trained in EMS skills should be treated as fire fighters for the purposes of computing overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Commitment is something that professional fire fighters know a lot about. They are committed to saving lives. They are committed to the job they do, whether it’s fire suppression or EMS. And they are committed to their union.
Alfred K. Whitehead, IAFF General President (1988-2000)
The IAFF offers a $2 million catastrophic major medical insurance plan to members for under $1 per day.
New York City and Lexington, Kentucky, fire fighters rejoin the IAFF. The Uniformed Fire Fighters Association (UFA) of New York left the International in 1981, but members vote to rejoin. Lexington, Kentucky, fire fighters were left without a union in the early 1970s when the local there disbanded following a protracted job action. Officials from the International and the Kentucky Professional Fire Fighters worked for more than a year to bring the fire fighters back to the IAFF.
The IAFF offers members in the U.S. and Canada personal accident insurance coverage for $90 per year.
The IAFF begins seeking enforcement actions against states that have not adopted the interpretation of OSHA’s “two-in/two-out” rule. So far, at least two states, New York and South Carolina, have ignored the ruling.
Hundreds of fire fighters respond to a bomb blast that rips through the Alfred Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in April. IAFF General President Al Whitehead and other IAFF leaders visit the bomb site and meet with FEMA Director James Lee Witt to ensure that the needs of fire fighters are being met.
The IAFF opposes an NFPA-proposed standard recommending fire departments adopt timed physical performance tests.
Today in Canada, public services are under considerable attack. It is important that you, as fire fighters, remind politicians of the public work that you do. If you want to make a political point these days, the easiest target is a public servant. But if you want somebody to put out your fire or deal with your disaster or have an emergency response, you sure as hell want that person right there beside you.
Audrey McLaughlin, Canadian Member of Parliament
The Canadian flag flies for the first time at the IAFF headquarters building in Washington, DC.
IAFF General President Al Whitehead is elected to the AFL-CIO Executive Council.
IAFF General President Al Whitehead receives an award representing a grant of $250,000 for hazardous materials training from U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Frederico Pena.
The IAFF offers a variety of new products for sale, including professional responder pins and IAFF medals.
U.S. President Bill Clinton assures the IAFF that he will approve important changes to the tax law to protect fire fighter pensions, if they are approved by Congress.
Due to effective lobbying by the IAFF, the U.S. Conference of Mayors rejects a proposal to omit fire fighters and other employees from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
The IAFF formally endorses the candidacy of Bill Clinton for president and Al Gore for vice president in the 1996 election. The endorsement is granted because of the Clinton administration’s documented record of support for fire fighter issues in the areas of safety, jobs, families and the future.
The IAFF’s “1994 Annual Death and Injury Survey” demonstrates that firefighting remains the most dangerous occupation in the United States. In 1994, 45 professional fire fighters were killed in the line of duty, almost double the number from the previous year. More than 60 percent of these deaths were the result of burns or asphyxiation after being trapped.
The IAFF fields 22 delegates to the national political party nominating conventions.
In an historic moment for the fire service, union presidents and chiefs from 10 U.S. and Canadian cities gathered in Phoenix in December at my invitation to begin developing a wellness-fitness program for fire fighters. This was the first of many meetings this group will hold to create a program to maintain fit, healthy and capable fire fighters throughout their career by concentrating on the individual’s health and wellness.
Alfred K. Whitehead, IAFF General President (1988-2000)
U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Robert Reich contends that privatization of public services should be carefully monitored, but declines to specify what role the federal government would have in studying such trends.
Both houses of Congress pass legislation to prohibit states from imposing taxes on the retirement income of former residents. Supporters of the legislation say that it is unfair to force retirees to pay taxes in a state where they no longer receive services.
For the first time in the history of the IAFF Legislative Conference, the president of the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Secretary of Labor address fire fighter delegates.
Two Chesapeake, Virginia, fire fighters are killed after they become trapped by a roof collapse inside a burning auto parts store in a strip shopping center. An electric company worker accidentally snagged an overhead power line with the boom of his truck, igniting a blaze in the auto parts store’s water heater. Shelving fell on the men as they were battling the blaze and moments later the roof collapsed. Rescue efforts were hampered by the fast-burning blaze.
After eight years of IAFF advocacy, Congress passes legislation that protects fire fighter retirement funds and improves the operations of pension plans. President Bill Clinton signs the legislation into law.
The IAFF succeeds in pushing the permanent public safety exemption to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) through Congress. President Bill Clinton signs the legislation into law.
