The IAFF, in conjunction with International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the Congressional Fire Service Institute (CFSI), urges the Obama administration to retain the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a core component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
President Barack Obama signs into law a $787 billion economic stimulus bill, which includes $8.8 billion for states and localities, as well as $210 million for fire station construction. In addition, it removes the employer match to access Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program funding. Ultimately, SAFER’s budget totals $420 million in the FY 2009 budget.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano agrees to postpone the 2009 application process for SAFER grants until the $210 million Congress appropriated for the grants program can be used to rehire and retain fire fighters in the current national wave of fire department staffing cuts.
Vice President Joe Biden and more than 25 members of the Obama administration cancel plans to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Providence, Rhode Island, rather than cross a picket line protesting the mayor’s treatment of Providence Local 799 fire fighters.
At the 2009 Alfred K. Whitehead Legislative Conference, General President Harold Schaitberger presents Vice President Joe Biden with a personalized helmet in recognition of his support for fire fighters and the challenges that lie ahead.
Two Houston, Texas, fire fighters die while responding to a house fire on Easter Sunday morning.
The Firefighter Fatality Reduction Act of 2009, introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) and Representative Ed Perlmutter (CO), would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to promote fire fighter safety by directing the DHS Secretary to conduct a survey to determine the level of compliance with national consensus standards, as well as barriers that may exist that prevent those standards from being met.
IAFF affiliates in British Columbia set the stage for a new round of legislative victories with a focused and highly successful political action campaign leading up the province’s May election. Fire fighters establish a relationship with the government prior to the election and are aggressive in supporting key cabinet ministers who are in favor of cancer presumption and other issues.
The IAFF prepares to weigh in on the proposed amendments to the Canada Pension Plan and stands ready to voice opposition to any changes that could negatively affect professional fire fighters.
The IAFF’s national collective bargaining bill, the Public Safety Employer-Employer Cooperation Act, S.1611, is reintroduced by U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (NH) and Senator Ted Kennedy (MA).
The National Labor College makes it easier for IAFF members to earn a bachelor’s degrees by applying credits for IAFF courses towards academic program requirements.
The IAFF partners with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation to develop the “Stop, Drop, Control High Blood Pressure Campaign.”
The IAFF receives a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to fund research designed to reduce fire fighter deaths and injuries.
The IAFF is among a limited number of stakeholders participating as subject matter experts in an independent Pandemic Advisory Committee that is examining various contingencies and scenarios in the event of a flu pandemic in Canada. A survey of 1,712 Canadian IAFF members confirms that flu pandemic issues are important to them.
IAFF members are among fire fighters in major cities across the United States participating in the Project PREVENT study designed to evaluate the current state of behavioral health in the fire service.
The IAFF lobbies on the national, state and provincial levels for the passage of presumptive laws to ensure that members are protected. Forty-two states and seven provinces have some form of presumptive law in place.
IAFF members raise $28.5 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the Labor Day Telethon.
Two Buffalo, New York, fire fighters are killed after falling through the floor and into the basement of a burning convenience store while searching for a victim who was trapped.
The IAFF responds to the economic crisis by developing a comprehensive online resource that includes tools and information for evaluating the economy’s effect on communities and fire departments, as well as databases, strategic planning materials and other services to help minimize or prevent adverse action on personnel and public safety.
Two Los Angeles, California, fire fighters die while fighting wildfires at Camp 16 as they looked for an escape route from the Station Fire for the prison guards, staff and inmates, as well as other firefighting crews. Their vehicle went off a road and over a cliff, killing them instantly. The Station Fire, which was fully contained one month after it began, was the largest fire in modern Los Angeles County history and the 100th largest fire in California since 1933.
The IAFF implements a new program allowing affiliates to pay per capita dues online each month.
FIREPAC sets a record, raising $4.8 million during the 2008 election cycle. Despite the economic downturn, FIREPAC sets a goal of $5 million for the 2009-2010 election cycle.
The IAFF launches an improved website to provide affiliates and members information on presumptive legislation in their states or provinces.
The IAFF wins three Pollie Awards for the work of FIFEPAC during the 2008 election campaign to support its endorsed candidates or promote FIREPAC to its members.
The IAFF announces its Fire Ground Survival (FGS) training program designed to ensure that training for Mayday prevention and operations are consistent between all fire fighters, company officers and chief officers. This initiative relies on the experiences that IAFF members have faced on the fire ground so fire fighters in similar situations will be able to perform standard, potentially life-saving actions if they become lost, disoriented, injured, low on air or trapped.
The IAFF showcases the importance of social media in the fire service, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Flickr, among other communications vehicles.
The IAFF re-launches its campaign to enact a national collective bargaining bill for all fire fighters and emergency medical personnel.
The IAFF takes advantage of a new federal consultation on Canada’s pension retirement systems to emphasize the need for flexibility in rules and proposed rule changes that would affect fire fighters’ Registered Pension Plans and Canada Pension Plan benefits.
A major political action initiative developed jointly by the IAFF and the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association (OPFFA) helps Ontario’s 80 affiliates take political action to a new level in advance of municipal elections that take place across the province in October.
The IAFF publishes a 2010 election scorecard, presenting the results of IAFF- and FIREPAC- supported candidates in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate races, governors races and IAFF member public office races.
The IAFF develops, delivers and evaluates all aspects of hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction training for emergency responders through 10 program offerings.
As part of the IAFF/IAFC Fire Service Joint Labor Management Wellness-Fitness Initiative, the IAFF, the IAFC and the American Council on Exercise (ACE) develop the Peer Fitness Trainer certification program for IAFF members to become certified fitness trainers to address the health and fitness needs of the fire service throughout the United States and Canada.
