35679 Firefighter JanFeb08.qxp:LA Firefighter - uflacuflac.org/files/Firefighter_JanFeb_08.pdf ·...

We the family of Harry R.Correll write this article withsadden hearts for the great lossof a husband, father, grandfa-ther, firefighter, and a friend.We are all so proud of his lifeand we cannot thank everyoneenough for all the nice storiesthey told the family and thetremendous amount of supportwe received and are stillreceiving.

We would like to thank allthe members of UFLAC, theLA Firemen’s Relief Associa-tion, and all the men andwomen who visited and calledHarry during his illness. Weneed to thank station 64, Rayand Lorraine Mayo, Wendelland Cindy Smith for all thesupport you not only gave toHarry, but to our entire family;we really appreciated it. Harry

always told people he was notmuch company and not tobother visiting, but every timehe had a visit or phone call youcould tell his spirits were lifted.

He must have been so proudto see the men and women ofLos Angeles City Fire andSanta Barbara County Station30 (Solvang, CA) pay theirrespects at his service. Theflower arrangements made byLorraine Mayo for Harry’sservice were gorgeous and veryspecial. We know Harry lovedthem!!

Harry R. Correll was born onOctober 2, 1937 to Harry J. andNaomi Correll and was theironly child. He battled a verydifficult job-related cancer onand off for 15 years before suc-cumbing to his illness justshortly after his 70th birthdayon October 10, 2007 at 2:45a.m. with his family at his side.He passed away with a smile

VOL. 46, NO. 1 January/February 2008

The

Los Angeles FirefighterOfficial Publication of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City—Local 112, IAFF, AFL-CIO-CLC

www.uflac.org

The Los Angeles Firefighter1571 Beverly Boulevard

Los Angeles, California 90026(#ISSN01907573)

January/February 2008

PERIODICALPostage Paid

atLos Angeles, CA

In This Issue . . .Article Page(s)In Memoriam – Harry R. Correll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 8Officer’s Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 3, 4UFLAC History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5LA Firemen’s Chili Cook-off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5New Orleans – The Forgotten City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7Southern California Brush Fires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,7,14Stop the Madness – Heavy Handed Discipline . . . . . . . . . 9City of Hope “Fight for Life” Boxing Tournament . . . . . 10Helping One Another – Work Party for Tom Dowling . . 11IAFF Around The Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12CPF – Legislative Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132007 Income Tax Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

The Days Of “Business As Usual” Are Over!

The First Year with a New Fire Chief andNew Union Leadership

by Steve TuftsPresident

New Union President andNew Fire Chief Meet

December 4, 2006 is a markon my calendar that symbolizestwo significant events. It wasmy first business day as thePresident of UFLAC and it wasthe day that Mayor Villaraigosaheld a press conference toannounce Douglas Barry as theInterim Fire Chief. The nextday, the brand new Union Pres-ident and the brand new FireChief had the first of whatwould become regular andnumerous meetings.

The first item that the Chiefand I agreed on was this: wewere both in a once in a life-time position where our actionscould have a long range andpositive impact on the mem-

bers of the department. Weassured each other that wewould not conduct business asusual, that mutual destructionaccomplished nothing, andwhether we agreed or dis-agreed on issues that we wouldshow the mutual respect due tothe humbling positions withwhich we were entrusted.

I spent much of that firstmeeting expressing to ChiefBarry the most pressing needof the UFLAC membership:how important it was to spreadthe truth to the media, the com-munity, and the world aboutthe strong, hard workingwomen and men of integritythat make up the fire depart-ment. The Chief and I alsotalked about what could bedone to let the line troopsknow that they were trusted to

do their jobs, that every deci-sion they made would not bequestioned, and to give ourprofessionals the room to beprofessional.

After several hours of giveand take, Chief Barry askedme to give him three issuesthat UFLAC wanted to tacklefirst. Two days later I got backto the Chief with those issues.Some times short with wordsbut never short with ideas, Ipresented the Chief with a listof fifty-six items! The follow-ing are a few, but not nearlyall, the issues that have beenresolved:

Union submits list ofissues to Chief

• A 3-Year Contract: Aftereight months without a con-tract, the UFLAC membership

approved a three year deal withthe City of Los Angeles onMarch 2, 2007. The ratifiedcontract is set to expire in June2009.

• Discontinuing the “QuickLaunch” Program: The wellintentioned but ill-conceiveddispatch policy was causingmore problems than it was sup-posed to solve.

• Ending Non-CognitiveTests for New Recruits: Themethod by which new employ-ees were being selected wasdeselecting candidates thatwere clearly desirable futurefirefighters.

• Ending Recruit Recycling:The practice of retaining fire-fighters in the Training Acade-my who were performingbelow the minimum standardwas a cancer, eroding morale

among Training AcademyInstructors and credibility inthe fire stations.

• Revamping Return to DutyPolicy and Cancellation ofOvertime: Maintaining ourminimum staffing level eachday is critical. The polices ofcanceling pending overtimedays because a member had ashort term illness or was caringfor ill family members and thearchaic way members wereexpected to put themselvesback to duty afterwards wereoutdated.

• Automatic 1% Bonus forNew Paramedics: Firefightersthat became new paramedicsno longer have to submit let-ters requesting their 1% Edu-cational Bonus and wait forapproval before being paid.

Continued on page 2

In Loving Memory…

Engineer Harry R. Correll

LAFD Engineer Harry R. Correll

Continued on page 8

Southern California Brush FiresMore photos on pages 7 and 14.

Photos by Mike Meadows

Los Angeles Firefighter January/February 2008

The First Year with a New Fire Chief and New Union Leadership

• Apparatus Security: A goodsense policy that took a longtime to come to fruition, mem-bers are now trusted to decidehow to provide security forapparatus while they are outworking in their districts.

• Transfer Request Policy:The arbitrary and some-times misapplied “one yearin your assignment” rulewas revamped so that mem-bers can more easily trans-fer after completing proba-tionary periods and admin-istrative assignments.

• 96 Hour Assign HireExemptions: Paramedics andfirefighters that work 96extra hours of voluntary

overtime, regardless of rank,are now exempt from beingforce hired in the followingmonth.

• Assign Hire Alleviation:Company Officers can nowhelp maintain minimumstaffing levels on ambulancesand in command teams by vol-untarily working overtime inpositions for which they arestill trained.

• Light Duty for Non-dutyRelated Illnesses & Injury:Another good sense policy thatallows members that have non-duty related illnesses orinjuries to have the opportunityto fill Light Duty positionsinstead of burning up sick andcompensatory time.

Pushing ForwardIt is the Union’s demand that

there is fairness, transparencyand consistency in how cor-rective action is handled with-in the fire department. Fair-ness, transparency, and consis-tency! With the completion ofMeet and Confer on the Disci-plinary Guidelines, it is nowtime to get to work on resolv-ing how paramedics and fire-fighters rights will be protect-ed during future complaintinvestigations.

Let me be clear by sayingthat the Fire Department does-n’t need a bigger hammer; theFire Department needs betteradministrative tools in gener-al. UFLAC will continue to

discuss with Management howtheir proposed ProfessionalStandards Division will func-tion based on the belief that, ifestablished properly, it is onetool of many that may improvethe working conditions forfirefighters.

One thing is crystal clear:Those in Management respon-sible for carrying out thedepartment’s mission need torealize that the days of “busi-ness as usual” are over!UFLAC appreciates and willcontinue having a running dia-logue with the Fire Chief aboutthe issues that affect the mem-bership the most. But when it’stime for these issues to turninto action, Management

below the Fire Chief has tomuscle up and follow through.The question now is whetheror not those tasked with “mak-ing it so” are actually willingto do it.

On behalf of the ExecutiveBoard and Staff of UFLAC, Iextend my best wishes to allfor a healthy and prosperousNew Year!

LAFD Discipline…

Itʼs a New Day for Firefighters Rights

by Jon McDuffieFirst Vice President

During the final days of 2007a select few in Managementmade a mad dash to hurl disci-plinary paperwork at para-medics and firefighters in aneffort to beat the clock. Thephrase they unflinchingly usedover and over was, “... it isbusiness as usual until the lawtakes effect.” It was much likepeople who refused to weartheir seatbelts in the daysbefore the seatbelt law becameeffective. Well, the New Year ishere and it’s time for them tobuckle up!

Why Stay in the Rut?We have all had the experi-

ence of asking why certainpolicies exist or why we con-tinue conducting routine busi-ness the same old way. Theanswer is typically connected

to one of three things: budget-ary issues, ignorance, orbecause we have always doneit that way. Issues that havebudgetary considerations cansometimes be tricky, but lackof understanding and lemming-like adherence is indefensible.