Four Jackson, Mississippi, fire fighters are shot and killed, and two others are wounded in a massacre at a fire station at the hands of another fire fighter. The tragedy brought the serious issue of workplace violence into focus for the IAFF and for the entire fire service. Chief Joe Donovan resigns in the wake of the violence. The department has been plagued with difficulties, including a dictatorial atmosphere where fire fighters are arbitrarily disciplined and singled out for harassment, especially if they belong to the union.
At the urging of the IAFF, Congress asks the federal government to look into the testing and certification of fire fighters’ personal protective equipment (PPE).
Paul Szabo, a Liberal member of Canada’s Parliament, introduces Public Safety Officers Benefit legislation.
IAFF Canada opposes Ontario’s new Fire Protection and Prevention Act, which, if passed, will put lives in danger and reduce the quality of public safety. The legislation will allow the Conservative government to regulate municipal fire departments and change provincial law governing fire service labor relations.
The IAFF 43rd Convention is held in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 1,500 delegates and alternates and 1,350 guests attend. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney speaks to delegates, marking the first time in history that an AFL-CIO president has addressed the IAFF Convention. IAFF General President Alfred K. Whitehead and General Secretary-Treasurer Vincent Bollon are both re-elected to their third four-year terms.
The U.S. government works to revise the national educational standards for paramedics and EMT-intermediaries. The U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Public Health Service contract with the Center for Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh to conduct the revisions. IAFF affiliates are asked to review and voice their opinions on the proposed standards.
The IAFF Burn Foundation provides a grant to the Washington Hospital Center’s Burn Center of Washington, DC, to conduct a National Fire Fighter Burn Study. The research will address the causes of burns and inhalation injuries, as well as the impact of burns on fire fighters and their families. The IAFF asks members to complete a survey if they have been hospitalized for a line-of-duty burn or inhalation injury.
The Canadian government signs on to “Operation Respond,” a computer-based tracking system for hazardous materials in transit, a system already established in the United States. It gives fire fighters and other emergency responders quick access to information on incidents involving chemicals.
A new book published about fire fighters, “The Fire Inside: Firefighters Talk About Their Lives,” by Steve Delsohn, features many IAFF members in this realistic portrayal of a dangerous occupation.
IAFF members raise $10 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the Labor Day Telethon.
IAFF headquarters reorganizes departments to provide essential services to its members more effectively. Among the changes are the creation of a Department of Emergency Medical Services.
FIREPAC-supported candidates score impressive victories in the November 5 national elections. President Bill Clinton is re-elected president and Al Gore is re-elected vice president. In the congressional campaigns, 82 percent of candidates endorsed by FIREPAC win their elections.
The IAFF wins its appeal to the Standards Council of the National Fire Protection Association, opposing a technical document recommending fire departments adopt timed physical performance tests.
You’re true Americans, you’re what the American spirit is all about, and I’m proud to be with you.General Norman Schwarzkopf or “Stormin’ Norman” – a famous U.S. Army general who led all coalitions into the Gulf War – quoted on NBC Nightly News speaking about professional fire fighters and paramedics as America’s heroes after spending time responding to emergencies with IAFF members Robin Brown and Mark Williams of Clark County, NV Local 1908.
The IAFF Executive Board votes to oppose the use of the fire fighter “Combat Challenge” as a method to evaluate fire fighters’ physical fitness. IAFF affiliates and members, as well as fire equipment manufacturers, are encouraged to refrain from participating in or sponsoring combat challenge events. A Little Rock fire fighter dies after physical performance testing at such an event. ARA/Human Factors, the company sponsoring the “Combat Challenge,” launches a campaign to discredit the IAFF. Ultimately ARA/Human Factors capitulates to the IAFF’s demands to discontinue its promotion, marketing and sales of timed, task-based performance testing, and promotes the Firefighter Combat Challenge solely as sports entertainment.
IAFF General President Al Whitehead, who served in the Merchant Marines, receives the “Ray McKay Man of the Year” award from the greater South Florida Port Maritime Council of maritime unions.
The IAFF moves into the digital age with the establishment of a homepage on the Internet’s World Wide Web.
Fire fighters demand that Fox revise its new television show, “L.A. Firefighters,” to more accurately and positively depict their profession.
The IAFF Line-of-Duty Death Memorial Medal is renamed the IAFF Martin E. Pierce Sr. Memorial Medal in honor of the late IAFF Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus and Coordinator of the Public Safety Officers Benefit (PSOB) program.
