International Association Of Fire Fighters - Official Position On Smoke Alarms - October, 2008

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On The Gover IAFF 49th Convention Las Vegas,Nevada August10-15 -story page 20

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Local Scene

Edgerton Fire Fighters Settle Suit

Martin raisedmore than $2 million' Additionally, three medical organizations haveagreedto match everydollar Martin collecti,bringing his total amount raised to at least$4 million. Martin saysthe journey waswell worth "I about the it. wantedto raiseawareness plight of the peopleI call true heroes'the hri t.tpottders and the rescueand ,".ou.r| workerswho worked unselfishly and to find the remains to help savepeople"They didn't think twice of others,"hi says. journey was this Thking us. about helping me doing mYPart to helPthem"' At the finish line celebrationin EmbarcaderoPark,Martin wasjoined by

ollowing a five-yearlegalbattle,three Edgertonfire fightersand Edgerton, WiLocal 580havesettleda union discriminationlawsuitagainstthe EdgertonFire ProtectionDistrict (EFPD)' Fire fightersKennethCrandall,Arnold Lund Jr]and Mark Backeswereterminated in Juneof 2003afterjoining Local580and demandingcollectivebargainingwith the EFPD.Onlhe heelsof EFPD'stermination decision,Local580brought suit under Wisconsin'sMuniciPal EmPloYment RelationsAct. The IAFF quickly took on the caseunder its EmergencyDisputeFund (EDF) policY,which ProvidesIAFF memberswith legalrepresentation' The WisconsinEmploymentRelations Commission(WERC),the stateagency chargedwith enforcementof the Municipal EmpioymentRelationsAct, concludedthe nfpp actedunlawfully when it refusedto negotiateover wages,hours and conditions of"employmentfor its fire fightersand, instead,unlawfully relied on anti-union hostility to terminatethem. The nppp appealedthe WERC'sdecision to the RockCblnty Circuit Court, wherethe WERCdecisionwasupheld.The EFPDthen appealedto the WisconsinCourt of Appeals' *hi.h alsosustainedthe WERC'sdecision' The WisconsinCourt of Appealsheld "substantialevidence"to that therewas supportthe WERC'sconclusionthat the fighters declslonto terminate the three fire "hostility EFPD's by part in was motivated to union activities." The WisconsinSupremeCourt denied the EFPD'sPetitionfor review. Bringingthe matterto a close,the three fire fi{nters and Local 580 haveaccepteda settlementof nearly$600,000in backpay and attorneYsfees. "It took five yearsto bring justiceto the Edgertonthree,and we haverighted a very ,.rttt wrongi'saysI.AFF5th District Field and Local580member ServiceRepresentative "This is a significantwin for PatrickKilbutt.. thesethreefire fightersand the entireIAFF membershipasit demonstrateswhat an effectiveunion can do to enforcelegd' protectionsand securejusticefor members"'

some of his former teammates and colleaguesfrom the National Football Leagu-e,local government officials and ,poirorr. Fire fighters, EMT personnel and police also attended. A seriesof medical studies show exposure to Ground Zero has led to serious, long-term medical problems in thousands of rescue workers. George Martin was a star defensive end and colcaptain of the SuPer Bowl . Champion NewYork Giants (1986)' He is also a former president of the NFL PlayersAssociation. r

RetiredNFL Great Raises Millionsfor 9-11 Rescuers etiredNewYork Giantsfootball Fl player GeorgeMartin finished his H lwalk acrossthe United Statesfune I Villagein 21,2008,atNorth Embarcadero ")ourney for his For SanDiego,California. 9-11;'Martinwalkedmorethan 3,200 miles to raisemoney to help provide health carefor surviving Ground Zero rescueand recoverYworkers' 1OI LOCALSCENE

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RFSOLUTION NO. 13 COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENT: POLICY Re Confidentiality of Members' Identities and SocialSecurity Numbers WHEREAS,there is a growing problem of private information and SocialSecurity numbersbeing usedfor identity theft; and WHEREAS,the International Associationof Firefighters(IAFF) is believedto currently send out rostersthat include member'sSocial Securitynumbers which constitute a potential identity theft hazard;and WHEREAS,private information obtained from the IAFF and usedcriminally could result in significant damageto a member and could result in a lawsuit resulting in a large monetary award;and WHEREAS,the IAFF is believedto also currently require member'ssocialsecurity number for initial accessto its website; thereforebe it RESOLVED,That the delegatesassembledat the 2008 IAFF Convention in LasVegasdo herebyrequire that the International Associationof Fire Fightersimplement the following proceduresassoon aspossiblein regardsto the protection of member'sidentity and SocialSecuritynumber; and be it further: That no member'sSocial RESOLVED, Securitynumber shall be sent out or provided to any local member or local officer other than the individual member himself/herself;unless member'sindividual permission is obtained first: and be it further RESOLVED,That if the IAFF believesit is necessary to continueto collectSocialSecurity numbers,it will do so by sendinga form requestingsuch directly to the IAFF member,to be returned directly to the IAFF main office in Washington,DC, via a supplied SASE;and be it further RESOLVED,That the IAFF will investigatethe feasibility of using somethingother than a member'sSocialSecuritynumber to register and log onto its websitefor the first time; and be it further RESOLVED,That the IAFF will review its policiesconcerningthe protectionof member's private information including their Social Securitynumbers to ensurethat member information is not at risk of being compromised. This shall include making sure that the leastnumber of IAFF employeeshave accessto private member information, it is secure,and that memberinformation on IAFF computersis appropriatelyencrlpted and protectedby contemporary security standards. Submittedby: Local 2}4},Elizabeth, NJ Cost Estimate:r/z cent COMMITTEE RECOMMENDAIION: CONVENTION ACTION: RESOTUTION NO. 14 COMMITTEEASSIGNMENT: POLICY Re:Revision of GASB45 WHEREAS,healthcarehasbecomea major nationalproblem;and WHEREAS,increasingnumbers of retirees with reducedor absenthealthcarecoverage constitutesa considerableportion of that problem;and WHEREAS,GASBadopteda standard requiring the pre-funding of retireehealthcare 38 I RESOLUTIONS