Dr. Donald N. Sull, an asso-ciate professor of managementpractice at the London Busi-ness School, has written sever-al books and numerous articlesabout how good companies fallinto ruts, stagnate, and thesteps many make to recover. Inan article entitled “Closing theGap Between Strategy andExecution,” written for theMIT Sloan ManagementReview, Dr. Sull discussessome common pitfalls anddrives home two points of par-ticular interest: the folly ofstaying committed to failingpolicies out of fear of making amistake; and, the need for intel-lectual humility - that sometimes policies are dead wrongand need revision.

Some times an organizationgets it right and makes goodsense changes. During themonths of November andDecember 2007, the followingUFLAC proposed initiativeswere met and conferred uponwith the department:

• Returning to duty from ill-ness and injury;

• apparatus security;• requesting transfers with

less than a year in an assign-ment;

• full monthly assign hireexemptions for all ranks; and,

• hiring members to work outof rank to alleviate assign hires.

The challenge before thedepartment now is to continueweeding out outmoded policieswhile coming to grips with thelaw that binds them to protect therights of uniformed personnel.

FFPBR Forces ChangeWith the Firefighters Proce-

dural Bill of Rights (FFPBR)becoming law on January 1,2008 California’s firefighters,paramedics and EMT’s arenow granted procedural rightsthat Law Enforcement hasenjoyed for many years. Do notlet anyone convince you thatthe FFPBR is an attempt to pit“us against them” or any varia-tion of the phrase. The FFPBRis about protecting uniformedmembers’ rights, not shieldinga few from indisputably egre-gious errors in judgment orbehavior.

SafeguardsThe additional safeguards

provided by the FFPBR areobvious to UFLAC membersand many in Management.There are those, however, thatwill tirelessly hunt for loopholes and escape hatches inthe law. Undoubtedly, thesedisputed elements of theFFPBR will be hashed out incourt, as Section 3260 (b)gives the Superior Court ini-tial jurisdiction over proceed-ings brought by a firefighteragainst an agency in violationof the law.

One of the most glaringaffects of the FFPBR on pro-posed discipline in the firedepartment is the definition of“punitive action.” Section 3251(c) defines punitive action asany action that may lead toeverything from a written repri-mand through termination.Therefore, investigations, inter-rogations, interviews, inquiriesand all the other synonyms thatcan be used to express the gath-ering of information that maylead to discipline, from an F-1104 Reprimand or more, fallwithin the realm of the FFPBR.Also, since a written reprimandis considered punitive action,the boilerplate language -“…does not preclude furtherdiscipline…” - that is typicallyincluded in written reprimands

is now unlawful. Jeopardyattaches at the point ofissuance.

Hereʼs the rubEven with the advent and

dissemination of the firedepartment’s disciplinaryguidelines, to date there is noprocess for the intake, investi-gation, clearance or adjudica-tion, and tracking of com-plaints against or allegationsof poor performance or behav-ior of UFLAC members.“There’s the rub,” to quote theoften misquoted line fromHamlet! Even with the adop-tion of disciplinary guidelinesand the enactment of theFFPBR, the department stillhas to meet and confer withUFLAC on how our memberswill be interviewed as targetsand witnesses.

Officers and non-Officersalike should refuse to be bul-lied or intimidated away frominvoking the rights affordedthem by such case law asNLRB v. Wiengarten, Garrityv. New Jersey, and Garcetti v.Ceballos as well as the FFPBR.Do not let the actions or inac-tions of a simple few circum-vent your rights.

“Work Hard, Stay Safe, BeGood!”

Continued from page 1

New Union Officer…

Iʼm Here to Represent and Serve YOU!

by Jobe M. LeonDirector

I would like to thank all themen and women of UFLACthat put me in the Directors

seat on the Executive Board.I suspect that my electionhad a lot to do with knowinga lot of seasoned veteransbecause of my time on thejob and the young go-getter’swho know me because of myrecruitment work for the FireDepartment.

For those who may not knowme, I’ve been assigned as aFirefighter in West and SouthLos Angeles and in the down-town skid row district. Iworked on Fireboat 1 as ascuba diver for a year and wasa Peer Group Instructor for the

Drill Tower. I promoted andwas assigned as a Fire Inspec-tor for the High Rise Unit in theFire Prevention Bureau.

I later promoted to Captain Iand worked in South Centraland the Hollywood area anddid tours as a Captain I andCaptain II in the PublicAssemblage Unit, closingdown over-crowded night-clubs and regulating specialevents like the Grammy’s,street fairs and concerts.

I served as a UFLACTrustee for two years with theDental and Medical Pro-

grams. I’m also a CPATInstructor and do Mock Inter-views at the Frank HotchkinsTraining Center near DodgerStadium. I’ve overseen theHigh School Recruitment Pro-gram for the Recruitment Unitof the Fire Department.Presently I’m assigned in EastLos Angeles at Fire Station47”C” Platoon and run theExplorer Post.

Those of you that voted andsupported me know that I’m100% Pro Union…no non-sense, and will fight for yourbenefits and rights. If you

have any good ideas and wantto run them up the flagpole,e-mail me or give me a call.Your Union can be evenstronger if members getinvolved and are informedwith facts. We cannot fail ifwe have your personalinvolvement and interest inthe membership.

It’s YOUR Union! Getinvolved, get the facts, speakup, and don’t be afraid to askwhen things come up, “isthis good for the member-ship”…because that’s what aUnion is all about.

January/February 2008 Los Angeles Firefighter

Penalty Guidelines for Sworn Members

Effective January 1, 2008

by Frank LimaDirector

I hope everybody had a won-derful holiday season, and Iwish you, your family, andyour crew a great New Year. Iwanted to once again say“thank you” to the membershipfor electing me., I continue toenjoy representing the mem-bers of this great Fire Depart-ment.

Warning!This article contains undis-

puted facts, and discusses areasof great ‘public concern’, aboutthe majority of LAFD’s DeputyChiefs. Leadership, or lackthere of, is the main topic forthis article. If you are an inef-fective leader and your egobruises easily, put the paperdown quietly and walk awayslowly.

“Be good, and if you canʼt be good, donʼt

get caught.”Believe it or not, that is the

exact quote given by top man-agement, in their recent trainingof officers on the new ‘PenaltyGuidelines for Sworn Mem-bers’ (check out the last slide ofthe ‘Leadership Training’power point presentation). Whowas the brain behind thatquote? I may not have a bunchof degrees behind my name, butI can guarantee, I will not begiving that kind of sophomoricand unprofessional advice tomy crew accompanied by awink and a nod.

“Leadership” training is thenew buzzword in the LAFD.For various reasons, theDepartment has made the com-mitment to educate and trainevery member, from the rookiefirefighter up through theranks,, including all officers,,

in the area of Leadership.This commitment is a great

step in the right direction!However, the best way to trainis to “Lead by example”.Therefore, I am puzzled as towhy the Department refuses toacknowledge that some of theirtop “Leaders” are failing to setan appropriate example for therest of us. There are DeputyChiefs/Bureau Commandersthat are repeatedly beingnamed for abusing their author-ity, and treating members ofthis department unfairly. TheseChiefs are the common threadamong so many different com-plaints leading to Bboard ofRrights hearings and even liti-gation. So why is it that thesesupposed “leaders” remain in aposition to further reek havocon this department? Anyone?Anyone?

We have seen only onedemotion in the Deputy rankthis year, and that Chief wasplaced in a position that over-sees litigation brought againstthe department. Hello? Thesame litigation in which he ispersonally named! Does any-body see a problem with this?Why are we leaving theseChiefs in positions of leader-ship , when they continue tolead our Department into cor-ruption and turmoil? Nobodywants to answer that one! If weare going to overhaul andrebuild the LAFD, then weneed to start from the top.

Firefighters want to emulate their leaders

These leadership classes area great start, but they can onlyaccomplish so much. Firefight-ers watch intently,, and want toemulate their leaders. We oftenlearn what not to do,, by watch-ing ineffective leadership.There are no “perfect” leaders.Every leader will make mis-takes or use poor judgmentonce in a while. However, aneffective leader will learn fromtheir mistakes. They won’tcontinue using poor judgment,ignoring outcomes, and treat-ing members of this Depart-ment unfairly. If our leaderscontinue to be ineffective andcostly to this Department, then

someone in charge needs torectify the problem and removethese Chiefs from their posi-tions of power and influence.At some point the blame isgoing to shift from the ineffec-tive Chiefs, to those who leftthem in their positions to fur-ther demoralize our Depart-ment. Firefighters genuinelywant to respect and be lead bycompetent, caring deputies.There are plenty of competentchiefs (AC’s and BC’s) withcommon sense and experienceout there that also have therespect of the rank and file.These are the Chiefs that couldeffectively lead us in the rightdirection.

I recommend that allranks read the Chief OfficerCode of Conduct that hasbeen posted on the LAFD ChiefOfficers’ website for years. It isapplicable to all officers and itis worth reproducing some of ithere. There are a lot of lessonsin this reading. Remember tolearn from the good, what to do,and learn 10 times more fromthe bad, what not to do.The introduction says itwas written by a Chief Officerfrom San Francisco in 1943and that if the text was genderand politically correct, it couldbe the Code for today’s FireOfficers. See excerpts in boxto the right.

