SENATE COMMITEE APPROVES PRESUMPTIVE DISABILITY BENEFITS FOR FEDERAL FIRE FIGHTERS
IAFF - June 26, 2008 - A U.S. Senate Committee voted to approve legislation granting presumptive disability benefits to federal fire fighters who contract heart disease, lung disease, certain cancers and certain infectious diseases.
S. 1924, the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, was approved by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on a voice vote. The legislation was introduced in the Senate by Committee members Tom Carper (D-DE) and John Warner (R-VA).
“I applaud the Senate Committee for its swift and strong approval of the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act,” says 16th District Vice President Jim Johnson. “The Committee’s support is crucial to the bill’s final enactment and brings us one step closer towards ensuring that federal fire fighters receive the benefits they deserve.”
The legislation encountered opposition from Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), who argued that existing evidence failed to demonstrate the link between fire fighting and disease. However, Senators Carper and Warner, along with Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME), effectively rebutted the senator’s arguments, paving the way for the legislation’s approval.
“DVP Johnson and our union’s federal fire fighters have done an outstanding job educating members of Congress on the many hazards faced by federal fire fighters and the difficulty they face when applying for disability benefits,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “The IAFF will continue working with its friends in Congress to support the 16th District’s efforts and assure that the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act is enacted into law.”
Before its passage, the Committee voted to pass an amendment making a number of technical changes to the bill.
S. 1924 now awaits action by the full Senate.
COMMITTEE APPROVES CARPER BILL TO IMPROVE FEDERAL FIREFIGHTERS' INSURANCE
JUNE 25, 2008 - WASHINGTON – Today’s executive session of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs approved a bill that Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) has worked on for years to help improve worker’s compensation benefits for federal firefighters exposed to daily health risks.
Sen. Carper used his position as chairman of the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information to fight for committee approval of his Federal Firefighters Fairness Act (S. 1924).
Numerous studies have shown that firefighters – due to their daily exposure to stress, smoke, heat, various toxic substances and often infectious diseases – are far more likely than other workers to contract illnesses such heart disease, lung disease and certain cancers.
Although about 40 states have enacted laws allowing firefighters to be eligible for worker’s compensation to cover these common ailments, no such law covers firefighters employed by the federal government.
“If we’re going to send federal firefighters into dangerous situations day in and day out, we must deal with the consequences that result from their hazardous work,” Sen. Carper said. “Just as we don’t flinch when it comes time to provide protection and world-class healthcare for our men and women in combat, we shouldn’t shirk our responsibility to the men and women in the federal fire service who we depend on to protect us here at home, including those who serve at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.”
In short, this Federal Firefighters Fairness Act establishes a presumption that federal firefighters who contract diseases shown to be more prevalent among firefighters contracted those diseases on the job. This would make federal firefighters eligible for worker’s compensation benefits even if they cannot point to a specific fire or emergency situation that caused the disease.
http://carper.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=299719
HOUSE COMMITTEE RESTORES FIRST RESPONDER FUNDS
IAFF - June 11, 2008 - The Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security in the U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously approved legislation to provide additional funding for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Services (SAFER) and FIRE Act grant programs. As approved, the 2009 Homeland Security Appropriations Act for 2009 includes $230 million for SAFER and $570 million for FIRE Act.
In his budget for 2009, the president proposed significant cuts to first responder grants, providing only $300 million for FIRE Act grants and eliminating the SAFER grant program altogether.
“I applaud Chairman David Price (D-NC) and the Subcommittee for restoring funding to SAFER and FIRE Act grants,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “The president’s proposal to cut these essential programs was ill-conceived from the start, and would prove incredibly foolish today as local fire department budgets face substantial strain in the weak economy."
The funding allocated by the Subcommittee provides an additional $40 million for SAFER and $10 million for FIRE Act grants over what was appropriated for Fiscal Year 2008.
The Appropriations bill also restores the president’s cuts to additional programs first responder grant programs, including the State Homeland Security Grant Program, the Metropolitan Medical Response System and Interoperable Communications grants.
The Subcommittee’s action is only the first step in the federal budget process. The legislation will next be considered by the full Appropriations Committee the week of June 16.
