INTERNATIONAL Mid-Term Election Results — 12 contents NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS / VOL 93. NO. 6 Union Plus College Savings P. 23 FEATURES Grant recipients ON THE COVER: Special Insert: SAFER Success Story Thousands of fire fighters return to work Confronting Suicide A troubling behavioral health trend ....................................10 Mid-Ter m’s Aftermath Political landscape changes ..............................................12 General President’s Message Friends in High Places New Challenges Await Us in 2011 ....................................3 Ontario affiliates win big with Target 2010 ..........................18 General Secretary-Treasurer’s Message 2010-2011 Budget ......................................................................5 Letters to the Editor ....................................................6 Local Scene ..................................................................8 Always on the Frontline ............................................18 Across the IAFF ..........................................................21 Fully Involved ..............................................................25 On the Road ................................................................34 Retirees ..........................................................................35 P. 18 Target 2010 In Memoriam/Last Alarm ..........................................38 P. 22 On The Cover The IAFF’s efforts to change the SAFER grant program are making cities and towns safer and putting thousands of fire fighters back to work. MDA funded ALS TDI lab in action. 2 November/December 2010 From the General President New Challenges Await Us in 2011 s 2010 comes to a close, I’m sure many of you unions. Several governors said unions are the enemy are anxious to turn the page on what has been and called for trimming pay and benefits for public Aa very difficult year for so many affiliates. employees. Even as economists say things are getting better, our In state after state, we know what we’re up against. members throughout North America continue to face And following the mid-term elections, we know tight local budgets resulting in brownouts, layoffs, what we’re up against in Congress. With divided pension attacks and a climate that has resulted in control of Congress, it is clear that getting labor- difficult labor negotiations for many affiliates. friendly legislation through Congress will be nearly It has been a challenging year, but we also managed impossible in light of the gridlock and lack of to accomplish some amazing work in 2010. consensus on controversial issues. Our soup-to-nuts effort to reform and promote the The Republican Party scored significant gains on Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response November 2, winning at least 60 seats and control of Harold A. (SAFER) grant program has helped put more than the U.S. House of Representatives and reducing the Schaitberger 1,700 fire fighters back on the frontlines. Democratic Party’s majority in the U.S. Senate. The SAFER program, which originated in the office The 112th Congress will be decidedly more fiscally of the late Senator Ted Kennedy the week following the and socially conservative. “Have a 9/11 attacks as a tribute to our fallen brothers and However, the IAFF is a rare union that enjoys friends sisters, may be this union’s most significant on both sides of the political aisle, and that has led us happy and achievement yet. In years to come, SAFER will be to achieve success in the past with GOP majorities. safe holiday remembered as a bold shovel-ready program that Speaker of the House-designate John Boehner (R-OH) worked. It put our members back to work. It helped has been a long-time recipient of IAFF and FIREPAC season, and keep fire departments fully staffed. It boosted public support. safety when short-sighted local officials threatened to Many of Boehner’s presumptive committee chairs get ready for cut public safety to the bone. have also benefited from the trademark “gold and what will no In the coming year, another lucrative round of black” IAFF support, including Representative Dave SAFER grants will be awarded to affiliates, bringing as Camp (MI) in Ways and Means, Representative Peter doubt be a many as 4,000 more members back to work who had King (NY) on Homeland Security, future Budget been laid off and filling jobs that had been lost Committee Chair Representative Paul Ryan (WI), busy 2011.” through attrition. Representative Howard “Buck” McKeon (CA) in I hope you read our story in this issue about the faces Armed Services, Representative John Kline (MN) in of SAFER – the men and women who went back to Education and Labor, as well as two of the candidates work because their department received a SAFER grant. for