Rest in PeaceThank you to the Correll fam-

ily, FS 64, and to all in atten-dance at Harry’s beautiful funer-al at the Mission Santa Ines.Harry will surely be missed, buthis legend will live on.

Words of WisdomNationwide there arewe’re

over 100 firefighter deaths thisyear. Multiple deaths due to notwearing a seat belt, pleasebuckle up.

Ladder uninvolved toinvolved, properly sound theroof for integrity, and never gocross country, have a properroute of travel (bearing wall,lambeam, etc.) – Roof Safety101

Protect your precious air-way! Where SCBA wheneverpossible, don’t rush to over-

haul, don’t try to impress any-body, just suit up.

Never compromise thebasics…, too often the simplethings we are taught in the drilltower (seat belts, sounding onroofs) are compromised in ‘lineof duty’ deaths nationwide.Simplicity works. Go back tothe basics.

We have a great career…,have an attitude of gratitudetoday. Don’t neglect to do

something nice for a fellow co-worker, for you may never getthat chance again. Life is not adress rehearsal.

Remember the 5 F’s, in thisorder: Faith, Family, Friends,Fun, Fire Department. If FireDepartment is higher on yourlist than 5, you may need to re-evaluate, because you canalways promote later, and it’snot worth compromising yourfamily (divorce, etc).

Excerpts from….http://www.lacitychiefs.org/main/politics/officer%20code.html

Chief Officer Code of Conduct• To be an efficient officer you must be: first, a good disci-

plinarian and second you must acquire and use those quali-ties that characterize natural leaders of men. You must havethe respect of your men, their unhesitating obedience, and ifyou are man enough to win it, their enthusiastic loyalty.

• A bluffer on the other hand, who deliberately tackles sit-uations containing unknown factors, is a sorry sight pretend-ing to lead men in the ranks who know their part better thathe does (BES).

• The bigger the man the finer his simplicity. Rememberalways pomposity or airs are like an inflated toy balloon.Some day a pin punctures it and the result is pathetic. Build,then, your popularity on the qualities of justice and fairnessto all, inflexibility in demanding obedience, faithful perform-ance of duty, constant vigilance for the welfare and faithfulperformance of duty, constant vigilance for the welfare andinterests of your men, and above all, on such forethought andpreparation for the conduct of your office as will inspirerespect and admiration for your ability as a leader. (Kemperhad this one down!)

• The holding of an appointment does not make an officera leader. It indicates that he should be one but it is up to himto prove that he is. The appointee to the high office is justi-fied in refusing to endure unreasonable demands made uponhim, and for this should not be called ungrateful.

• Politics often raises a man to a higher-ranking positionthan he is fitted for as a leader of men. His ego becomesinflated and he considers himself the great “I AM” (T&RM).Baffled and then infuriated by unimportant happenings, he isriled and shouts commands that would put an ordinary per-son to shame, and he often humiliates officers of less rankthrough his ignorance.

• An officer cannot be a good officer if he is not a goodleader. He may be able to fool himself and even other offi-cers, but he cannot fool his company. Leadership is not amatter of physical size and physical quality, but of mentalsize and mental quality.

• The best attributes in character and personality of all thegreat leaders include simplicity, earnestness, self control,common sense, judgment, justice, enthusiasm, perseverance,tact, courage, faith, loyalty, truthfulness and honor.

• Punishment is often necessary and it does not rob a manpermanently of his self-respect if it can be administered intel-ligently as a corrective measure, and without undo severity,for it serves to bring a man to a realization of his misconduct.

• The officer who loses his temper and harshly chastises hismen not only sacrifices a percentage of his self-control, butincurs resentment from his men. If you rob a man of his self-respect, not only does he cease to respect you but alsobecomes a loss to himself and his department (BES). The useof sarcasm and the practice reprimanding a man in the pres-ence of others are the most common and cruel offensesagainst a man’s self-respect.

• Give your co-workers a chance to talk and listen to themattentively, with interest and appreciation (Thank you ChiefButler / Castro, for sincerely caring for your crews). Treatthem with the respect and consideration due intelligent men,and deal with them, as you would like to be dealt with undersimilar circumstances.

• An organization reflects the personality of its leader andif his personality is strong, energetic and cheerful the samepropensities will stamp the organization. (Chief we arecounting on you to hold your top Chiefs accountable for theiractions!)

• An officer can be commanding, firm and just withoutbeing harsh, abrupt and pompous and without assuming undoimportance. The chief factor in leadership is the leader him-self. Leadership is not bag of tricks, it is a matter of person-ality and skill and intelligence in the leader.

Three trucks collided at the intersection of Roscoe Blvd., and Havenhurst Ave. in Van Nuys.

A physical assignment was dispatched along with USAR 88 abd HR 56. It took about 40 min-

utes for firefighters to free one of the trapped drivers. Photos and Information by Brian Litt


History of…

United Firefighters of Los Angeles City

Local 112, IAFF, AFL-CIO-CLCby Jim Perry

The Firefighter’s Union wasfounded in 1906 and receivedits charter from the Internation-al Association of Fire Fighterson August 18, 1918. For manyyears Los Angeles city fire-fighters were represented bytwo organizations, the Unionand the Los Angeles Fire andPolice Protective League. Inthe early 1970s, the two organ-izations merged into the UnitedFirefighters of Los AngelesCity (UFLAC), Local 112,AFL-CIO-CLC.

The Right to OrganizeOur local union was respon-

sible for legislation that wouldguarantee firefighters in Cali-fornia the right to organize.The law forbade strikes, but itbecame the case law for organ-izing all California publicemployees.

From its inception, the goalsof UFLAC have remainedunchanged and have included:fair pay for a skillful, difficultand dangerous profession, pro-tection for his/her family, apension tailored to his/her lim-ited working years, with cost-of-living adjustments, protec-tive clothing, improved andlightweight equipment, espe-cially breathing apparatus andbetter legal protection forinjuries which result in perma-nent disability. And, of course,a reasonable workweek, vaca-tion, time off for holidaysworked, good hospital care,adequate medical examinationsand a fair promotional system.

56-hour Workweek, SafetyClothing and Salary

IncreasesIn the early 1960s the fire

department went from a two-platoon to a three-platoon work

schedule. This meant a 50 per-cent increase in the number ofpromotional possibilities.There was little or no expenseto taxpayers because of thereduced fire insurance rates.During this time firefightersworked a 62 hour work week.Through public education andpolitical action the unionfought for and achieved the 56-hour workweek.

Other significant accom-plishments of the union fromthe mid-1960s to the early1970s, include a successfulcourt case requiring the city toprovide safety clothing andequipment which members hadbeen required to purchasethemselves; the establishmentof a clause in the pension planthat allows the rates to increasecommensurate with the rate ofinflation; and the successful 7.8percent lawsuit against the cityof Los Angeles in 1975. Thatcase was filed as a class actionsuit by UFLAC ExecutiveBoard Members Don Wallace,Jim Perry and Frank Lunn,along with three police officersunder the “umbrella” of theLos Angeles Fire and PoliceProtective League, Fire andPolice Chapters. The retroac-tive pay form 1971 to 1975amounted to $35 million andestablished the base fromwhich all firefighters andpolice officers continue to ben-efit.

New Safety StandardsDuring the late 1970s and

early 1980s, the union won thelong sought-after establishmentof minimum standards for fire-fighters in California. Thesestandards led to safer helmets,mandatory safety shoes and therequirement that firefighterswear a personal alarm device

when fighting structure fires.The new requirements elimi-nated polyester trousers whilefighting fires and substitutedfire-resistant materials.

Union Fights Against Cutbacks in

Fire ProtectionThe union was also involved

in several major campaigns tomaintain the fire protection andsafety for the public. One suchcase…faced with a decliningfire department budget andincreased political pressurefrom the city council and themayor, the Fire Chief reversedhis public position on theimportance of maintaining FireCompany staffing. He pro-posed and achieved the elimi-nation of one firefighter posi-tion on every single-engine firestation in Los Angeles duringthe hours of 8 p.m., to 8 a.m.Although the union and mem-bers of the fire commissionspoke against this dramaticreduction in fire protection, thecuts were made.

Union-Community Coalition

One year later, the unionfunded an extensive public edu-cation campaign. Working withRichard Close, President of theSherman Oaks HomeownersAssociation, the union formed a“Citizens for Better Fire Protec-tion Committee”. That commit-tee included a coalition of themost influential homeownergroups, chambers of com-merce, business and serviceclubs, retired fire chiefs, as wellas organized labor. Tremendouspublic support convinced thecity council to restore $1.6 mil-lion to the LAFD budget. Thisresulted in the restoration ofthe lost firefighter’s positions.