benefitsfor private sectoremployees;and WHEREAS,the unintended consequenceof that standardhasbeen increasingnumbers of retireesleft with little or no healthcare;and WHEREAS,GASB45 has now becomea requirementthat affectsfirefightersacrossthe nation; and WHEREAS,GASB45 is having an adverse effecton the bond ratings for firefighter employers;and WHEREAS,the bond rating issueis perpetuatingthe samehealthcaredilemma createdby GASBcausingretired firefighters and other local governmentalemployeesto lose or havetheir healthcarebenefitssubstantially reduced;and WHEREAS.thesestandardsmandate requirementsfor retireehealthcareplans similar to standardsrequired for funding retirement systems;and WHEREAS,healthcareplans are not the same as retirement plans due to their adaptability to changingfinancial conditions through the adjustmentof premiums,deductibles,co-pays, and program options;and WHEREAS,the adoption of similar accountingstandardsfor retirement and healthcareplanshasprovento be counterproductive; thereforebe it RESOLVED,That a top priority of the InternationalAssociationof Fire Fightersis to work toward comprehensivereform of healthcarebenefitsfor retired Firefightersto includeappropriaterevisionsto GASB45. Submittedby: Virginia ProfessionalFire Fighters Cost Estimate:None COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: CON\TENTION ACTION: RESOLUTIONNO. 15 COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENT: POLICY Re: PhotoelectricSmokeAlarms WHEREAS,over 3,000citizensperishin structural fires acrossthe United Statesand Canadaeveryyear;and WHEREAS,in at least300/oof thesefires, it hasbeendocumentedthat the smokealarms operatedand in 20o/oof thesefires,the smoke alarmsweredisabled;and WHEREAS,there are two principle types of smokealarmsthat are intended to alert occupantsof building fires: ionizationand photoelectricsmokealarms.Ionizationsmoke alarmspredominantlydetectthe presenceof extremelysmall particlesof smoke- often invisible - typical of flaming fires,while photoelectricsmokealarmspredominantly detectlarger smokeparticles- alwaysvisible typical conditions found at smoldering fires; and WHEREAS,researchindicatesthat both ionizationand photoelectricsmokealarmsare intendedto provideoccupantstime to escaPe. However,ionization smokealarms may not operatein time to alert occupantsearly enough to escapefrom smoldering fires; and WHEREAS,current researchindicatesthat ionization smokealarms detectflaming fires marginallyearlierthan photoelectricsmoke. However.ionization smokealarmsare far more prone to nuisancealarms increasingthe probability that they will be disabledby building occupants;and

WHEREAS, photoelectric smoke alarms detect smoldering fires and fires starting in areasremote from smokealarmssignificantly earlier than ionization smokealarms;and WHEREAS,dual alarms,also called combination alarms,that contain both technologiesare availablebut the benefit over photoelectricin the responseto firesis marginal. They are more costly,and they will experiencethe samenuisanceproblem as ionization smokealarms;and WHEREAS,asmany fires in residential begin assmolderingfires' occupancies particularly when occupantsare sleeping, photoelectricsmokealarmsprovide more effectiveall-around detection and alarm than ionizationalarms;and WHEREAS,failure to detecta fire and provide an early alarm placesbuilding fire; occupantsat risk from an ever-escalating and WHEREAS,such escalatingfires placethe lives of firefightersrespondingto an increasing risk from such an escalatingfire; and WHEREAS,the increasein the use of photoelectrictechnologyhas the potential to savehundreds of lives eachyear and should be promoted asthe technologyof choiceby membersof the IAFF in their homes;and WHEREAS,IAFF membersshould advocate for their mandatory requirementfor placement and use of photoelectricalarms in fire and building codes,in a manner similar to recent and legislationin Vermont and Massachusetts; WHEREAS,the ProfessionalFire Fightersof Vermont, with the assistanceand technical experttestimonyfrom IAFF Local718 member and BostonFire DepartmentDeputy Chief |ay Fleming successfullylobbied for such legislationthat on May 29,2008,Governorfim Douglassignedinto law asthe first in the nation legislationmandating the installation of photoelectricsmokedetectorsin all new construction and at the time of saleof property in Vermont; thereforebe it RESOLVED,That the IAFF proposeand support the mandateof only photoelectric smokedetectorsin United Statesand Canadian federallaw, in all state,provincial and local legislation,and in all standarddevelopment organizations'building,fire and life safety codesand standards;and be it further RESOLVED,That this official LAFFposition be presentedto the United StatesFire Administration, the United StatesNational Institute of Standardsand Technology,the CongressionalFire ServicesInstitute, the National Fire ProtectionAssociation,the International Code Council, the International Associationof Fire Chiefs,the National Associationof StateFire Marshals,the Council of CanadianFire Marshalsand Fire CommissionersHealth Canada,the Standards Council of Canada,the United States ConsumerProduct SafetyCommission,and the ConsumersAssociationof Canada. Submittedby: ProfessionalFire Fightersof Vermont Local718,Boston,MA Cost Estimate:None COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: CO\IVENTION ACTION:

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