The IAFF publishes an article on suicide prevention in the International Fire Fighter and provides resources to assist fire fighters.
The IAFF 50th Convention is held in San Diego, California. General President Harold Schaitberger vows that the IAFF will always be on the frontline fighting for its members. Delegates approve a resolution to support and encourage IAFF members to participate in campaigns during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
IAFF members raise $27.8 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the Labor Day Telethon.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announces the first round of grant awards through the SAFER program for Fiscal Year 2009. The first round represents $55 million of the $210 million and funds a total of 49 fire departments. Several more grant awards for SAFER are announced throughout Fiscal Year 2009.
The IAFF introduces a new tool to help affiliates fight station closures and staffing cuts. The web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) Coverage Area Assessment Tool is designed for affiliates to produce GIS reports quickly when hit with the threat of station closures, layoffs and other public safety threats.
With economic conditions around the country continuing to negatively impact fire department staffing and services, the IAFF expands its resources to assist affiliates and their fire departments in writing and submitting SAFER grant applications. The IAFF’s efforts to reform and promote the SAFER grant program puts thousands of fire fighters back to work protecting the public.
The IAFF launches the Frontline Blog designed to communicate with members on news, commentary and updates on issues important to the fire service.
The IAFF Financial Corporation (IAFF-FC) selects InvestforLess to provide unbiased investment advice and investment services to IAFF members in the United States.
Vincent J. Bollon retires after 21 years as General Secretary-Treasurer. A special dinner to commemorate his life and career is held in Washington, DC. More than 1,200 colleagues, friends and family attend the special tribute. In addition, he is honored with the status of General Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus at the IAFF 50th Convention.
Thomas H. Miller is elected General Secretary-Treasurer.
The IAFF establishes a new FIREPAC donor club level, the Chairman’s Council, for members who contribute $750 or more per calendar year. FIREPAC sets a record for the amount raised in a two-year election cycle: $4.9 million.
IAFF Alumni membership reaches 27,600, including 24,200 active-retirees and 3,400 inactive-retirees.
A landmark study by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows that the size of firefighting crews and arrival times have a substantial effect on fire fighters’ ability to protect lives and property at residential fires.
Six IAFF members are awarded the Public Safety Medal of Valor from Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder in a White House ceremony.
IAFF membership in the United States and Canada reaches 297,000.
The National Institute of Environmental Safety and Health (NIESH) asks the IAFF to send its HazMat instructors to assist with training workers to clean up the Gulf Coast from the BP oil disaster.
The IAFF, under contract with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), selects global safety equipment manufacturer MSA to build a prototype of a new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). The SCBA prototype relies on pressure-vessel technology that promises to make firefighting breathing apparatuses smaller, lighter and more efficient than SCBA currently in use.
The IAFF works to protect fire fighter pensions from public officials who are intent on replacing traditional defined benefit plans with defined contribution plans.
The IAFF fights back against attacks on members with an aggressive campaign that includes print, broadcast and social media to deliver the message that fire fighters are not to blame for the nation’s fiscal distress.
In a bold move that is part of the IAFF’s Fighting Back Campaign to help members wage political and legislative battles in state houses across the county, the International shuts off FIREPAC contributions to federal candidates and federal parties, party committees and the super PACs that support them.
General President Harold Schaitberger appears on the Ed Show, FOX News and the Rachel Maddow Show to protest public safety cuts. His views are published in the Associated Press, USA Today, Politico, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
The IAFF adds its voice to the chorus of emergency responder organizations calling on the Canadian government to dedicate 20 MHz of bandwidth within the 700 MHz spectrum for Canada’s public safety agencies.
General President Harold Schaitberger joins President Barack Obama at a wreath-laying ceremony at Ground Zero where 343 FDNY members died in the line of duty on September 11, 2001.
Twenty-five IAFF members from five provinces participate in the inaugural edition of the IAFF Canadian Political Training Academy held in Ottawa.
With the Canadian federal election complete, the IAFF’s attention returns to working with the Conservative government and with opposition members to advance fire fighter issues on the Canadian legislative agenda.
The U.S. Senate blocks the first stand-alone measure from President Barack Obama’s jobs bill – the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act, S. 1723. The IAFF lobbies for passage of this critical legislation, which would have provided $35 billion in funding for public safety and education, including funding for the SAFER grant program, which would have created up to 10,000 jobs.
A special session at the 2011 IAFF Legislative Conference addresses how to combat anti-fire fighter attacks from governors and state legislators on public employees and their pensions.
The IAFF expands the scope and mission of its charitable funds to better meet the ongoing needs of fire fighters and emergency medical personnel. The IAFF Burn Fund, W.H. “Howie” McClennan Scholarship Fund, Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Fund, John P. Redmond Fund and Disaster Relief Fund are reconfigured under the new IAFF Foundation. More than 800 attend the IAFF Foundation Inaugural Gala during the 2011 John P. Redmond Symposium and the Dominick F. Barbera EMS Conference in New York, New York. The Gala raises more than $800,000 for the IAFF Foundation.
At the combined John P. Redmond Symposium and Dominick F. Barbera EMS Conference, the IAFF holds a special 9/11 10-year anniversary remembrance ceremony.
Fire fighter fatality data compiled by the U.S. Fire Administration shows that fire fighters becoming trapped and disoriented represent the largest portion of structural fire ground fatalities.
A new report on fire safety released by the NFPA and IAFC warns that the confluence of budget cuts, rising call volume, personnel and equipment shortages, security issues and an overall expectation to do more with less is putting the safety of citizens, fire fighters and communities at risk.