Negotiated BenefitsDuring the same timeframe,

UFLAC utilized the recentlywon rights of negotiation andset a standard of success andachievement in the bargainingprocess. UFLAC was the firstunion to achieve city fundingof health benefits for depend-ents, a dental insurance pro-gram, a uniform allowance, ameaningful grievance proce-dure and a host of work rulechanges designed to improvethe firefighters’ profession andeconomic security for theirfamilies.

Elected Union LeadersThroughout the years,

UFLAC was privileged to havescores of elected officers whogave unselfishly of their timeand knowledge. Their continuedschooling in labor and employ-ee relations laws, managementskills, leadership and tirelessefforts on behalf of their sistersand brothers in Los Angeles andthe Fire Service throughout theNation is legend.

Several UFLAC Officers dis-tinguished themselves andwere awarded IAFF Scholar-ships to the Trade Union Pro-gram at the Harvard GraduateSchool of Business. Thoseunion officers had to take CivilService Leave from the LAFDduring their many months ofstudy and make up that timebefore taking their pensions.Those who successfully com-pleted and graduated from thatintensive study programincluded Don Wallace, LyleHall, Ralph Travis and MartinGarza.

Many other UFLAC officersdistinguished themselves onresearch projects, committeeassignments and saved the jobsand careers of many members

through courageous employeerepresentation in grievanceprocedures and Board ofRights Trials.

It would be difficult to enu-merate and individualize thedepth of commitment and lead-ership qualities of the manywho have served our union inelected and appointed posi-tions. Here is a partial list ofachievements and benefits thatthese unselfish and dedicatedmembers have provided theunion membership:

Retirement BenefitsNegotiated:

• Tier 5 pension plan.• Retiree dental subsidy.• Widows’ medical subsidy.• Elimination of widow

remarriage penalty.• City Reimbursement of the

Medicare Part B monthly sur-charge.

• Lowering from 60 to 55 thequalifying age for the retireemedical subsidy.

DROP program.

Active Member BenefitsNegotiated:

• Additional vacation andholiday time.

• Additional family illnessand bereavement leave.

• City paid $50,000 lifeinsurance policy.

• Health, dental and lifeinsurance subsidies for spous-es, minor and dependent chil-dren of active duty memberswho suffer line-of-duty deaths.

• $7,500 funeral expensereimbursement for IOD deaths.

• Dependent care reimburse-ment account.

• FLSA vacation credit.• Special-duty SOD provi-

sions.• Special duty accumulated

time bank.

Bill Wheatly1959-1969

Bill Shonborn1969-1970

Bill Waibel1970-1972

Don Wallace1972-1976

Lyle Hall1976-1984

Past UFLAC Presidents

Andy Kuljis1984-1985

Don Forrest1985-1990

Andy Fox1990-1992

Ken Buzzell1992-2002

Pat McOsker2002-2006


• Special duty rate-of-pay-conversion for the payment ofexcess sick leave.

• Minimum four-hour paymentfor off-duty safety watches.

• Show-up pay.• The 4-10 special duty work

schedule.• Arson FLSA overtime pay-

ment schedule.• Advanced salary step place-

ment.• Qualification of payroll

deductions for pension, med-ical and dental insurance pre-miums as non-taxable income.

• Bonuses for test pit Engi-neer, OCD Captains, arson doghandler, helitac, senior arsoninvestigator, chief helicopterpilot, paramedic specialists(MF and MX), swift water,EMT (monthly and 3 percent),OCD bilingual, hazmat, USAR,heavy rescue and education.

• Enhanced bonuses forSCUBA divers, ApparatusOperators, arson investigators,and EMS Captains.

• An enhanced banked timeprovision.

Addional Benefits:• Filed the grievances that

eliminated loss of holiday paywhen off IOD.

• Created UFLAC’s directreimbursement dental plan.

• Served as IAFF memberson the NFPA1710 Committeethat established national firecompany staffing and responsetime standards.

• Representing members withwork comp and pension issues,including successfully repre-senting innumerable firefight-ers and widows during theirpension hearing.

• Led hundreds of firefightersand paramedics in the City Hallprotest marches that success-fully beat back the RiordanAdministration’s attack on FireDepartment staffing.

• Worked with members ofthe department to successfullydefeat the ill-conceived one-plus-one paramedic ambulancestaffing proposal.

• Secured the commitmentfrom the City Council andMayor Riordan to restore the“tenth person” to task forcecompanies; secured the com-

mitment from the City Councilto add and staff additional res-cue ambulances as part of thefirst “five-year” plan for EMSworkload relief.

Legislative ActionIn addition to earlier legis-

lation by the union that led tothe presumption that heart,lung and hernia were jobrelated injuries, the unionlobbied state legislators torecognize that some chemi-cals were carcinogenic andwere presumed to be respon-sible for certain kinds of can-cer in firefighters. The effortpaid off. The state passedAssembly Bill 3011, a lawthat acknowledged that if afirefighter contracted any ofthese cancers it would be pre-sumed that the disease result-ed from job-related exposureto the chemicals.

Employee AssistanceProgram

Also during this time, theunion established one of the firstEmployee Assistance Programsin Los Angeles. Although it wasa major expense, the union feltthat firefighters needed help inpersonal areas such as alcoholand substance abuse, smokingcessation and other problemsthat could impact their healthand job performance. The union

implemented a program target-ing firefighters, their familiesand friends. The union fundedthe project for the first twoyears. Then, through a negotiat-ed agreement with the union, thecity provided a subsidy to con-tinue and expand the program.

Award Winning UnionNewspaper

The union started publishinga newspaper in February 1961.Since that time, the Los Ange-les Firefighter has won count-less awards for outstandingachievement in the fields oflabor and photo journalismfrom such organizations as theInternational Association ofFire Fighters, the Greater LosAngeles Press Club, the West-ern Labor CommunicationsAssociation and the Interna-tional Labor CommunicationsAssociation.

Recognizing Officers andMembers – Past and

PresentIt has been through the hard

work and dedication of the offi-cers and members of the union,past and present, and the strictadherence to the objectives out-lined in the preamble to the con-stitution and bylaws of UFLAC,that our union has become oneof the largest and most respect-ed among the organized profes-

sional fire departments in theUnited States.

____________About the writer...

Jim Perry joined the firefight-er’s union while in the LAFDTraining Academy in April 1961.He served the majority of his firedepartment career in Fire Sup-pression and Rescue, with stintsat LAFD Headquarters in vari-ous staff positions. Perry alsoserved in appointed and electedpositions on the Executive Boardof United Firefighters of LosAngeles City, Local 112, as aDelegate, Negotiator, BusinessRepresentative, Director, SecondVice-President, First Vice-Presi-dent, Secretary and PresidentPro-Tem during the Civil ServiceLeave of President Lyle Hall. Heassumed the position of Editor ofthe Los Angeles Firefighter in1970, a position he still holdssince retiring from the LAFD asa Captain II.

Steve TuftsCurrent President

L.A. Firemenʼs Credit Union Chili Cook-off 2007by Eric Guerrero

Marketing Manager Los Angeles Firemen’s

Credit UnionTwo parts chili and a whole

lotta hot! L.A. Firemen’s Cred-it Union turned up the heatwith their Third Annual ChiliCook-off on December 1,2007. The event, held at FrankHotchkin Memorial TrainingCenter, featured the secret chilirecipes of California firedepartments including LAFD,

Compton, Downey, L.A. Coun-ty, Milpitas, Monrovia, Pasade-na, and the L.A. Firemen’sRelief Association.

Everyone in attendance wasable to sample the recipes tohelp determine both the Fire-fighters Choice and Team Spir-it Awards. A panel of localchefs determined the Best DarnChili Award.

The Credit Union would liketo offer a special thank you toChief Garcia, Chief Fox, Cap-

tain Porter, and the FHTC stafffor the use of the facility;thanks to UFLAC for bringingthe MOAB and feeding every-one, thanks to the Relief Asso-ciation for bringing Wilshirethe Fire Dog and thanks to Dal-matian’s Firehouse for theirassistance with the Fire FamilyFoundation.

Best Darn Chili AwardFirst Place – Pasadena Fire

Chiks, Pasadena FD

Second Place – Pick It UpChili, Compton FD

Third Place – It’s no walk inthe park, LAFD FS 104

Firefighters Choice AwardFirst Place – LAFD Fire

Hogs

Team Spirit AwardFirst Place – Milpitas Fire-

fighters Local 1699The cookoff also served as

the inaugural event for the Fire

Family Foundation. The Foun-dation, the first of its kind inCalifornia, will help: providefinancial support to firefight-ers, their families, and to thosecharities that support the firecommunity; provide education-al support to firefighters; pro-vide financial support to firedepartments.

To learn more about the FireFamily Foundation, visitwww.firefamilyfoundation.orgor www.lafirecu.org.


The Big Easy Isnʼt...

by Jim PerryEditor

For the displaced people ofNew Orleans to return, theyneed decent housing, goodschools for their children andsecurity in their jobs. Over twoyears after the disaster, manypeople, especially low incomeworkers, African-Americansand union members, are havinga hard time finding one ofthose needs, let alone all three.