President Bill Clinton keeps an important promise to the IAFF by including a provision in his FY 1998 budget to fund federal investigations into every fire fighter line-of-duty death. In a major victory for the IAFF, Congress passes legislation to provide $2.5 million to establish the new program.
Baltimore County, Maryland, Fire Captain Robin J. Forster represents the nation’s female fire fighters at a White House ceremony to honor the advances made by women in non-traditional fields.
President Bill Clinton signs into law an historic balanced budget, which includes several major victories for the IAFF and FIREPAC, including: the Tax Exemption for Survivor Annuities, exempting taxes on annuity benefits paid to widows or other survivors of public safety officers who are killed in the line of duty; the removal of Section 415 dollar limitations on fire fighter pension plans, allowing fire fighters to receive the full pension to which they are entitled; and Medicare reimbursement for EMS medical expenses as long as a “prudent layperson” would have determined that an emergency existed.
Two Stockton, California, fire fighters are killed when the second story addition of a house collapses as they battle an early morning fire. The fire fighters were fighting a blaze and were part of a team searching inside the home for its lone elderly occupant when the second story collapsed without warning. The two men were trapped, but another fire fighter managed to escape.
The IAFF cannot allow itself to be lulled into a false sense of security by the corporate promises of the private ambulance companies. Corporations tend to keep their promises only for as long as it helps their bottom line. When profits drop, corporate promises are broken. The goals of the private ambulance companies differ greatly from ours. We can never forget that – or we will lose our edge and fire-based EMS could become a thing of the past.
Al Whitehead, IAFF General President (1988-2000)
Beginning with the 1997 session of Congress, the IAFF’s number-one legislative priority is the fight to secure collective bargaining rights for all fire fighters in the United States.
The IAFF offers members new shamrock key fobs and Maltese Cross and shamrock pendants, as well as a special edition fire fighter’s boot stein.
In a clear sign of the importance of fire-based emergency medical services to the IAFF, more than 1,300 participants attend the IAFF EMS Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The IAFF hosts an invitational Combat Challenge competition during the John P. Redmond Symposium in Toronto, Canada. After seven months of cooperation, the IAFF and the IAFC launch a major wellness-fitness initiative at the Symposium.
The Pulitzer Prize is awarded for an image of a fire fighter rescuing a 15-year-old girl in floodwaters in Santa Rosa, California.
IAFF members raise $11 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the Labor Day Telethon.
Two Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fire fighters are killed when they are overcome by smoke while fighting a house fire. The two men entered the house with a hand line and lost radio contact with the rest of the engine company outside. Both fire fighters were later found beside a first-floor basement entrance, with their air masks off and their tanks empty. Officials determined that the fire fighters had died from smoke inhalation.
IAFF General President Al Whitehead joins fire fighters in Estero, Florida, as they fight for a collective bargaining agreement. Seven months after their firing, the professional fire fighters are rehired and scabs are ousted.
Ontario, Canada, fire fighters unite again under one provincial association. The new Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association represents almost 10,000 fire fighters across the province. The decision to unite comes after ongoing cooperation and discussion between this group and the IAFF-affiliated Professional Federation of Ontario Fire Fighters. Recent battles with the Ontario government over legislation affecting fire fighters and labour in general were won largely because both organizations had pooled their resources. Unification put an end to a once-bitter 15-year split between Ontario fire fighters.
The IAFF Privatization Committee holds its first meeting in Dallas, Texas, to launch an aggressive attack on the threat of privatization.
President Bill Clinton fulfills his promise to IAFF General President Al Whitehead and issues iron-clad OSHA regulations on the two-in/two-out rule. This major victory is considered to be the most important advance in fire safety in the last 25 years.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission files suit against the California-based telemarking outfit that represents the Foundation for Disabled Firefighters, the Fire Fighters Association of America and other “charities.”
Two Chicago, Illinois, fire fighters, are killed after a roof collapses during a multi-alarm fire at a tire store. Shortly after they entered the store, the introduction of oxygen into the burning building apparently caused the intense flare up in the still-undiscovered fire, quickly filling the structure with dense black smoke from burning tires. The roof collapsed and the two men could not be rescued until 90 minutes later. Tires stored near a heating unit were deemed as the probable cause of the fire.
The IAFF encourages members to be prepared for the 1998 election on November 3 and to register to vote, if they have not already done so. State voter registration deadlines are published in the International Fire Fighter. The IAFF also publishes a FIREPAC 98 election guide map for key congressional races.