IAFF members raise $27 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the Labor Day Telethon.
The IAFF joins with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to fight breast cancer. The IAFF encourages affiliates to go Passionately Pink for the Cure by raising donations and awareness in their communities during October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A portion of the money raised benefits the IAFF Foundation.
Two San Francisco, California, fire fighters die after being caught in a flashover house fire.
For the first time in its 32-year history, FIREPAC tops the $5 million mark in fundraising during an election cycle.
The IAFF offers Canadian members the opportunity to gain advanced executive leadership training at the joint Harvard Law School-University of Ottawa Executive Leadership Program.
The IAFF donates $37,264.80 to the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Memorial Foundation to help build a monument to fallen fire fighters in Canada.
The IAFF establishes a new Pension Resources Department to help fight back against attacks on fire fighter pensions, which have become a target of public officials, the media and the public.
The IAFF launches an online job center listing employment opportunities with fire departments in the United States and Canada, as well as job openings at the IAFF, other labor unions and municipal, state or federal agencies.
The IAFF publishes a special edition of the International Fire Fighter, “Battlefront 2011: Fighting Back.” The issue is focused exclusively on the challenges that its members face and the battles they are waging in North America. Articles address collective bargaining, right to work legislation, eliminating dues payroll deductions, threats to retirement security, pension attacks and SAFER grants, among other topics. Special emphasis is also included on threats to Canadian fire fighters.
The IAFF publishes a comprehensive retrospective account of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the International Fire Fighter.
General President Harold Schaitberger is elected to the NFPA Board of Directors.
President Barack Obama, with General President Harold Schaitberger in attendance, outlines an aggressive plan to provide more than $1 billion to hire and keep fire fighters on the frontlines, while giving preference to jurisdictions for hiring veterans after returning from their tours of duty abroad.
President Barack Obama signs a bill that transfers 10 megahertz of broadband spectrum – or D block – to be used solely by first responders in emergencies.
The IAFF testifies before the federal Standing Committee on Health in Ottawa in support of priority influenza vaccinations for fire fighters and medical first responders. Meanwhile, the IAFF launches a new infectious disease online resource to provide information on occupational infectious diseases that can affect the health and safety of IAFF members and their families.
More than 2,300 delegates, alternates and guests attend the IAFF 51st Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The theme is “Fighting Back for a Stronger Union.” General President Harold Schaitberger and General Secretary-Treasurer Tom Miller are re-elected by acclamation.
The IAFF endorses President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden for re-election. The president and vice president take the IAFF 51st Convention as an opportunity to thank the IAFF and its members for their support and promise to continue to champion labor issues.
The IAFF achieves an 87 percent winning percentage in gubernatorial, U.S. Senate and U.S. House races.
The IAFF launches a fire prevention and safety project designed to increase awareness and encourage active fire service involvement in developing and passing new building and fire codes, as well as promoting enforcement.
The IAFF introduces a four-day IAFF Fire Ground Survival Train-the-Trainer program featuring comprehensive, well-researched survival curricula developed to make the fire ground safer.
The IAFF supports Firefighters Coats for Kids, a branded program in collaboration with Operation Warm designed specifically for the IAFF and its members. The program provides brand-new, made-in-the-USA winter coats to needy children and their families.
IAFF members raise $28.6 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the Labor Day Telethon.
Two Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fire fighters die in the line of duty while fighting a vacant warehouse fire. Four men were inside the furniture store when part of the warehouse collapsed, trapping the fire fighters inside. Fellow fire fighters were able to rescue two of the men, but could not reach the other two in time.
The IAFF continues to implement its “Fighting Back Campaign,” helping affiliates in the U.S. and Canada remain on the frontlines, unwavering in their determination to beat back politically motivated assaults.
The IAFF succeeds in easing normal retirement age regulations with the Internal Revenue Service, a significant victory for the IAFF, capping a five-year campaign to protect fire fighter plans. The proposed regulations would have created significant problems for many public-sector pension plans. Under the original regulations, public sector pension plans would not have been allowed to define retirement based on years of service or a combination of age and years of service.
IAFF members respond in force to Super Storm Sandy. The IAFF establishes Disaster Relief operations and processes more than 800 disaster relief checks for members in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
The IAFF sends members new membership cards that include a bar code to make it easier to pull up members’ information and respond to requests.
Proponents of a nationwide broadband network for public safety have long touted its establishment as a means to achieve nationwide operability. The IAFF expresses concerns to congressional and other administration officials that the costs to use the network, as well as costs to equip and train first responders, could be prohibitive for many fire departments.
The IAFF works to convince policymakers of the dangerous effects that a federal government sequestration will have on public safety and fire fighter staffing, including less funding for the FIRE Act and SAFER grant programs. In addition, employee furloughs in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will likely result in delays in awarding grants, among other negative impacts.
The IAFF celebrates several legislative accomplishments in the 112th Congress, including the reauthorization of SAFER funding, promotion of safety standards, amendment of the Hatch Act and expansion of the Public Safety Officers Benefit (PSOB) program.
Two Bryan, Texas, fire fighters die when a roof collapses as they battle a fire at a Knights of Columbus Hall.
Canadian Liberal MP Ralph Goodale of Wascana, Saskatchewan, introduces M-388 to address three key Canadian legislative issues: a national Public Safety Officer Compensation (PSOC) benefit, priority access to vaccines and antivirals during an influenza pandemic and amendments to the National Building Code.
Two Indianapolis, Indiana, fire fighters are fatally injured when a car runs a red light and collides into their ambulance, forcing the unit onto its side and into a parked car.
Thanks to IAFF lobbying, the Canadian government commits to a one-year funding extension of the IAFF’s Canadian Haz-Mat and CBRNE Training.