Whenever disaster strikes,union members are among thefirst to lend a hand. When Hur-ricanes Katrina and Rita hitNew Orleans in 2005, unions

members sent supplies and vol-unteered to help clean up andprovide whatever help wasneeded

I recently attended the Interna-tional Labor CommunicationsAssociation’s Convention inNew Orleans. As part of thatconvention 71 labor editors andreporters from throughout theUnited States and Canada weresent out to track down and writestories of the city’s workers’loss, desperation, hopes andstruggles. We went back to thelabor media center set up at theILCA convention hotel to pro-duce video, audio, photography,

text stories and post them on theconvention website: NewOr-leansLaborMedia.org.

Prior to our assignments we

were taken on a bus tour of thestill devastated areas of NewOrleans. I was fortunate to be ona bus with a native and proudNew Orleans working man, ChetHeld, Assistant Business Manag-er with the IBEW Local No. 130.Brother Held, who lost his ownhome in that tragedy, gave anemotional and heartfelt narrativeas we toured what is now knownas “The Forgotten City.”

After the tour we were brokendown into groups to visit specif-ic areas and talk to the citizensand workers affected by the hur-ricane and flooding. Our team’sassignment was to visit and

report on the New Orleans FireDepartment and the sad situationthe firefighters find themselvesin today. Our tour guides wereNicholas G. Felton, Jr., Presidentof New Orleans IAFF Local 632and Michael C. Langston, Local632 Vice President. Both of thesemen are full time active mem-bers of the NOFD.

One member of our team wasAngelle Bergeron, Correspon-dent/Editorial with the Engineer-ing News-Record working forthe McGraw-Hill Companies.Sister Bergeron put together thearticle on page 7 that tells ourstory as well as anyone could.

Volunteers Let New Orleans Residents

Know Theyʼre Not Forgotten

Chet Held

A resident tells reporters and editors about the lack of action or concern by

city, state and federal government agencies leaving thousands homeless.

These apartments had water up to the second floors and are all condemned,

with fencing to keep out former residents.

Fire House 21 is one of five stations that was destroyed and left uninhabit-

able. The station was stripped of all the mold and rotting wood floors, ceiling

and walls and cleaned by the firefighters assigned there. The doors were

removed because of the damage and never replaced by the city. The fire

apparatus is kept in the open bays and the firefighters have been living in

small, cramped and inadequate FEMA trailers since the floods.

Inside the stripped fire station stands the firefighters emergency gear and

fire apparatus.

Reporter Angelle Bergeron interviews Nicholas G. Felton, Jr., President of

New Orleans IAFF Local 632 outside one of the five New Orleans fire stations

destroyed as a result of the flooding. On the left is Connecticut AFL-CIO

Communications Director Paul J. Rapanault, and on the far right is Michael

C. Langston, Local 632 Vice President. Photos by Jim Perry

Inside the cramped and deteriorating government trailer outside of the dam-

aged New Orleans Fire Station 21, left to right, Fire Captain Michael Windsay,

Apparatus Operation Eric Plaisance, Captain Keith Noya and Captain

Nicholas G. Felton, Jr. Photos by Jim Perry, Editor

This temporary FEMA trailer is quickly deteriorating.


Katrina, Laborʼs Perspective...

New Orleans IAFF Local 632 Struggles Two Years Laterby Angelle Bergeron

For six days after HurricaneKatrina made landfall, firefighter Michael Windsaypatrolled his eastern NewOrleans neighborhood, rescu-ing people trapped byfloodwaters when the leveeswere breached or overtopped.He wasn’t the only one. Wind-say remembers seeing morehelicopters in any givenamount of available air spacethan he’s ever seen in his life,as first responders from acrossthe nation patrolled, rescuinghapless souls.

“Since I was in New OrleansEast, I had no idea what thecity’s struggles were,” Wind-say says of the widely reportedstories of the misdeeds of NewOrleans Police Departmentofficers. “All I know is that Ilooked left, and I looked rightand I saw water everywhere.And in between that, I saw peo-ple who needed to get out,” hesays. Windsay can recountstory after story of the kind-nesses performed by fellow firefighters and regular peoplewho became situational heroes.He is obviously proud to reportthat he heard no stories of firefighters abandoning their posts.In spite of the efforts in a time

of crisis, and in spite of the factthat police officers were caughtred-handed in unlawful acts,

the fire fighters’ story remainsuntold. “When the chips weredown, we stood up and didexactly what we were supposedto do,” Windsay says. Appar-ently, doing a good job andliving right aren’t rewarded inNew Orleans, where fire fight-ers are the only civil serviceemployees who did not win apay increase since HurricaneKatrina.

“Initially, wages have beenincreased twice on suggestionof the mayor for everyoneexcept fire fighters,” saysNicholas Felton, presidentNOFF Local 632, AFL-CIO.Pay increases for the civil serv-ice positions are adopted by theCity Council and approved bythe Mayor. Felton holds MayorC. Ray Nagin personallyaccountable for the pay dispar-ity, attributing the slight to thefact that the Local 632 hasrepeatedly expressed unified,vocal opposition to mayoralpolicies.

Fire fighters are under paid inthe first place, with starting payjust shy of $20,000 a year, Fel-ton says. “That is working anaverage of 56 hours a week,and you got to get six years ofservice before you make $10an hour. Alternately, sinceNagin has been in office, policewages have been increased sys-tematically and are currently

45-60% higher than fire fighterwages.

“I am very upset,” Windsaysays. “Do I feel we have beentreated properly since thestorm? No. Still, every day wecome in. Every time that bellrings, we are there.”

The injustice of it all and thelousy pay aren’t the only thingstaking their toll on NewOrleans fire fighters. Floodwaters destroyed or severelydamaged 22 of the city’s 33 firehouses. “Five of those 22 werecompletely destroyed, oneknocked down by the tidalsurge,” Felton says. Of those22, only a handful has beengutted, using the sweat equityof fire fighters. Although theCity has funds, nothing is beingspent on fire houses, Feltonsays. Contractors don’t wantthe work anyway, he says,because the City administrationis reputedly negligent in payingthem for work. “We’re past twoyears now and we have firefighters living in trailers,” Fel-ton says. “It’s not safe. Therewas a storm last year that blewover one of the trailers, andwe’re lucky those guys weren’tkilled.”

As if that isn’t enough, thenumber of fire fighters (710pre-Katrina) has decreased by150. Fire fighters are beingcourted by better paying jobs in

surrounding parishes. Somestill haven’t been able torebuild their homes, and haverelocated with their families.“When an employee has toleave, it’s so emotional anddraining,” Felton says. “It’slike ripping apart a family.”

Eric Plaisance, an operatorfor Squirt No. 21 in the Gentil-ly neighborhood of NewOrleans says the camaraderieisn’t what it used to be. “Youare trying to do a little morewith fewer personnel, andmorale is down,” he says. Four-man crews have been reducedto three, which increased thestress when answering a call toa fire. “Some guys don’t speakbecause of what they’ve beenthrough,” says Plaisance, whoconsiders himself blessed thathe didn’t lose his home or anyloved ones to Katrina.

The emotional toll translatesinto a huge void in public safe-ty, Felton says. To the stress,add an estimated 60% decreasein efficiency because of thereduced staff, and fightersworking three shifts in a row,and you’ve got a formula fordisaster. “We are up to 100 aday that are down with on thejob injuries,” Felton says.Since alarm systems weredestroyed, fire fighters areforced to carry radios 24/7 tomonitor calls. So they can’t

even get a decent night’s sleepmost of the time.

And what ails the fire fight-ers means inadequateprotection for the citizens ofNew Orleans . “We had a fivealarm fire recently Uptown,and before we could get there,because we were so spread out,it caught to a second housenext door,” Felton says. “Bythe time we responded, wewere down to about 35 firefighters left to protect the restof the City.”

After Katrina, the IAFFtransported New Orleans firefighters to Baton Rouge,cleaned them up, and providedthem with food, clothing, $500cash and critical stress de-briefing. “There is no doubt inmy mind that the union didmore for fire fighters than any-one else,” Felton says.Michael Langston, first vicepresident of the Local 632talked about how a unionbrother in Texas provided ahouse for Langston and hisfamily to live until they couldget a FEMA trailer in NewOrleans . In spite of all of that,the enormity of the disasterseems overwhelming. In hind-sight, anyone can see theenormity of Katrina, which wasalmost 200 miles wide. Look-ing forward, it’s hard to tellwhen her effects will subside.

In California, Lessons Learned and Lives Saved

by Harold SchaitbergerIAFF General President

The Southern Californiawildfires were a hellacious foe.

But the men and womenfrom nearly all of our local firedepartments throughout Cali-fornia and from CAL Firestood bravely in the paths of

the wildfires that marchedacross the landscape.

