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GORE, PARRALLON, and designs are trademarks of W. L. Goree & AAssociates, Inc. Spring 2015 Fire Fighter Quarterly vol. 98 no.2 10 h 29 16 Cover Features Departments 10 2016 Election 16 Fire Ops Stresses Importance of Proper n 5 From the General President Preview Training and Resources n 7 From the General IAFF holds Presidential Decision-makers learn what it takes for Secretary-Treasurer Forum at annual fire fighters to protect their Legislative Conference communities n 9 Letters n 20 Local Scene 29 Fit for Duty n 26 Across the IAFF New peer fitness trainer curriculum n 36 On the Road focuses on exercise science to help n 37 Retirees fire fighters stay safe on the job n 42 Never Forget n 43 Last Alarm Connect with the IAFF Visit Fire Fighter Quarterly online at www.iaff.org/mag SPRING 2015 3 QUARTERLY Harold A. Schaitberger General President Harold A. Schaitberger, Editor Thomas H. Miller General Secretary-Treasurer Jeff Zack, Supervising Editor Jane Blume, Director of Communications, Managing Editor IAFF EXECUTIVE BOARD 10th District James T. Ferguson Mark Treglio, Contributing Editor Kristin Craine, Staff Writer Tim Burn, Staff Writer 1st District 3029 Buchanan Street William Romaka San Francisco, CA 94123-4201 Kristin Hazlett, Graphic Artist Mesha Williams, New Media Assistant (415) 760-8063 (Cell) 427 Spruce Avenue Cindy Pinkney, Administrative Assistant West Islip, NY 11795 (415) 474-4121 (Fax) Craig Renfro, Advertising Director • (972) 416-9782 • [email protected] (631) 893-9116 (Office) 11th District (917) 834-1414 (Cell) Sandy McGhee Periodical postage paid at Washington, 1750 New York Avenue, N.W. 2nd District 1283 S. Detroit Avenue DC and additional mailing offices. Washington, D.C. 20006-5395 Tulsa, OK 74120 Postmasters send changes of Mark Woolbright Published quarterly (918) 599-8176 (Office) address to 115 McMennamy Road Subscription price $18 per year. (918) 855-8228 (Cell) IAFF St. Peters, MO 63376 Fire Fighter Quarterly (Print) (918) 599-9176 (Fax) 1750 New York Avenue, N.W. (314) 393-9755 (Cell) (ISSN 2333-3669) Washington, D.C. 20006-5395 (636) 397-1572 (Office) 12th District Fire Fighter Quarterly (Online) (636) 397-3809 (Fax) Larry Osborne (ISSN 2333-3685) 3rd District 8743 Ricardo Lane Official publication of and © Copyright 2014 by the A. Michael Mullane Jacksonville, FL 32216-3536 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION 50 North Bayfield Road (904) 641-5407 (Home) OF FIRE FIGHTERS® Printed in USA North Quincy, MA 02171 (904) 219-8656 (Cell) (617) 328-7202 (Home) 13th District Publications Mail Agreement No. 40065725 Canada Post: Return (617) 288-2100 (Office) Fred LeBlanc undeliverables to P.O. Box 2601, 6915 Dixie Rd, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A9. 4th District 317 Avenue Road Kingston, Ontario K7M 1C8 INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE STAFF Warren May Assistant to the General William V. Taylor Secretary-Treasurer for Budget and (613) 328-2195 (Cell) Peter L. Gorman Chief of Staff 206 Inlet Drive Finance Pasadena, MD 21122 14th District Jim Lee Chief of Operations (410) 317-5546 (Office) Danny Todd Elizabeth Harman Assistant to Baldwin Robertson Legal Counsel (443) 324-2529 (Cell) 3740 Northcliffe Drive the General President for Grants (410) 317-5548 (Fax) Memphis, TN 38128 Patrick J. Morrison Assistant to the Administration and HazMat/WMD (901) 377-6549 (Home) General President for Occupational Training 5th District Health, Safety and Medicine AUXILIARY TO THE IAFF Thomas Thornberg 15th District 23594 Ulysses St. NE David Burry Jeff Zack Assistant to the General Terra McKenzie President East Bethel, MN 55005 16 Indian Pond Place President for Media, Communications (217) 424-5687 (612) 290-8015 (Cell) CBS, NL A1X6P8 and Information Systems [email protected] (709) 744-2709 (Home) Scott Marks Assistant to the General 6th District www.aiaff.com (709) 689-7574 (Cell) President for Canadian Operations Lorne West IAFF CHAPLAIN Box 581 Stn. Ft. Langley 16th District Lori Moore-Merrell Assistant to the Father Thomas Mulcrone Langley, BC Canada V1M2R9 James B. Johnson General President for Member (604) 574-5785 (Office) 3195 Dayton-Xenia Road Services, Technical Assistance and IAFF Headquarters Office (604) 868-8730 (Cell) Suite 900-303 Information Resources 1750 New York Ave. NW (604) 513-9884 (Fax) Beavercreek, OH 45434-6390 James Ridley Assistant to the General Washington DC 20006 (202) 360-1318 (Cell) President for Education, Training and (202) 737-8484 (Office) 7th District Human