The IAFF publishes an overview of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act and its impact on fire fighters and their families.
Four Houston, Texas, fire fighters are killed when a roof collapses during a restaurant and inn fire. As the fire fighters were conducting an interior attack, part of the roof collapsed, killing them and seriously injuring 15 others. This is the deadliest day in the Houston Fire Department’s 118-year history.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducts a study on the effects of crew size in responding to fires in high rise buildings. A firefighting crew of six fire fighters can complete 14 critical tasks, including search and rescue, 23 minutes faster than three-member crews. The results can be used to guide decisions facing communities across the country that affect safe staffing levels and the ability to effectively and efficiently respond to high rise fires.
Nineteen Prescott, Arizona, fire fighters – all members of the Granite Mountain Hot Shots crew – are killed battling a fast-moving wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona. It is the deadliest single event since September 11. Vice President Joe Biden, General President Harold Schaitberger, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, and U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) all speak at the public memorial service honoring the fallen hotshots.
World Trade Center Victim Compensation Funds are distributed. The IAFF and its New York City locals succeed in ensuring that affected members receive the medical treatment they need without incurring excessive costs associated with a prolonged and serious illness.
The IAFF again collaborates with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure to fight breast cancer. Affiliates raise $108,948, with $54,474 donated to help support IAFF members and their dependents battling cancer, as well as the Fire Fighter Cancer Support Network.
FIREPAC raises another record of $5,843,938.35. FIREPAC is now in the top one-half of one percent of the 6,063 federally registered PACs in the U.S.
IAFF members raise $26 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association “Show of Strength” Telethon on September 1. For the first time, the Telethon is broadcast on ABC and features many IAFF affiliates and the work they do throughout the year to assist MDA.
The International Fire Fighter changes frequency to four issues per year and becomes Fire Fighter Quarterly. The change allows the IAFF to dedicate resources to new media efforts, such as Facebook and Twitter and other digital communications.
The IAFF offers wine giftboxes for sale through a partnership between the IAFF Charitable Foundation and Armida Winery of Sonoma County. The limited-edition box set includes two bottles of keepsake wine featuring the IAFF logo as well as gold-crested IAFF logo stemware.
The IAFF launches the “Continuing Their Service: Fire Fighter and Paramedic Careers for Veterans” program. General President Harold Schaitberger meets with the Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Pentagon leaders to request help in identifying military personnel who might be a good fit for fire service positions.
Fire-based EMS becomes accepted as a critical function in the fire service, with nearly 90 percent of career fire departments performing some level of emergency medical services. This makes professional fire fighters the largest group of providers of pre-hospital emergency care in North America. In Canada, the debate about fire fighters’ role in EMS becomes mired in rhetoric and misleading information by rival service providers who fear that paramedics’ jobs will be eliminated.
The IAFF Canadian Office launches a Facebook page and Twitter feed as part of a larger strategy to enhance the IAFF’s visibility with Canadian members and with the public.
The IAFF’s trademark gold and black political brand is seen across the United States and Canada as affiliates participate in political action campaigns to elect fire fighter-friendly candidates. A Republican wave sweeps the country in the mid-term elections. IAFF affiliates are successful in local elections, winning support for ballot initiatives and fire fighter-friendly candidates.
Two Toledo, Ohio, fire fighters are killed while battling an apartment fire.
The IAFF lauds Congress for passing a Fiscal Year 2014 spending package that includes $340 million each for SAFER and the FIRE Act grant programs, an increase of $5 million over the previous year’s funding levels. In addition, the legislation includes new funding to train fire fighters in hazardous materials response.
Two Boston, Massachusetts, fire fighters die while responding to a nine-alarm brownstone fire.
Both chambers of Congress introduce a bill to re-authorize the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which provides long-term funding for medical monitoring and treatment programs for those who worked at the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks.
The inaugural IAFF Collective Bargaining Political Training Academy attracts 27 participants from 13 states. The program trains students to pursue collective bargaining through the referendum/initiative process at the local level.
At the IAFF 52nd Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, the IAFF unveils new active shooter response guidelines to provide active shooter victims more immediate medical care without putting EMS personnel in the line of fire. Delegates also vote to reconstruct the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colorado, adding the names of those killed in the line of duty between 1918 and 1975 to the granite walls.
14 IAFF members are the last to earn Bachelor’s Degrees from the AFL-CIO’s National Labor College (NLC) prior to its closure. Nearly 40 million artifacts from the George Meany Memorial AFL-CIO archive are transferred to the University of Maryland College Park.
Based on IAFF lobbying, the Canadian government commits that an upcoming revision of the nation’s pandemic plan will clarify that fire fighters are medical first responders who should be grouped with other health care providers when decisions about vaccination prioritization are being made.
The IAFF Fire Ground Survival (FGS) program, funded by a FIRE Act grant, is the most comprehensive Mayday prevention program available in the fire service.
The IAFF partners with the producers of “Toxic Hot Seat” to help educate affiliates about efforts to remove disease-causing flame retardants from upholstered furniture and other products.
The IAFF launches #JUSTIFYIT, a new community outreach campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of texting and driving.
The IAFF advocates for protection of fire fighters and emergency medical personnel from Ebola and other infectious diseases, recommending that first responders be equipped with appropriate protective clothing, specifically “Level C” HAZMAT ensembles.
The IAFF recognizes the long-standing, 60-year commitment between the union’s Fill the Boot campaign and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. IAFF members raise $28 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association through Fill the Boot campaigns, golf tournaments and other fundraisers.