I watched firsthand at basecamps in San Diego, Escondidoand L.A. County as our mem-bers ignored the boundaries thatdefine their jurisdictions andworked together to battle fireand unrelenting wind.

They worked in rugged ter-rain and in brutal conditions tofight the fires. They workedtirelessly, some in 96-hourshifts, to defend communities.

Fighting a wildland fire is afar different challenge than try-ing to extinguish a structurefire, and the expertise withwhich California’s fire fightersprotected their homes and thehomes of their fellow citizens

was nothing short of aweinspiring.

We regret the loss of life andproperty. We pray for those ofour members and citizens whowere harmed by the fast-movingfires and remain hospitalized.We stand ready to assist those inRancho Bernardo, in Poway andin other communities who losttheir homes.

As capably as our fire fight-ers from California andsurrounding states performedduring the October firestorm,credit for their success alsomust go to state officials.

Were there failures? Ofcourse there were. Did thosefailures result in some addi-tional losses? Probably. Is there

more work to do? Definitely.But there were fewer problemscompared to 2003 because thegovernor and state legislaturelearned from their mistakes andimproved the state’s naturaldisaster response.

A 2004 blue ribbon commis-sion appointed by GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger rec-ommended that 150 newapparatus be purchased to helpfire fighting efforts. Some newengines have been purchased,but progress is sluggish, andfire fighters hope new equip-ment is delivered more quicklyin the coming years.

San Diego’s use of reverse911 calls to warn residents wascritically important in saving

lives, yet voters there continueto reject tax increases that wouldfund more fire stations. But vot-ers there would be wise to fundnew stations to bolster safety.

Improved communicationssince the 2003 wildfires helpedtake advantage of offers ofmutual aid from other citiesand states.

The cooperation that charac-terized daily operations of fireofficers and fire fighters fromthe dozens of fire departmentsattacking the fire prevented aneven greater loss of life andproperty. California’s responsemay have been the most suc-cessful, most comprehensiveand coordinated emergencyresponse in our nation’s history.

Corral Brush Fire. This is in the Via Escondido area, just

west of Latigo Canyon. LAFD Engine 14 is the primary

unit in this area except for Battalion 3 Staff Assistant

using a hose line to protect a structure.



In Loving Memory…

Engineer Harry R. Correll

on his face and a wink with hiseye. Our family believes he isnow with the Lord, his parents,and infant daughter. The smilewas his way of telling us he ishome and no longer sufferingfrom the intense pain, is nowhappy and at peace.

Harry was appointed to theLAFD on June 10, 1961 andwas still on active duty statuswhen he passed away with 46years of service. He spent mostof his career at Fire Station 64.When family and friends askedwhen he was going to retire hewould always say, “When thejob is no longer fun.” He justloved the job, the people heworked with and considered firedepartment members as his fam-ily. He also was a volunteer forthe City of Solvang for 20 years.

Harry loved being a fireman.When he was not working forL.A. City or on projects athome, he would often go to theSolvang Fire Department andpolish the fire engine and showthe others how to improve onsome techniques he hadlearned from the LAFD.

Harry was extremely close tohis parents. He would visitthem every week. On holiday’sif he was not on duty he wouldmake sure the family gottogether at his parents house orhis house. When he was onduty he would make sure hecalled them…this was espe-cially true on Mother’s Dayand Father’s Day. It was a greatloss for him when they passedaway in July 2001 and Decem-ber 2001. He was also extreme-

ly helpful to his mother-in-law,both emotionally and financial-ly when she became a widow ata young age. His help allowedher to stay in the home that herhusband built until her death atage 90.

Harry preferred staying athome with the family and gar-dening rather than going onvacations. He loved to work inthe yard, Harry especiallyloved rose bushes. They wereplanted all the way around hiscircular driveway in Solvang.”

As we all got older and mar-ried, Harry was always moreconcerned with our familiesand our health. He also became

very involved in the CatholicChurch. Harry was an usher atthe Santa Inez Mission Satur-day’s when he was off duty.The Catholic Church was veryimportant to him and he hopedit would be as important to hischildren when they becameolder. Together, Harry and hisfather built our house inSolvang.

Harry seemed to worry aboutothers and often put their needsahead of his own throughouthis entire life, up to his verylast day. On that day, Harry hadsome friends that came to visithim. He was in and out of con-sciousness, but he wanted tomake sure the four friends thatcame to visit were taken care ofby our family. Harry woke upand asked if his friends werestill here and wanted to makesure we offered them a, “pop”(soda, coke). He was con-cerned about his friends hiswhole life. If someone neededhelp with house painting orconstruction he did not hesitateto volunteer and work on theirprojects before his own.

Family meant a lot to him.Because, he was an only child

he wanted a large family andalways told his children that itwas lonely growing up alone.

Last year most of the familywas able to have Christmas atthe Correll home. He loved towatch the grandkids and wouldtalk like a duck, show the oldergrandchildren how thingsworked and would take thewrapping paper and wear it onhis head like a hat.

Harry’s friends on the firedepartment arranged a surprisevisit with Harry’s Engine Com-pany. That was a priceless day!This brought the happiest faceto Harry that our family hadseen in a long time.

He loved working with Wen-dell Smith who he called hisillegitimate son, and RayMayo, who he referred to asjust Ray. Harry always used totalk about how smart Wendellwas and pester Ray aboutteaching his oldest daughter,Lisa, how to surf. When shetook an EMT class and FireScience 101 for the fun of it,Harry helped her out with get-ting her ride-a-longs as well ashelping her write a paper aboutfirefighters and cancer.

The last few years of life,Harry spent as much time as hecould with his family inSolvang, as well as with hisdaughter and her family in ElSegundo. Because he lovedFire Station 64 and working,his daughter in El Segundo andher family would often visithim at the Fire Station.

Harry leaves behind his wifeJoyce of 47 years, his childrenLisa Correll-Blackford, HarryJ. Correll, Linda Correll-York,Lori Goodwin and 7 grandchil-dren. We can not forget hisfamous chocolate lab“Jake”…Harry would bring theleft overs from the stationhome to Jake.

Harry’s final thoughts that hetold his family on the day hepassed away were, “make sureyou and everyone you speak toget screened for cancer” and hetold his daughter’s, “Pleaseshow Ray some respect andattend his surfing thing he putson.” Harry was very concernedabout each one of his 7 grand-children. He was extremelyworried about leaving his wifeJoyce behind. He was happywhen his children assured himthat she would not be by her-self and that all four childrenwould always be there for her.He taught us how we should bewith our parents. We allthanked him for being such awonderful dad and we respect-ed him for all he has done. Hepassed away shortly after.

Harry loved the men andwomen he worked with over theyears. They were not just his co-workers, they were his family.The camaraderie and brother-hood within the LAFD is whyHarry continued to work as longas he possibly could before hisphysician told him that hewould need to stop working.

Our family sincerely thanksthe countless men and womenthat called and came to seeHarry during his illness…thismeant a great deal to him. Toall of the rookies, please keepthe tradition alive because themen and women of the LAFDare truly a special breed.

Continued from page 1

Harryʼs wife Joyce is holding the UFLAC plaque that was presented by Director Frank Lima.

Joyce is surrounded my her children, Harry Jr., Lisa, Linda and Lori, along with her son-in-

law and grandchildren.

In Memoriam

Harry R. Correll

Engineer

Active Duty - Fire Station 64

“B” Platoon

Born: October 2, 1937

Appointed to LAFD: June 10, 1961

Died: October 10, 2007

The officers and member of United Firefighters of LosAngeles City, Local 112, IAFF, AFL-CIO-CLC extendstheir heartfelt condolences to the family and manyfriends of Brother Harry Correll.

May he rest in peace…


Jim Perry, EditorThe Los Angeles Firefighter

Dear Jim:I want to thank you for send-

ing me your newspaper, “TheLos Angeles Firefighter.” Iknow the effort required to putout such a publication can beenormous. I know because I’vehad to do it for some time,myself.

I’m sending you five issues,we’ve published, our 2007“FDNY Retired MembersAssociation” newsletter, so youcan see what we’re up againstand what we are trying toaccomplish. As you can see, wetry to make our members moreaware of what’s happening inother than just their own backyard, and the issues never stopcoming.

Before I’m committed, Iwant to wish you and yourgang a most memorable, andjoyous time for the upcomingHolidays and especially a VeryHappy New Year to All.

Again, thank you for yournewspaper.

Sincerely,Frank MartinezSecretary/Newsletter EditorFDNY Retired Members Association

______________

Ted Nonini, TreasurerUFLAC

Dear Ted:Just wanted to say thank you

for the shirts donated by theUnion which we took on ourrecent trip to the Denver Fire-fighters Annual Chili Cook-off.We were able to sell all ofthem, which combined with thesales of our “3rd Place” win-ning chili recipe, helped tocontribute around $400 to theM.D.A. We were hoping tocontribute much more, but it

just didn’t work out that way inthe end. We were able to pro-cure a couple donations fromvendors in Denver which reallyhelped also.