COATSVILLE FIRE CHIEF RESIGNS -- PERHAPS
CHESTER COUNTY REPORTER.COM - June 10, 2008 - Coatesville Fire Chief Kevin Johnson last night denied that he has tendered his resignation, saying only that he has been having an open dialogue with his boss.
"I've had dialogue with my bosses," said Johnson. Asked specifically, if he had submitted a letter of resignation, he said: "I have tendered nothing."
"However, the ChesterCountyReporter.com has obtained a copy of a letter of resignation reportedly written by Johnson dated May 29. The letter is on official fire department stationary, but is unsigned.
"The letter is addressed to City Manager Harry Walker and reads:
""It is with deep regret and a heavy heart that I submit the following to you. Effective 30 June 2008, I do hereby resign the position of fire chief. I have thought long and hard and this was not an easy decision to make. This time frame will allow me to wrap up the pending court cases that are coming during the month.
""I have tried to move the fire department forward and at one time felt this was happening. I can (no) longer be part of an organization in which employees are continually allowed to ignore policies and procedures, ignore the chain of command and basic fire fighting principles. I can no longer accept the fact that employees are allowed to terrorize residents to forward their own agenda, nor can I accept the fact that employees can interfere with the hiring process of new employees.
""It has gotten to the point that all the stress and frustration has built up that it is affecting my family life. I strongly believe in the Coatesville Fire Department but I can no longer be part of the underhanded dealings of employees where undo stress has been created.
""I am very grateful for the support that you and Kirby have given me during the time I spent in this position. I am also grateful for the majority of council for their support as well. I truly believe that one day the misgivings of the fire department will be corrected and it will become a top notch department once again. I apologize that I can no longer lead this department in this endeavor but I cannot sacrifice my family or my health for this cause."
"Johnson took over the fire department in 2006, shortly after the previous council laid of Glen Davis, the city's full-time, paid fire chief because of budget cuts. Johnson, who works as a full-time firefighter at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, is paid $2,400 annually; he was recruited out of the city's volunteer firefighting ranks.
"Last year the Walker moved to reduce two, full-time, paid firefighters to part-time status, citing budget constraints. Local 3790 International Association of Fire Fighters fought the reduction and ultimately won, with both firefighters being returned to full-time status.
"Recently, the fire department has come under scrutiny for exceeding its budgeted overtime allotment. The city is now in the process of hiring additional full-time, paid firefighters.
DAILYLOCAL.COM - June 1, 2008 - COATESVILLE - Two weeks after it was revealed that the Coatesville Fire Department’s overtime expenses already surpassed the budget estimate for the entire year, city officials are talking about hiring a consultant to study the department.
“There are numerous organizational issues,” affecting the department, City Manager Harry Walker reported during last week’s City Council meeting.
Walker said he had contacted state officials about applying for a grant that would pay for the outside expertise and had been assured “there is a high degree of certainty” Coatesville would qualify for such funding.
He compared the grant to the larger $100,000 award Coatesville received in March from the Pennsylvania Department of Economic and Community Development’s Early Intervention Program.
That money was used to hire a state-approved consulting firm that is developing a citywide financial plan.
The grant Walker spoke about at Tuesday’s meeting, he said, is smaller and would allow financial experts to “come and look at all aspects of the fire department.” It also would come from Pennsylvania’s DECD, Walker said.
In an interview after the meeting, he said the problem is the way Coatesville’s firefighting force is divided in four factions — the paid or career firefighters; the volunteers at the Washington Hose Company; the volunteers at the West End Fire Company; and Fire Chief Kevin Johnson.
“All of those components don’t always work really well together,” Walker said. “… Our fire department costs too much money.”
On Friday, Johnson said the division is simply between the career firefighters and the volunteers.
“Due to personal agendas, it doesn’t seem to work too well,” Johnson said, but he refused to elaborate, except to say the problem has existed for at least five years.
Separate from any infighting, there had been rumors recently that city officials found stacks of unpaid bills to the fire department recently in Johnson’s city hall office.
Johnson and Walker said that was not exactly the case, although it appears there were some unpaid invoices discovered.
“What they found, a lot of them were already duplicates” of bills that had already been paid, Johnson said.
Walker said, “There were some unpaid bills, but there was a lot of duplication of bills that had been paid.”