The IAFF, along with the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) and other organizations begin developing a tool to assess community vulnerability for adverse events, including fire fighter injury and death, civilian injury and death and property loss from fire.
The IAFF launches its new Frontline app, giving members immediate access to tools and information from the IAFF on their smartphones and tablets.
The IAFF launches E-18 Media, a new, full-service, in-house radio, video and television production company and studio wholly owned by the IAFF Financial Corporation (IAFF-FC). E-18 Media is available to assist affiliates in developing their public relations, public education, media or fighting back campaigns.
The IAFF Financial Corporation (IAFF-FC) and Liberty Mutual Insurance celebrate their 10-year partnership. To date, more than 16,000 auto, home, motorcycle and other policies have been underwritten for IAFF members and their families.
Americans elect the largest congressional majority for the Republican party since 1928 in the November 2014 election. The IAFF vows to play very aggressive defense and look for targeted opportunities to advance professional fire fighter priorities in a difficult environment. These include pensions, health care, federal fire fighter issues, SAFER and FIRE Act funding, and toxic flame retardants, among other topics.
Membership in the IAFF exceeds 300,000.
The IAFF joins with a broad coalition of health, fire fighter, consumer and science groups to file a petition asking the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to ban four categories of consumer products if they contain any flame retardants in the chemical class known as organohalogens.
The White House and the U.S. Department of Labor organize a Fire Service Summit to address the importance of funding and other resources needed to successfully implement programs to increase diversity in the fire service. General President Harold Schaitberger thanks U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez for convening the Summit and vows that the IAFF will continue to push for funding to enhance diversity.
The IAFF Legislative Conference features a Presidential Forum with prospective 2016 presidential candidates from both political parties.
General President Harold Schaitberger joins a group of 9/11 responders, survivors and other union leaders to urge congressional support of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. This legislation would permanently extend the World Trade Center Health Program and September 11 Victim Compensation Fund.
IAFF priority legislation, the Defending Public Safety Employees Retirement Act, is signed into law, allowing federal fire fighters to take early retirement withdrawals before age 59 ½ without penalty and to roll over Drop funds into a deferred compensation account.
As part of the IAFF/IAFC Wellness-Fitness Initiative, a new curriculum is released for the Peer Fitness Trainer certification program. The revision focuses on movement and exercise science, with lectures mostly online.
The IAFF holds its first Communications Training Academy to provide advanced communications training to IAFF leaders and members.
The IAFF develops new resources and tools to help affiliates and members recognize the signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTSD) in the fire service.
The IAFF partners with San Diego State University and the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) to properly assess the dangers of the wildland urban interface (WUI) fires and develop ways to better monitor wildland fire fighter exposure to toxins.
The IAFF provides new online resources designed specifically for Codes and Standards to help members stay informed of current issues under discussion in the code process, become familiar with codes and standards schedules and learn how to best to get involved in advocacy.
The IAFF makes a $50,000 contribution to the V Foundation for Cancer, established by ESPN and former North Carolina State University basketball coach Jim Valvano (Jimmy V) in 1993 just weeks before his death due to metastatic adenocarcinoma. The IAFF contribution is specifically earmarked for research for a cure for prostate cancer, which affects fire fighters at an alarming rate.
The IAFF and other stakeholders join forces to work toward building a Mental Wellness Roadmap Initiative to help Canadian members cope with post-traumatic stress.
IAFF members raise $28 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The IAFF provides affiliates with a toolkit to help in planning and implementing FIRE OPS 101 events in their communities. The program gives elected and other government officials and the media a better understanding of the challenges of firefighting and the resources needed to safely and effectively perform the job.
General President Harold Schaitberger reports that SAFER and FIRE Act grants have restored more than 14,500 fire fighter jobs and pumped $5 billion into local fire departments for training, apparatus, personal protective equipment and other needs.
IAFF Canadian affiliates push the Liberals to victory in the October election and put new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in office. The election paves the way for improved public and fire fighter safety in Canada.
Two Kansas City, Missouri, fire fighters are killed while battling an apartment building fire. Nail salon owner is charged with arson in order to collect insurance money. The two went inside with their crewmates to rescue anyone trapped in the building, but a portion of the building collapsed, trapping the fire fighters.
The IAFF urges members to bring their message to members and the public through a variety of channels – print, email, websites, text messaging, social media, apps and videos. The IAFF launches its new video news magazine, IAFF Dispatch, highlighting the good work of the IAFF, affiliates and members.
General Secretary-Treasurer Thomas A. Miller announces his intent to step down from his position in 2016.
The 2015 IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Service in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the first at the newly reconstructed Memorial, which now includes the names of 7,352 members who died in service to their communities since 1918.
The IAFF represents more than 85 percent of professional fire fighters and paramedics in the U.S. and Canada, the highest rate for any one union in any skilled trade or profession.
The IAFF fights back against two publications that contain errors and use misleading statements to tarnish the image of Canada’s professional fire fighters and the IAFF. This false reporting appears in a report from the Fraser Institute and in the Globe and Mail national newspaper.
The IAFF chooses to not endorse any candidate for U.S. president in the 2016 election cycle. After conducting focus groups of members on their views of the candidates on both sides of the aisle, and determining that the membership is deeply and emotionally divided between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the union remains neutral in the presidential election.
The IAFF, along with the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) Local 94 and the Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA) Local 854, are among several groups to lead the charge to reauthorize the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. Congress passes the Act as part of a large omnibus spending bill to fund the federal government for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2016.
Thanks to IAFF advocacy, Congress approves a two-year delay of the Cadillac tax, a 40 percent tax on high-cost health plans that would have taken effect in 2018.