The Denver Firefighterswere incredibly helpful infacilitating everything weneeded, from the booth, to thepots and pans, etc. It was agreat trip for all of us here fromL.A. City, and we were proudto represent our Department.We felt a real brotherhood withthe many other departmentsthat were represented there,from as far away as New York,to neighboring cities of Arvada.Everyone was there for a cause,and very helpful to each other.In short, it was just a greatexperience.

Thanks again,

Dennis Garrison, F.S. 64Joe Lafirenza, F.S. 102Michael Castano, D.T. 81Tim Halloran, F.S. 64

LAFD Nearer To

Disciplinary PlanNov. 20, 2007

by Rick Orlov, Daily News©2007 Permission to reprint

Hoping to head off a federal consent decree amid a lengthydepartment history of racism and discrimination, Los Angelesfire officials said Monday that they are moving closer to devel-oping a clearer disciplinary process and independent InspectorGeneral’s Office to handle complaints.

“The point we are making is that we have to be consistent,”Fire Chief Douglas Barry told the City Council’s Public Safe-ty Committee. “We are getting the expectations out there abouthow we want officers to perform. It is not what they did 20 to30 years ago. It is what is expected today.”

Barry and other city staffers were asked to present final rec-ommendations by mid-January on an inspector’s office and aprofessional standards bureau that would handle discipline forfirefighters and paramedics.

Problems of hazing, harassment and discrimination withinthe 3,900-member LAFD date back decades and have beendocumented repeatedly in audits since 1995, Personnel Direc-tor Margaret Whelan said.

But Whelan said that while a number of recommendationshave been made, little has actually changed.

Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine said he is con-cerned that action seems to only come after major lawsuits -including the most recent $1.43 million payout to former Fire-fighter Tennie Pierce.

“What we need to do is make sure we have a system in placeto deal with these problems before they become lawsuits,”Zine said.

The U.S. Employment Opportunity Commission last monthsaid the LAFD had violated workplace rules in its treatment ofwomen and African-American firefighters, triggering settle-ment talks to try to head off a consent decree.

Barry said new plans are being developed in cooperationwith United Firefighters of Los Angeles City - which hadrefused to be involved with the talks as recently as last year -and the Chief Officers Association.

UFLAC President Steve Tufts said his organization is gen-erally supportive of the changes, although a few disciplinaryissues are still subject to discussions.

John Miller of the Chief Officers Association said the coop-eration is unprecedented.

“We are working together to have a better department,”Miller said. “Unfortunately, we have had professionals actingas less than professional members.

“We have to be proactive to truly move forward and then wewill see a shift in a culture of the department,” he said.

________________Response to Daily News

“LAFD Nearer To Disciplinary Plan”This article doesn’t paint the entire picture of the Los Ange-

les Fire Department. Chief Barry is supported by the troopsand the union. Leadership starts at the top with the deputychief rank though, doesn’t it?

The article wants you to believe that problems only comefrom captains and firefighters in firehouses. There should be abig “public concern” that specific deputy chiefs are repeatedlynot credible witnesses in court, harass members that exer-cise their rights as employees, and use blatant retaliationtactics as their normal mode of operation if you’re not in their“good ol’ boys club.”

Absolutely, the great men and women of the LAFD in thefire stations who run over 1,300 calls a day should act profes-sionally and be held accountable for their actions, but whatabout the deputy chiefs? We hope the new discipline will be asconsistent with the gold badges (including deputy chiefs) aswith the silver badges (the workers).

by Frank Lima , LAFD Union Official and Fire Captain

Engine 60 and RA889 were

dispatched to the 6800 block

of Gentry Avenue in North

Hollywood to the report of an

auto fire with a civilian injury.

Upon arrival firefighters

found a fully involved truck

burning underneath high

voltage power lines.

An unidentified 60 year old

transient was sleeping in the

front seat of the truck and

was able to self-extricate

prior to the fire departments

arrival. He was evaluated by

paramedics for possible

thermal and respiratory

burns on scene. The patient

was later released following

a thorough evaluation with

no apparent injuries.

Photos and information by

Rob Curtis, LAFD


Firefighters, Police Officers and Sheriffs

“Fight for Life” Boxing Tournamentby Jim Perry

LAFD Boxing StaffFirefighters (LAFD), Police

Officers (LAPD) and Sheriffs(LASD) from Los Angeles Cityand County Departments andone member of the LAX Policejumped into the boxing ring inan effort to help “KO” Cancerduring City of Hope’s 14thAnnual “Fight for Life” Box-ing Benefit at the world-famous Los Angeles SportsArena on November 30.

“Fight for Life”, now a tradi-tion among the uniformed serv-ices supports lifesaving cancerresearch and treatment pro-grams at City of Hope.

The event raises more than$50,000 annually for City ofHope and, in its 14-year histo-ry, has generated more than$600,000.

Results of Fights1. Suzie Graz, LAPD win

over Mary Vasquez, LASD2. Adrian Rendon, LASD

win over Jose Arrelano, LAPD3. Paul Cullen, LAFD win

over Jose Arias, LASD4. Tom Gutierrez, LAPD

win over Hashaan Harrison,LASD

5. Eric Nelson, LAFD winover Ivan Garcia, LAPD

6. David Apodac, LASDwin over Joel Ruiz, LAPD

7. Julie Pertrelli, LASD winover Ria Garcenila, LAPD

8. Jesse Venegas, LASD winover Jerry Mejia, LAPD

9. John Negrette, LAPDwin over Oscar Rodriguez,LAX

10. Rudy Barrigan, LAPDwin over Jorge Caamal,LASD

New LAFD Boxing Team Victorious in First Tournament

We are very proud of the suc-cess our own members, in this,their first official boxing tour-nament as LAFD Boxing Teammembers.

LAFD Firefighter PaulCullen from Fire Station 46,“A” Platoon was victorious overa very strong LASD Deputy JoseArias in the 165 pound/NoviceDivision, and LAFD FirefighterEric Nelson from Fire Station66, “B” Platoon was victoriousover a very tough LAPD IvanGarcia in the 210 pound/NoviceDivision. The skill, enduranceand heart that they displayedbrought the big crowd to their feetthroughout their fights… truewarriors in the ring.

Both of these men trained

very hard for these fights andwere well coached by fellowLAFD members. In Cullen’scorner were John Tohill, ChiefSecond and Gary Rodriguez,and in Nelson’s corner wereChief Second Dan Foote andDaryl Bennett. LAFD membersJack Reiss worked as a refereeand judge and Carlos Vargasworked both corners as their CutMan. Both Reiss and Vargas areprofessionals and can be seen ontelevision working professionalfights around the world.

LAFD Boxing Team mem-bers Devin Mclaren from FireStation 12 “C” and Joe Men-doza were injured/unable tofight in this tournament. Theylook forward to getting back totraining for future events.

The Boxing Team is lookingfor new members and will be

having a meeting after the firstof the year. If you are interest-ed, get in touch with any of thefollowing LAFD Boxing Staff:• Carlos Vargas – OCDS “C”

Cell: 818-497-3496• Jack Reiss – FS 99 “C”

Cell: 805-341-7229• Frank Lima – FS 69 “B”

Cell: 213-507-6317• Dan Foote – FS 35 “C”

Cell: 661-406-5011• Daryl Bennett – FS 79 “B”

Cell: 310-748-4520• John Tohill – FS 42 “B”

Cell: 661-313-5409• Jim Perry – Retired

Cell: 775-450-5517For more information about

how you can support City ofHope’s lifesaving research andtreatment programs, please call800-260-HOPE, or visit the Website at www.cityofhope.org.

Left to Right: Dan Foote, Jack Reiss, John Paxton, John Tohill, Boxer Paul Cullen, Daryl

Bennet, Boxer Eric Nelson, Joe Mendoza, Gary Rodriguez and squatting, Carlos Vargas.

Photos by Gene Blevins, Rob Curtis and Jim Perry

Firefighter Eric Nelson, Referree Patrick Connoly

and Police Officer Ivan Garica.

Firefighter Paul Cullen, Referree Pat Russell and

Deputy Sheriff Jose Arias.


Helping One Another…

Responding to Assist Captain II Tom Dowling

by Mark KhitikianLAFD

If you’ve never heard of orworked around Tom Dowling,you’ve missed out. Tom’s a gen-uine good guy with a big heart.He spent a number of years inBattalion 3 and was lastassigned to Fire Station 10 “C.”

A number of years ago Tomwas diagnosed with cancer. Asexpected, he went through theusual array of radiation andchemotherapy treatments. Itbegan as one type of cancerand as Tom put it, “Morphedinto something else.”

And as you can imagine,

Tom’s been through hell. Longstays in the hospital accompa-nied with much shorter stays athome. Of course, when you’renot home, lots of “Honey do’s”pile up, like needing a newdriveway poured.