The procedure for all departments in Coatesville is that bills are sent to the various department heads. They are responsible for signing off on each and forwarding the invoices to the city’s finance department, which then pays them.
Last week, Janel Miller, a spokeswoman for the state’s DECD, checked her department’s records and said there was no record that city officials or fire department officials had applied for a state grant to help the fire department.
Coatesville spokeswoman Kristin Geiger later confirmed that, and discussions about the city getting such a grant are “extremely preliminary.”
Miller did confirm her department sponsors programs that award money to help fire departments.
“We see fire departments apply to various types of funding,” she said.
Of three grants she immediately mentioned, one helped departments pay for emergency responder training.
Another is the Urban Development Program, which gives grants to projects that would enhance the health, welfare and quality of life of state residents, Miller said.
And the third is called the Local Municipal Resource and Development Program. Money from that can be awarded to municipal projects that Miller said improve the stability of a community and enhance the delivery of local government services.
Earlier in May, Coatesville officials confirmed the fire department had spent more than $24,100 on overtime pay in 2008, exceeding its annual budget of $15,000 in less than five months.
The extra expenses were blamed on the need for more full-time firefighters, and the city is advertising three open positions in the department.
Applications for the openings will be accepted through June 20. Afterward, a civil service test will be administered and the city hopes to compile an eligibility list from which candidates can be hired to the department.
In 2007, the city also budgeted $15,000 for firefighters’ overtime pay, but by the end of the year, the department had spent just less than $50,000.
CPR RESTORATION AND CLEANING SERVICES PARTNERS WITH DEL VAL
March 17, 2008 - Executive Board Members of the Greater Delaware Valley Professional Firefighters Association Trust met with Mr. Michael Fingerman, President and Founder of CPR Restoration & Cleaning Services, LLC during the March 17, 2007 Executive Board Meeting.
Mr Fingerman has chosen to sponsor our association. Through his generous donation, we are able to host our upcoming Riversharks Event.
Thanks to CPR Restoration and their generosity.
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WHITPAIN FIRE FIGHTERS ASSISTED BY PHILADELPHIA FIRE DEPARTMENT DELIVER TOYS TO AREA HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN
BLUE BELL, PA - On Sunday December 16, 2007 the Whitpain Township Fire Fighters Association stopped being fire fighters for a day and instead they played Santa’s helps by delivering over 3500 toys to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Saint Christopher’s Hospital for Children.
The Whitpain Fire Fighters Association partnered up this year with the local Dollar Tree store from East Norrton Township for “Operation Wellness”. The idea came from Dollar Tree’s Assistant Store Manager Calista Lynch. Each customer who shopped at this local Dollar Tree store for the past 4 weeks were asked if they would donate one dollar, sense there slogan is “everything’s $1” to this cause in an effort to collect toys for the less fortunate children who might be spending this Holiday Season in the Hospital.
The first stop on this rainy day was at the Saint Christopher’s Hospital for Children were the Whitpain Fire Fighter’s received a pleasant and surprising helping hand by the Philadelphia Fire Department’s Engine company 55. After offloading the toys in the rain at Saint Christopher’s hospital Engine Company 55 invited the Whitpain Firefighters back to their station for lunch and a change to dry off. The second stop of the day was at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and again the Whitpain Fire Fighter’s received another pleasant and surprise. This time it was Squad 47 and Engine 44 of the Philadelphia Fire Department that were on hand to help offload the remaining toys.
Whitpain Fire Fighters Association’s Vise President, Bob Gannon said at the end of the day “ What a great and satisfying day, not only did we help the children but we also got a chance to make some new friends. We need to do this again next year”. “Agreed, but lets try to make it even bigger” said Dollar Tree Assistant store manager, Calista Lynch who accompanied the Firefighters in delivering the toys to the children.
Special thanks goes out to:
Dollar Tree Store in East Norrton Township
Assistant Store Manager, Calista Lynch
All of the Whitpain Fire Fighters
The Philadelphia Fire Department, IAFF Local 22 (E-55, SQ-47, E-44, crew)
Other Local Firefighters and there family’s who helped and provided transportation
The Board and Members of the Greater Delaware Valley Profesional Fire Fighters Assoc.
Staff of Saint Christopher’s Hospital for Children
Staff of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