President Bill Clinton signs into law a budget provision that corrects glaring injustices in federal fire fighter pay. Capping a 20-year effort, Congress includes the IAFF’s proposal in the budget deal, which passes in the last days of the 105th Congress. Representative Steny Hoyer and Senator Paul Sarbanes, both of Maryland, led the congressional charge. The law provides a new method of calculating fire fighters’ pay using a standard 53-hour work week, resulting in an 18 percent increase in total compensation (salary and retirement benefits).
Three Los Angeles, California, fire fighters are killed in a helicopter crash as they are transporting an injured car accident victim. The National Transportation Safety Board reports that the aging aircraft went down because the rear rotors came off, which made the machine virtually uncontrollable. As the helicopter flew over Griffith Park, the rear of the aircraft exploded and the chopper immediately plunged towards the earth and crashed.
The IAFF is well-represented at a NIOSH-sponsored meeting held in Washington, DC, to review the process for federal investigations into fire fighter line-of-duty deaths under the new federal law.
An IAFF Educational Seminar takes place in Palm Springs, California, addressing topics including public and media relations, EMS, safe fire ground staffing, and health and safety issues, among others.
At the 1998 IAFF Legislative Conference, Vice President Al Gore addresses the more than 600 fire fighter delegates, pledging White House support for several IAFF issues.
The Joint Labor Management Wellness-Fitness Task Force meets in Los Angeles County, California, to begin developing performance standards for professional fire fighters.
The IAFF’s “1996 Annual Death and Injury Survey” demonstrates that communicable diseases are a growing threat to fire fighters, including tuberculous, HIV/AIDS, various strains of hepatitis and meningitis.
IAFF members raise $12 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the Labor Day Telethon.
National Emergency Medical Services Week highlights EMS providers who deliver life-saving emergency care. IAFF members are the largest group of providers of pre-hospital emergency care in North America.
FIREPAC contributions result in victorious races across the United States. More than $1 million is donated to pro-IAFF candidates. Thirty-eight IAFF members win their elections to various positions, ranging from state legislatures to local fire board commissions. In the U.S. House of Representatives, 91 percent of FIREPAC-backed candidates win their races and 82 percent of Senate candidates are victorious.
This organization is a fusion of two of the noblest institutions on the civic landscape: fire fighters and unions. Fire fighters are givers. You demonstrate it in the community; you demonstrate it in your work. When you combine the character of fire fighters with the brotherhood and sisterhood of union membership, you compound the solidarity of your community.
Vice President Al Gore
The IAFF reaches an agreement with a Washington-based travel agency and TWA to provide fire fighters with low-cost bereavement fares to attend IAFF line-of-duty funerals.
The IAFF 44th Convention is held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. More than 3,000 delegates, alternates and guests attend. NIOSH gives delegates a chance to have their hearing tested. Of the 458 fire fighters tested, two-thirds have measurable hearing loss.
Two New York City fire fighters belatedly succumb to burns suffered while battling a burning apartment building June 5. The fire fighters were searching for a woman believed to be trapped in the second floor. She had escaped unharmed before the fire fighters arrived. One fire fighter was killed when he was trapped in the collapse of the second floor of the building and the other died 29 days later from the horrendous burns he had suffered in the fire.
The IAFF demands that the Canadian Transport Minister stop risking the lives of air travelers and restore onsite firefighting crews at several airports across the country.
The IAFF introduces a new level of membership for FIREPAC, the Founders Circle, in both the United States and Canada. Membership requires an annual minimum contribution of $200.
The NFPA’s Standards Council votes in favor of an IAFF proposal to create a new NFPA committee to develop separate standards exclusively for career, professional fire departments to evaluate the overall capabilities of their departments, including deployment, staffing, organization and operations.
The IAFF wins the exclusive right among AFL-CIO affiliates to represent fire fighters in Puerto Rico.
Three New York City fire fighters are killed in a tragic blaze as they try to rescue the building’s occupants. The fire blasted through a 10th floor hallway, overcoming the fire fighters trying to search for survivors. Officials report that a big factor in the blaze was a resident’s effort to put out a cigarette-sparked fire herself for at least 15 minutes before the fire department was called. She left her steel door open once she was able to flee, allowing flames to blast into the hallway. Sprinkler valves in the senior residence had been shut off.
Toy maker Fisher-Price chooses fire fighters as the lead role model for a new line of non-violent action figures.
The U.S. Fire Administration performs an assessment of fire fighter and rescue personnel technologies and equipment that can be used to track responders at emergency incidents. This project also highlights innovative personnel accountability technology and systems used in various fire and rescue departments throughout the United States.
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.