Relations (202) 737-8418 (Fax) Ricky Walsh TRUSTEES P.O. Box 5604 Mark S. Ouellette Kevin O’Connor Assistant to the IAFF Canadian Office West Richland, WA 99353 2681 Sicily Drive General President for Governmental 350 Sparks St. Suite 403 (509) 627-2872 (Office) New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168 and Public Policy Ottawa Ontario, Canada K1R7S8 (509) 999-3090 (Cell) (386) 314-5837 (Cell) (613) 567-8988 (Office) (509) 627-3134 (Fax) (613) 567-8986 (Fax) Alex Forrest 8th District 303-83 Garry Street IAFF FINANCIAL CORPORATION E-18 MEDIA Paul Hufnagel Winnipeg,MB R3C-419 Canada Carrie Tucker Marty Sonnenberg 2545 Oxford Road (204) 783-1733 (Office) Chief Operating Officer Executive Producer Lansing, MI 48911-1036 (204) 791-4980 (Cell) (517) 281-2832 (Cell) (204) 255-0383 (Home) EMERITI OFFICERS Gerald O. Holland (517) 484-7744 (Home) (204) 253-0496 (Station) Michael J. Crouse President Emeritus (204) 772-2531 (Fax) Ernest A. “Buddy” Mass 9th District Alfred K. Whitehead Anthony Mejia Terry A. Ritchie Ray R. Rahne Dominick F. Barbera 3444 S. Newland Ct. 3451 Julian Avenue Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus Long Beach, CA 90808 Frank A. Palumbo Kevin Gallagher Lakewood, CO 80277 Bruce Carpenter (562) 989-3667 (Office) (303) 619-2462 (Cell) James A. Fennell (562) 212-2055 (Cell) Vice President Emeritus (303) 988-0177 (Home) Russell P. Cerami Trustee Emeritus James L. Hill GENERAL COUNSEL William McGrane Elliott Hastings Thomas Woodley Dennis Lloyd Woodley & McGillivary Dominick C. DiPaulo Robert E. Palmer Charles L. Buss 4 FIRE FIGHTER QUARTERLY SPRING 2015 A Stronger IAFF at All Levels For years, the media has reported on the “declining labor Two good examples of places where we movement” and “sagging union membership.” have room to grow are North Carolina While this may be true for most other unions, the IAFF has and Georgia. For many or all of the maintained strong and consistent numbers — even throughout reasons cited above, in North Carolina, the recession. Today, we represent 298,399 members in 3,311 we have more than 3,500 professional locals, which gives us more than 85 percent “market density” fire fighters in fire departments where within the profession — the highest for any one union in any we have existing locals, but who don’t skilled trade or profession in the United States or Canada. belong to the union. Our strong Representing a high market share helps our union gain and leadership at the state and local level Harold A. maintain power and leverage that we are able to use on our there has begun to quantify the issue and Schaitberger members’ behalf. It means that we have a stronger voice in the look for a path to increasing fire service. It means we have greater influence over the wages, membership. benefits and safety conditions under which our members work. In the Atlanta metro area of Georgia, we have identified over It means we are able to maintain strong public safety for our 6,500 nonmembers as a high priority for our union. Some of citizens and keep pushing standards higher — jurisdiction by them work in departments where we have a local, some have jurisdiction. had an IAFF local in their jurisdiction in the past that is no It also means that when we have a fight on our hands at the longer active, and yet others have never had an IAFF affiliate in local, state, provincial or federal level, we have the resources to their municipality. Once again, we have initiated discussions fight back well above our weight class to protect our members’ with IAFF leaders in this region to begin a dialogue on how to — and their families’ — retirement, standard of living and turn this around. health and safety throughout their careers. At the IAFF, I am personally involved with our Executive But there is still room to increase our muscle, and we are Board and staff in creating a strategic path to provide working on a strategic plan to do just that. comprehensive assistance — from planning, to staffing, to I strongly believe that every professional fire fighter and leadership training, to communications and educational paramedic in the United States and Canada should be together materials and opportunities — to reach out to those in the IAFF. For nearly a century, our organizing process has nonmembers. served this union well. Our 16 district vice presidents have We are going to find out why they aren’t members and move worked hard to organize new locals within their districts, and them toward membership at the local level — which we know the numbers show they have been very successful.