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DUPONT, KEVLAR permanent fl ame and thermal resistance, and proven durability. and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affi liates. 1:40 PM contents JULY/AUGUST 2013 JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS/VOL. 96 NO. 3 FEATURES ON THE COVER Honoring the Yarnell 19 Public memorial service honors fallen hotshots ..............................18 INSIDE Wildfire season starts early The Battle Over Combining Police and Fire P. 20 Why the PSO model is a bad idea ..................................................10 General President’s Message Furloughs Leave Bases Less Safe Public Safety Before Politics ................................................5 Sequester threatens public safety on military bases ........................13 General Secretary-Treasurer’s Message IAFF Disaster Relief Back to Basics ....................................................................7 Tornados, flooding affect members..................................................14 Letters..............................................................................8 P. 23 Across the IAFF ..........................................................22 Always on the Frontline ............................................34 On the Road ................................................................36 Retirees ........................................................................37 In Memoriam/Last Alarm ..........................................44 San Jose, CA Local 230 Fire Ops On The Cover Nineteen Prescott fire fighters P. 30 Filling the boot for MDC make ultimate sacrifice. Connect with the IAFF on Visit The International Fire Fighter online. at www.iaff.org/mag International Fire Fighter 3 INTERNATIONAL Harold A. Schaitberger General President Harold A. Schaitberger, Editor Thomas H. Miller General Secretary-Treasurer Jeff Zack, Supervising Editor IAFF EXECUTIVE BOARD 10th District Jane Blume, Director of Communications, Managing Editor James T. Ferguson 1st District 3029 Buchanan Street William Romaka San Francisco, CA 94123-4201 Kristin Craine, Staff Writer Kristin Hazlett, Graphic Artist 427 Spruce Avenue (415) 760-8063 (Cell) Tim Burn, Staff Writer Mesha Williams, New Media Assistant West Islip, NY 11795 (415) 474-4121 (Fax) Cindy Payne, Administrative Assistant (631) 893-9116 (Office) 11th District Craig Renfro, Advertising Director • (972) 416-9782 • [email protected] (917) 834-1414 (Cell) Sandy McGhee 2nd District 1283 S. Detroit Avenue Periodical postage paid at Washington, DC Postmasters send changes of Mark Woolbright Tulsa, OK 74120 and additional mailing offices. address to (918) 599-8176 (Office) IAFF 115 McMennamy Road Published 5 times a year at irregular intervals (918) 855-8228 (Cell) 1750 New York Avenue, N.W. St. Peters, MO 63376 Subscription price $18 per year. (918) 599-9176 (Fax) Washington, D.C. 20006-5395 (314) 393-9755 (Cell) International Fire Fighter (636) 397-1572 (Office) 12th District (ISSN 0020-6733) (636) 397-3809 (Fax) Larry Osborne Official publication of and © Copyright 2013 by the 3rd District 8743 Ricardo Lane INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF A. Michael Mullane Jacksonville, FL 32216-3536 (904) 641-5407 (Home) FIRE FIGHTERS® Printed in USA 50 North Bayfield Road (904) 219-8656 (Cell) North Quincy, MA 02171 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40065725 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 2835 Kew Drive Windsor, Ontario N8T3B7 (617) 328-7202 (Home) 13th District (617) 288-2100 (Office) Fred LeBlanc 317 Avenue Road 4th District INTERNATIONAL STAFF Elizabeth Harman Assistant to Kingston, Ontario K7M 1C8 William V. Taylor Peter L. Gorman Chief of Staff the General President for Grants (613) 328-2195 (Cell) Administration and HazMat/WMD 206 Inlet Drive Jim Lee Chief of Operations 14th District Training Pasadena, MD 21122 Baldwin Robertson Legal Counsel (410) 317-5546 (Office) Danny Todd Kelli Tucker Patrick J. Morrison Assistant to the (443) 324-2529 (Cell) 3740 Northcliffe Drive President of Auxiliary to the IAFF General President for Occupational (410) 317-5548 (Fax) Memphis, TN 38128 (512) 587-0413 (901) 377-6549 (Home) Health Safety and Medicine [email protected] 5th District Jeff Zack Assistant to the General www.aiaff.com Thomas Thornberg 15th District President for Media, Father Thomas Mulcrone 23594 Ulysses St. NE David Burry Communications and Information IAFF Chaplain East Bethel, MN 55005 16 Indian Pond Place Technology CBS, NL A1X6P8 IAFF Headquarters Office (612) 290-8015 (Cell) Scott Marks Assistant to the General (709) 744-2709 (Home) 1750 New York Ave. NW President for Canadian Operations 6th District (709) 