The 20th Annual Legislative Conference of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) was held in Washington, D.C., this week. More than 800 delegates assembled on Monday to hear union officials and members of Congress speak on issues vital to the fire service. On Tuesday, attendees worked their way around Capitol Hill lobbying their legislators.
Speakers featured at Monday’s all-day general session included IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger, IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer Vinnie Bollon, Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.)
Firefighter Chaplain Rev. Grant McIntosh, of Fairfax County (VA) Local 2068, gave the invocation. McIntosh, who responded to the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, offered a prayer for the victims of the terrorist attacks of that day.
Schaitberger opened the session with a confirmation of the IAFF’s ongoing commitment to adequate staffing, job safety, and collective bargaining for all members. He also asked that audience members help the IAFF to “create a living memorial to those who perished in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The living memorial’s foundation, he said, “will be laid down by your hard work.”
Pointing to legislative victories the IAFF had won, including increased funding to the Public Safety Officer Benefit (PSOB), and restoring FIRE Act funding late in 2001, Schaitberger stressed the importance of the attendees’ participating in lobbying activities on Capitol Hill during the Legislative Conference . He urged them to take a strong stand when meeting with their representatives. “…. We’ve got plenty of politicians praying for our lost brothers. What we really need are elected officials who are willing to take a stand for firefighter issues when the chips are down,” he asserted.
Bollon told the group that 2001 “was the most successful year in the history of FIREPAC. ” He noted that a new donor level, the Leadership Trust, has been established for people contributing $500 or more annually to FIREPAC.
Ridge stressed the critical role firefighters will play in homeland security and explained that the President’s budget proposes providing $3.5 billion to states and local governments for training, equipment, planning and exercises that would prepare first responders for dealing with acts of terrorism. He noted that it was a “national multiyear strategy that must be backed by plans in all the states. If we secure the hometowns, we will secure the homeland,” he said.
Kennedy reaffirmed his commitment to the IAFF-backed National Collective Bargaining bill, which was defeated by four votes in the Senate last year. He urged the firefighters “to stand tough [with their legislators] when talking about collective bargaining. If they want to say thank you and show their appreciation for the job you do, let them say it by passing this piece of legislation,’ Kennedy said.
Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), Edward Kennedy’s son, was also on hand. The IAFF gave him a special award for his role in helping to secure the additional funding for the PSOB, which was created by legislation introduced by his father in 1976. The PSOB benefit was raised from $150,000 to $250,000.
Keynote speaker Gephardt pledged his support for the IAFF’s legislative priorities of a national collective bargaining bill and increased fire department staffing. Gephardt also voiced support for the FIRE Act and the SAFER initiative, which would provide funding for the hiring of an additional 75,000 firefighters nationwide. “If 9-11 has taught us anything, it’s that we’ve got to be ready to prevent and deal with terrorism-and adequate staffing is a major part of that preparedness,” Gephardt said.