After a multi-year effort to amend the nation’s chemical safety laws, legislation to modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act is now law. The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act strengthens the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate and ban dangerous chemicals.
At the Vincent J. Bollon Affiliate Leadership Training Summit, the IAFF broadcasts live webcasts promoted as “Safety Stand Downs” for members to watch at their fire stations and unions halls.
The IAFF 53rd Convention is held in Las Vegas, Nevada. General President Harold Schaitberger is re-elected by acclamation, and Edward A. Kelly is elected General Secretary-Treasurer by acclamation. Retiring General Secretary-Treasurer Thomas Miller is honored with a video tribute and standing ovation by delegates.
The IAFF HazMat Training Licensing Program is launched to allow fire departments and training sites to use IAFF hazardous materials training programs to train their own personnel, including HazMat Fire Responder Operations and Technician Programs.
The IAFF releases a new online cancer awareness course designed to educate members about the increased risk of developing occupational cancer.
The number of states without presumptive legislation for fire fighters who contract cancer continues to shrink. Idaho is the 34th state to win presumptive protections. IAFF lobbying pushes Congress to consider establishing a fire fighter cancer registry.
The IAFF addresses the emerging safety risks of lithium ion batteries. Representatives from the IAFF participate in workshops sponsored by UL and NTSB and provide testimony addressing the union’s concerns about the increased prevalence of these dangerous batteries.
The IAFF provides support to members responding to the June 12 Pulse nightclub mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, the deadliest mass shooting in American history. An IAFF Peer Support Team is on the ground within hours to begin helping members process and heal from the devastating event.
The IAFF announces its plans to build an IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery in Prince George’s County, Maryland to provide comprehensive and best-practice treatment from clinicians who understand the types of trauma experienced by IAFF members. The Center will also serve to train and educate peer support members on the unique challenges presented in the treatment of post-traumatic stress and substance abuse in the fire fighter population.
The IAFF expresses concerns that a flame resistance standard by UL Canada for furniture now being developed in Canada could lead to an increase in the use of chemical flame retardants.
The IAFF holds a two-day IAFF Cancer Summit in San Francisco, California. Researchers, physicians, epidemiologists and other subject matter experts, along with affiliate leaders from the United States and Canada, meet to discuss occupational cancer concerns confronting the fire service.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association, which the IAFF has supported for more than 60 years – raising $558 million – unveils a revitalized brand. For the first time, a young adult is selected as its new National Goodwill Ambassador.
The IAFF premiers the pilot episode of “Kitchen Table,” a new video program formatted to replicate the station visits General President Harold Schaitberger makes throughout his travels across North America.
IAFF members raise $26 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Two Wilmington, Delaware, fire fighters die battling a home arson fire. The fire takes the lives of the two fire fighters and injures four other fire fighters, one of whom dies two months later.
Due in large part to the IAFF’s advocacy, the U.S. Department of Justice begins to process benefits for survivors of fire fighters who died from 9/11-related illnesses. The new protocol marks the first time the U.S. Department of Justice has accepted occupational illnesses as an injury for the purposes of awarding PSOB benefits, which now stand at $339,881.
The IAFF Financial Corporation (IAFF-FC) reaches $4 billion in assets. IAFF-FC programs include the FrontLine Deferred Compensation program, auto and home insurance programs, home mortgage and refinance programs and a variety of group and individual insurance options.
The IAFF continues its partnership with other fire service organizations to develop two new data systems: the National Fire Operations Reporting System (NFORS), which will allow fire fighters to enter information easily on their mobile devices, tablets or station computers, and a GIS-based tool that offers a user-friendly system for assessing community risks and fire department performance.
The IAFF produces a new explainer video on the NFPA 1710 Standard as a tool for conveying the message that proper staffing levels are essentials for keeping communities safe.
IAFF membership in the United States and Canada reaches 302,000 at a time when most labor union membership has declined.
Unmanned Aerial Systems, also known as drones, are increasingly being used at emergency scenes. While some are a welcome resource, others are interfering with fire operations.
President Donald Trump signs one of the IAFF’s legislative priorities into law – the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System Act of 2016. Despite its enactment, General President Harold Schaitberger argues that the $36.28 million allocated is insufficient to fund all 28 national US&R teams.
President Donald Trump issues a Presidential Memorandum freezing all federal hiring. Due to IAFF advocacy, federal fire fighters are exempt from the hiring freeze.
IAFF leaders from across Canada join Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and General President Harold Schaitberger on the steps of Parliament Hill for the formal announcement of a national line-of-duty death benefit for the families of fallen fire fighters and other public safety officers. The benefit provides $80 million over five years, and $20 million thereafter. The PSOC provides $300,000 as a direct payment to the surviving families of fallen public safety officers, in addition to any other benefit that may be available.
The IAFF, along with 10 other consumer healthcare and science organizations, successfully lobby the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to grant a petition to begin the rulemaking process to ban the sale of four categories of consumer products if they contain any organohalogen flame retardant – children’s products, mattresses, electronic casings and furniture.
Due in large part to IAFF’s efforts, 35 states and 11 provinces have presumptive laws that recognize cancers as job-related diseases.
The Political Training Academy, held in Baltimore, Maryland, is renamed the A. Michael Mullane Political Training Academy in honor of the late 3rd District Vice President Michael Mullane. Developed through FIREPAC, the Academy educates and assists 50 IAFF campaign veterans and political newcomers on how to run for elected office, manage a political campaign or direct an affiliate’s political action program.
The IAFF and the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes discuss a potential joint research project on issues surrounding the omission of fire fighter safety as an objective of Canada’s National Building Code.