689-7574 (Cell) Washington DC 20006 Lorne West Lori Moore-Merrell Assistant to (202) 737-8484 (Office) Box 581 Stn. Ft. Langley 16th District the General President for Member James B. Johnson (202) 737-8418 (Fax) Langley, BC Canada V1M2R9 Services, Technical Assistance and IAFF Canadian Office (604) 574-5785 (Office) 3195 Dayton-Xenia Road Information Resources Suite 900-303 350 Sparks St. Suite 403 (604) 868-8730 (Cell) James Ridley Assistant to the Beavercreek, OH 45434-6390 Ottawa Ontario Canada K1R7S8 (604) 513-9884 (Fax) General President for Education, (202) 360-1318 (Cell) (613) 567-8988 (Office) Training and Human Relations 7th District (937) 429-5536 (Fax) (613) 567-8986 (Fax) Kevin O’Connor Assistant to the Ricky Walsh IAFF Alumni Coordinator General President for Governmental P.O. Box 5604 TRUSTEES Dominick Barbera and Public Policy West Richland, WA 99353 Mark S. Ouellette (786) 423-1401(Cell) (509) 627-2872 (Office) 2681 Sicily Drive Warren May Assistant to the (954) 434-3850 (Home/Office) (509) 999-3090 (Cell) New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168 General Secretary-Treasurer for (509) 627-3134 (Fax) (386) 314-5837 (Cell) Budget and Finance 8th District Alex Forrest Paul Hufnagel 303-83 Garry Street Send your address changes to Connect with 2545 Oxford Road Winnipeg MB R3C-419 Canada [email protected] the IAFF on Lansing, MI 48911-1036 (204) 783-1733 (Office) (517) 281-2832 (Cell) (204) 791-4980 (Cell) EMERITI OFFICERS Robert E. Palmer (204) 255-0383 (Home) (517) 484-7744 (Home) President Emeritus Charles L. Buss (204) 253-0496 (Station) Alfred K. Whitehead Gerald O. Holland 9th District (204) 772-2531 (Fax) Michael J. Crouse Ray R. Rahne Anthony Mejia Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus Ernest A. “Buddy” Mass 3444 S. Newland Ct. 3451 Julian Avenue Frank A. Palumbo Terry A. Ritchie Lakewood, CO 80277 Long Beach, CA 90808 Dominick F. Barbera (303) 619-2462 (Cell) Vice President Emeritus Kevin Gallagher (562) 989-3667 (Office) Charley Hall (303) 988-0177 (Home) (562) 212-2055 (Cell) Bruce Carpenter Russell P. Cerami James A. Fennell James L. Hill GENERAL COUNSEL Elliott Hastings Trustee Emeritus Thomas Woodley John K. Stephens William McGrane Woodley & McGillivary Dominick C. DiPaulo Dennis Lloyd 4 July/August 2013 From the General President Public Safety Before Politics adly, in the fire service, we experience loss in the line of duty In Portland, Oregon, city leaders cut fire much too often, including instances when we lose multiple department staffing in half, and that is making Smembers in a single incident. This year already, we’ve it harder for fire fighters to do their jobs. experienced several multiple line-of-duty tragedies, including in And the Department of Defense is Houston, Indianapolis and Bryan, Texas. And in West, Texas, a furloughing federal fire fighters who work in member of Dallas Local 58 was killed along with seven volunteer fire military installations, leaving military base fighters while battling a massive fertilizer plant explosion and fire. personnel and their families less safe. Adding But not since September 11, 2001, have we suffered a blow as insult to injury, the president of the United massive as June 30, 2013, when 19 fire fighters who were part of an States has also issued an executive order elite team of Granite Mountain Hot Shots were killed battling a directing agencies to recruit volunteers to fast-moving wildfire. fulfill duties of furloughed employees. It’s a day we will never forget. In Detroit, the largest American city to ever And on July 9, family and friends — including thousands of fire file bankruptcy, our members are paying for a Harold A. fighters from across the United States and Canada — gathered in financial disaster caused by those who stand to Schaitberger Prescott, Arizona, to honor the best of the best at a public memorial gain the most — reckless elected leaders, service that brought the nation together to mourn and remember the irresponsible decision-makers and greedy Yarnell 19. bondholders and hedge fund managers — all It was another moment in time when everyone — politicians, the while screwing workers in the process. media and the public — expressed grief and offered condolences, Yet the federal government — which spent billions of dollars to calling these men unbelievable heroes. bailout U.S. auto makers and Wall Street financiers — sits and does Only to be short-lived. nothing. Meanwhile, Governor Rick Snyder and his appointed Not even a month after returning from Arizona — where I was emergency manager, Kevyn Orr, want the public to believe that interviewed by the media about the danger of fighting fires — I was pension debt is the cause of Detroit’s