the top spot on the Energy Committee – That wasn’t our only accomplishment in 2010. Representative Fred Upton (MI) and Representative Our members stepped up to the plate this summer John Shimkus (IL) and various incoming during the IAFF 50th Convention in San Diego. subcommittee chairs on the Appropriations Passage of Resolution 24 allows us to have the Committee. resources to fight back. On November 22, I appointed Our bipartisanship makes the IAFF unique among former San Diego Local 145 President Ron Saathoff to labor unions and other advocacy groups, and I’m proud head the IAFF’s new Pension Resources Department. of that. Because of bipartisanship, we are willing and Because of this new initiative, we will now have access able to work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. to pension experts, prepare a web-based pension And I believe we can be effective in the 112th resource that will be available to affiliate leaders, create Congress, despite the new political landscape. In fact, a preferred provider list of actuaries and pension some of the most important pro-labor legislation was experts and establish a database that will help us passed under a GOP-controlled Congress. compare and contrast pension plans. The IAFF negotiated with the Reagan administration While the creation of our pension department for improvements to the Fair Labor Standards Act to represents a profound achievement in 2010, we know provide overtime pay and other benefits for fire it will be a tremendous asset in the coming year fighters. SAFER was enacted under President George because pensions are the new battlefront. W. Bush – with a GOP-controlled Congress. The We have been stung and a bit alarmed by the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed by increasingly nasty rhetoric our opponents have used in President George H.W. Bush. the past year to attack public-sector workers. Anti- I think we can be proud of what we did in 2010, and labor forces and their allies on Wall Street have always I hope we can navigate the new political landscape and looked upon our pensions as a burden, and they have the challenging economy in 2011 so we emerge painted fire fighters and other public employees as stronger than ever. overcompensated and undeserving. They don’t want Have a happy and safe holiday season, and get ready the public to look behind the Wall Street curtain. They for what will no doubt be a busy 2011. want to point fingers at us. This fight is not over. Emboldened by the outcome of the mid-term elections, conservative governors have made it clear that they plan to continue targeting public employee International Fire Fighter 3 INTERNATIONAL Harold A. Schaitberger General President Thomas H. Miller General Secretary-Treasurer Harold A. Schaitberger, Editor Kevin O’Connor, Supervising Editor IAFF EXECUTIVE BOARD 10th District James T. Ferguson Jane Blume Bill Glanz 1st District 3029 Buchanan Street Director of Communications, Director of Public Affairs and Kevin Gallagher San Francisco, CA 94123-4201 Media Relations 2004 E. 29th Street (415) 760-8063 (Cell) Managing Editor Brooklyn, NY 11229 (415) 474-4121 (Fax) (718) 934-4933 (Office) 11th District Kristin Craine, Staff Writer Kristin Davis, Graphic Artist (917) 767-9639 (Cell) Sandy McGhee Tim Burn, Staff Writer Mesha Williams, New Media Assistant (718) 332-0001 (Fax) 1283 S. Detroit Avenue 2nd District Tulsa, OK 74120 Craig Renfro, Advertising Director • (972) 416-9782 • [email protected] Mark Woolbright (918) 599-8176 (Office) 115 McMennamy Road (918) 855-8228 (Cell) Periodical postage paid at Postmasters send changes (918) 599-9176 (Fax) Washington, DC of address to St. Peters, MO 63376 IAFF (314) 393-9755 (Cell) Published bi-monthly. 12th District 1750 New York Avenue NW (636) 397-1572 (Office) Subscription price $18 per year. Larry Osborne Washington, D.C. 20006 (636) 397-3809 (Fax) 8743 Ricardo Lane International Fire Fighter Jacksonville, FL 32216-3536 (ISSN 0020-6733) 3rd District Official publication of and © Copyright A. Michael Mullane (904) 641-5407 (Home) (904) 219-8656 (Cell) 2010 by the 50 North Bayfield Road INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF North Quincy, MA 02171 13th District FIRE FIGHTERS ® Printed in USA (617) 328-7202 (Home) Bruce Carpenter (617) 288-2100 (Office) 12 Lockview Crescent Publications Mail Agreement No. 1492438 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: P.O. Box 122 Niagara Falls, Ontario L2E658 St. Catharines, ON L2M 2T3 4th District Email: [email protected] (905) 687-2455 (Cell) William V. Taylor 206 Inlet Drive 14th District INTERNATIONAL STAFF Danny Todd Pasadena, MD 21122 Peter L. Gorman Chief of Staff Ken Long Assistant to the 3740 Northcliffe Drive (410) 317-5546 (Office) Jim Lee Administrative Assistant