Two of the IAFF’s top legislative priorities are moving quickly through the U.S. legislative process: the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act and the FIRE Act and SAFER Program Reauthorization Act of 2017.
The IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery opens in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, in partnership with Advanced Recovery Systems. The 15-acre campus offers multiple levels of treatment including detox, intensive in-patient care, residential care, medical monitoring, outpatient care and services and 12-step meetings.
The IAFF develops a new Emergency Response to HazMat program focusing on an integrated whole community approach with an emphasis on HazMat dangers in rail transport. The course features a blended learning approach in classroom settings and web-based training.
The IAFF partners with NantHealth to promote the GPS Cancer profile, the only test that predicts a patient’s response to drugs used to treat cancer before the patient is exposed to the drug. The IAFF reports that cancer is now the leading cause of death for fire fighters nationwide.
Vermont, Maine and Texas are among the first states to recognize post-traumatic stress as an occupational disease among first responders and provide presumptive coverage for workers’ compensation benefits. Similar legislation already exists in five Canadian provinces.
The IAFF leads disaster relief operations after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida. The union uses its state-of-the-art GIS mapping system to determine the locations of the more than 5,000 IAFF members whose homes and families might be in danger. Peer support counselors are flown in to help IAFF members process the life-altering destruction caused by these hurricanes.
The IAFF provides safety protocols for dealing with accidental exposure to opioids for fire fighters and other first responders.
The IAFF mourns the death of Jerry Lewis at the age of 91. Over five decades, Lewis is credited with raising $2.6 billion for the Muscular Dystrophy Association as chairman of the MDA Labor Day Telethon. The IAFF has raised more than $607 million in support of MDA since the partnership’s inception.
A record number of union members succeed in court actions enforcing their rights to overtime pay under the federal wage and hour law, the Fair Labor Standards Act. These members are employed in fire departments but do not have the job responsibility to engage in fire suppression activities, such as fire code inspectors, paramedics, maintenance workers, dispatchers and arson investigators.
The IAFF signs a two-year agreement with the Canadian government to extend funding of $500,000 annually for the nation’s Haz-Mat and CBRNE Training Initiative. The IAFF has trained nearly 5,000 first responders since 2009.
IAFF members in California battle wildfires to save lives and property. General President Harold Schaitberger and General Secretary-Treasurer Edward Kelly oversee disaster relief operations, walk the fire line and meet with leaders and members.
IAFF membership in the United States and Canada reaches 310,000. The IAFF now represents almost 90 percent of all professional fire fighters and paramedics in both countries.
The IAFF announces the development of IAFF SMART, a database-driven, web-based program that supports multiple local union administration functions and is also connected to the IAFF database.
The Montreal Firefighters Association reaffiliates with the IAFF. The vote comes after three years of discussions with the Montreal Firefighters Association Executive Board and meetings to learn more about the vast range of services available to leaders and members.
The IAFF responds to the mass shooting at the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Clark County, Nevada. Eleven off-duty fire fighters are among those wounded by gunfire. More than 100 fire fighters and paramedics from Clark County Local 1908 and surrounding locals respond to the mass casualty within seconds, rushing to the scene to save lives. The IAFF quickly works to organize and mobilize teams of peer support counselors to help members involved in the response.
The new IAFF-FC Insurance Division offers members workplace assault and hazard protection, pension protection, identity protection, individual life insurance, auto and homeowners insurance and dental insurance.
AT&T is awarded a multi-billion dollar 25-year contract to build and maintain the Fires Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). But the new proposal only addresses data and does nothing to address interoperability for mission-critical voice. General President Harold Schaitberger argues that a data network can supplement, but not replace, existing voice communications systems and should not be viewed as a potential substitute for current legacy voice communications systems.
The Canadian Government formally proclaims the second Sunday in September every year as Firefighters’ National Memorial Day.
Montreal, QB Local 125 President Ronald Martin holds the of Prompier Trimestriel, a French-Language edition of Fire Fighter Quarterly magazine. The Fall 2017 edition was produced and mailed to all 2,300 members of the Montreal Firefighters Association.
IAFF members finished the 2017 Fill the Boot season on a high note, raising $24 million to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The IAFF celebrates its 100th anniversary with the theme, A Century of Progress Through Unity.
Chair of the Medical Advisory Board James Melius dies. He was an occupational physician and leader in occupational medicine who served on the Board for the IAFF from 1983 until his death.
100 years to the day of its founding, the IAFF holds a centennial event at what was the AFL headquarters in 1918 – now the Marriott Marquis Hotel. Representatives from many of the original fire fighter unions participate in the program, which is broadcast live on Facebook and includes a recreation of the photo taken of delegates during the first IAFF Convention in 1918. Affiliates across the United States and Canada help celebrate at the local level by participating in “Tones Across the IAFF,” striking emergency tones and announcing through their dispatch system a centennial message.
Brothers and sisters, as we gather here at the hour and place of our first IAFF Convention – and as we assemble on the very spot our founders stood 100 years ago – we stand on the shoulders of those first delegates. They might not recognize our world, or all aspects of this profession we call ‘the job,’ but they would certainly be proud of the strength and solidarity of their union – a union we have built together, this great IAFF.
Harold Schaitberger, General President (2000-2020)
The IAFF introduces a new online resource on treating burn injuries. Understanding Burn Care provides facts on diagnosing and treating burns with a special focus on fire fighter burn injuries.
A survey of more than 7,000 IAFF members by the IAFF and WNBC on the stresses of the job and the impact on their mental health shows that 77 percent have stressful experiences that cause lingering or unresolved emotional issues; 19 percent have had thoughts of suicide; and 27 percent said stress has led to substance abuse.
The IAFF provides peer support and counseling to dozens of members from several south Florida locals involved in the response to a deadly mass shooting incident at a Broward County high school that killed 17 and injured 14 others.
We want to make sure that our members … who worked this tragic scene – as well as their families – are aware of the behavioral health resources available to them. We want them to know that the IAFF will be with them to address any issues now and an in the long term.
Harold Schaitberger, General President (2000-2020)
The IAFF launches a $100 for 100 Years campaign to raise money for the IAFF Foundation, and asks every member to donate $100 for the union’s 100th anniversary.
The IAFF’s collective bargaining bill – the Public Safety Employer Employee Cooperation Act of 2018 – is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives John Duncan (R-TN) and Dan Kildee (D-MI). The bill ensures that all fire fighters and other public safety officers have access to basic collective bargaining rights in the workplace.
The IAFF holds a one-day Cancer Summit featuring subject matter experts who address an array of topics on cancer in the fire service.
The Alberta, Canada, government adds occupational disease coverage for ovarian and cervical cancer for fire fighters in the province while reducing the number of years required on the job to qualify for testicular cancer coverage from 20 to 10.
The IAFF Confined Space Rescue HazMat course is revised to meet OSHA regulations and NFPA standards.
Based on the many strong relationships our union has built over the years with lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle, the time is right to move forward and renew the case for collective bargaining in the United States Congress.
Harold Schaitberger, General President (2000-2020)
Ontario passes legislation to allow fire fighters who have paramedic certification to use those skills in the field, paving the way for two fire fighter-paramedic pilot sites in the province.
The IAFF Financial Corporation (IAFF-FC) offers dental and vision plans for all U.S. active and active-retired members and family members.
In recognition of the 25th anniversary of the IAFF Canadian Legislative Conference, the program includes a look back in time at the names and faces of those who made it the success it is today, as well as the many legislative advances the IAFF has produced for Canada’s professional fire fighters.
It’s been an amazing journey to see the evolution of political action and legislative advocacy that has occurred across this great country and in all these provinces over the last 25 years.
Harold Schaitberger, General President (2000-2020)
The IAFF scores an important victory in a long battle to protect fire fighters from exposure to flame retardants commonly used in upholstered furniture when the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards Council votes to halt standards development of NFPA 277 to stop further development of an open flame standard for testing the flammability of furniture that would have allowed for the continued use of flame retardant chemicals.
Florida Governor Rick Scott signs SB 376, legislation that provides expanded workers’ compensation benefits to Florida fire fighters, EMTs and police officers diagnosed with post-traumatic stress linked to the job. The legislation is sponsored by state Representative Matt Willhite, an active fire fighter and member of Palm Beach County, FL Local 2928.
The Tennessee General Assembly passes the Tennessee Public Safety Behavioral Health Act giving fire fighters and first responders a minimum of 10 visits to a licensed mental health provider for counseling for post-traumatic stress as part of their benefits package.
As we head into the 54th Convention of our great International union and celebrate a century of dedication to improving the lives, safety and health and well-being of every fire fighter, let us also take this opportunity to shape our future. The vision of our forefathers to organize to meet the challenges of their day has enabled us to chart the course to meet our challenges of today.
Edward A. Kelly, General Secretary Treasurer (2016-present)
Toronto, ON Local 3888 members respond alongside police and paramedics when the driver of a rented van deliberately targets pedestrians on a busy sidewalk, killing 10 and injuring 16.
The Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association (OPFFA) celebrates the introduction of detailed new fire service and public safety regulations that require municipalities to conduct community risk assessments, publicly report fire department performance and require all fire fighters and other personnel to receive NFPA certification to their level of expertise.
Fire fighters and other first responders in British Columbia win presumptive coverage for post-traumatic stress as an occupational illness.
“It was over 100 years ago that the initial spark of unionism hit our profession,” said General President Harold Schaitberger in his state-of-the-union address during the dramatic Opening Ceremony hailing the IAFF’s history and 100 years of unity. “Over the next century, that spark lit the flame that has burned brighter and brighter as all of us together built this powerhouse of an IAFF. Now, the challenge to be great for the next 100 years comes to all of us. It’s now our turn to be pioneers.”
IAFF 12th District Vice President Dominick Barbera passed away in September 2018 after decades of service to the IAFF including 22 years as district vice president. He was especially known for being a strong advocate of fire-based EMS.
Calgary, AB Local 255 President Mike Carter was sworn in as 6th District Vice President November 26 following a special election held to fill the position vacated by Mike Hurley, who was elected mayor of Burnaby, British Columbia.
The Alberta government added occupational disease coverage for ovarian and cervical cancer for fire fighters in the province while also reducing the number of years required on the job to qualify for testicular cancer coverage from 20 to 10. The changes, announced by Alberta Premier Rachel Notley in January 2019 at a Calgary firehall, were the result of lobbying by the Alberta Fire Fighters Association (AFFA) and include cancelling an expiration date for the province’s presumptive coverage.
The families of Canadian fire fighters and other first responders who died in the line of duty on or after April 1, 2018, are now eligible for a national line-of-duty death benefit in the amount of $300,000. Enacted by Canada’s Department of Public Safety through its new Memorial Grant Program for First Responders, the benefit is the direct result of a tenacious 25-year lobbying effort by the IAFF for a national Public Safety Officer Compensation (PSOC) benefit.
The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act was signed into law on July 7, 2018, after being passed by the U.S. House and Senate. The cancer registry collects data on the occurrences of cancer in fire fighters to assist scientists with the specialized information they need for research to help strengthen our understanding of the link between firefighting and cancer, and which could potentially lead to better prevention and safety protocols.
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.