A number of individuals,who made me promise Iwouldn’t mention their names,came to Tom’s rescue.Although pouring a new drive-way was a major project, gen-erous donations of platelets,blood, money or taking time tojust stop by and visit has beenmuch appreciated by Tom.

I really did promise not to

mention names, but what theheck; I’ve never kept a promiseyet!

Many THANK YOUʼS to:• The Baja Motor Cycle Rid-

ers Fund, headed up by KenKemp, who raised $2000 on arecent motorcycle trip anddonated the proceeds to Tom.

• Ralph Urquiza - concretepumping.

• Mike Henry - prepared thedriveway for concrete, whichincluded the forming, layingsteel and setting bricks. Natu-rally, the finished job looks likea piece of art, no kidding!

• Also Angel Arellano, MikeHenry’s right-hand man and amember of our Department,assisted Mike in making this aproject a huge success.

• Ric Heiller - did lots ofgrading and hauling.

• John Haigh - owner ofBonanza Concrete Company.John donated all the concrete.

• Ron and Gail Ghrist - own-ers of Bellis steel who donatedall the rebar.

• Jasan Knight - owner ofFire Axe Inc.

• Ted Nonini, Treasurer ofUFLAC who provided foodand drink

Other members that havehelped Tom in various capaci-ties include:

• Greg Shirley• Bill Finn• Mike Mcknight• Chief Mottram• Greg Ikeda• Bruce BicklyI’m sorry if I’ve forgotten

any names. So many peoplehave taken time out of theirbusy days to help Tom. Yourhelp, no matter how small, ismuch appreciated by Tom andhis family.

Thanks again to all, for yourtime, help and prayers.

Your Health…

Happy Stressed Out New Year

by Anne CliffordConsultant

Fickewirth & AssociatesHappy New Year! UFLAC

members have a whole new yearahead – indeed a blank slate, ifyou will — to make a commit-ment to a healthy lifestyle.Adopting good eating habits anda regular exercise routine areobvious. What should also be apriority is lowering stress levels.Indeed, UFLAC members knowfirsthand how job stress can takeits toll. Combine that with fami-ly stress, and health and moneyissues, and you have the perfectrecipe for a stressed out life.

If you are feeling stressed aswe enter 2008, you are not alone.A recent study indicates thatstress represents a major healthproblem in the United States. Infact, a poll by the American Psy-chological Association (APA),shows that one-third of Ameri-cans are living with extremestress and nearly half of Ameri-cans (48 percent) believe thattheir stress has increased over thepast five years.

Stress Takes Its TollThe APA, in a news release

on its website, notes that stressis taking a toll on people, con-tributing to health problems,poor relationships and lost pro-ductivity at work. This proba-bly doesn’t surprise manyUFLAC members, but moneyand work continue as the lead-ing causes of stress for three-quarters of Americans – a dra-matic increase over the 59 per-cent reporting the same sourcesof stress in 2006.

The survey also found thatthe housing crisis is having aneffect on many, with half ofAmericans (51 percent) citingrent or mortgage costs assources of stress this year.Without a doubt, UFLACmembers coping with the highprice of real estate and rentalsin the greater Southern Califor-nia area can also relate to thesefindings.

Nearly half of all Americansreport that stress has a negativeimpact on both their personaland professional lives. Aboutone-third of employed adultshave difficulty managing workand family responsibilities, and35 percent cite jobs interferingwith their family or personaltime as a significant source ofstress.

Does the following soundfamiliar? Stress causes morethan half of Americans (54 per-cent) to fight with people closeto them. One in four people

report that they have beenalienated from a friend or fam-ily member because of stress,with 8 percent connectingstress to divorce or separation.

Words from an ExpertAccording to psychologist

Russ Newman, PhD, JD, APAexecutive director for profes-sional practice, “Stress inAmerica continues to escalateand is affecting every aspectof people’s lives – from workto personal relationships tosleep patterns and eatinghabits — as well as theirhealth. We know that stress isa fact of life and some stresscan have a positive impact.However, the high stress lev-els that many Americansreport experiencing can havelong-term health conse-quences, ranging from fatigueto obesity and heart disease.”

Stress Affects Your Health

Twenty-eight percent of Amer-icans say they are managing theirstress extremely well. However,many people report experiencingphysical symptoms (77 percent)and psychological symptoms (73percent) related to stress in thelast month. Physical symptomsof stress for people participatingin the poll include fatigue,headache, upset stomach, mus-cle tension, change in appetite,teeth grinding, change in sexdrive, and feeling dizzy. Psy-

chological symptoms of stressinclude experiencing irritabili-ty or anger, feeling nervous andlack of energy. In addition,almost half of Americansreport lying awake at night dueto stress.

So what can you do to allevi-ate stress? We will let you knowin the March/April UFLACnewsletter. In the meantime, goto Blue Cross’ website atwww.bluecrossca.com andcheck out what they have tooffer to help manage stress.

I want to wish all of ourUFLAC members a very happyand healthy New Year.

And try not to get toostressed out.

Through the Blue Cross Cal-iforniaCare HMO and PrudentBuyer PPO plans, UFLACmembers and their familieshave access to the finest doc-tors and two of the most exten-sive networks in the state. WithCaliforniaCare, you can build arelationship with your primarycare physician and receivealmost all benefits includingoffice visits, hospitalization,surgery, routine physicalexams, well baby care and evenvision and hearing exams, forlittle or no out-of-pocket cost.Additionally, Prudent Buyer isthe best fee-for-service typehealth plan available forUFLAC members.

A full physical rescue assignment was dispatched to the

5600 block of Colbath Ave. in Van Nuys. Arriving firefighters

reported they had a car in the living room of a single family

dwelling. An elderly woman was backing out of her driveway

across the street when, according to her, the accelerator

stuck and she rocketed backwards across the street and into

the house. She was examined by paramedics but not trans-

ported. Photo and information by Mike Meadows


IAFF Around The Nation

The IAFF represents morethan 287,000 full-time profes-sional fire fighters and para-medics who protect 80 percentof the nation’s population.More than 3,100 affiliates andtheir members protect nearly6,000 communities in everystate in the United States andCanada. In addition to city andcounty fire fighters and emer-gency medical personnel, theIAFF represents state employ-ees (such as the CaliforniaForestry fire fighters), federalworkers (such as fire fighterson military installations), andfire and emergency medicalworkers employed at certainindustrial facilities.

Set Fair Standards ForJudging WTC Deaths

EditorialNY Daily News

©November 26, 2007Reprinted with permissionChief Medical Examiner Dr.

Charles Hirsch sparked anuproar when he ruled on Detec-tive James Zadroga’s cause ofdeath. Although Zadroga hadspent hundreds of hours work-ing 9/11 rescue and recovery,although Zadroga had beengrievously sickened by inhal-ing the Ground Zero dust,Hirsch found another reasonfor the fatality.

Shocking the cop’s familyand contradicting findings ofother pathologists, Hirsch con-cluded Zadroga had mortallyhurt his lungs by injectingground-up prescription pills.His family says nothing of thesort occurred.

In the ensuing furor, theDaily News and several electedofficials called on MayorBloomberg to create an expertpanel to set scientific and legalstandards for reviewing deathsof 9/11 workers. The mayorspurned the idea, asserting sucha panel would inject politicsinto science. But he also saidhe’d look for a means tomemorialize men and womenwho were sickened by theirservice and died as a result.

One wonders how, as Hirschseems to have adopted a policythat would make it all butimpossible for Bloomberg toaccomplish his goal. Withoutpublic comment, Hirschappears to have decided theME will perform scientificreviews only of deaths of peo-ple who were at Ground Zeroon 9/11. Not of those whoarrived thereafter.

That is the clear import of aletter Hirsch sent to the familyof Officer James Godbee, whohis lawyer and police duty ros-ters say worked on or near theTrade Center site betweenSept. 13, 2001, and June 2002.

Two years later, Godbee wasdiagnosed with sarcoidosis, alung-scarring disease. He diedin December 2004 at age 44,with the autopsy, done byHirsch’s office, naming sar-coidosis as the cause of death.Widow Michelle Haskett-God-bee was granted a line-of-dutydeath benefit.

Her attorney asked Hirsch torule Godbee’s death an acci-dent or homicide due to 9/11and to add his name to the offi-cial roster. This would requireHirsch to find that breathingGround Zero dust caused thecop’s illness.

Hirsch refused to consider theissue. He wrote: “All personskilled at the World Trade Centeron September 11, 2001, andothers who died later from com-plications of injuries or expo-sure directly caused by the col-lapse of the Twin Towers on thatday are homicide victims. How-ever, P.O. Godbee first arrivedat the World Trade Center siteon September 13, 2001.”

While expressing sympathy,Hirsch also stated that “fatali-ties caused by work-relatedinhalation of dust ... are classi-fied as natural deaths.”

He concluded, “we decline toexpress an opinion about thecause and effect relationshipbetween P.O. Godbee’s work atthe site of the World TradeCenter and his subsequentdevelopment of sarcoidosis.”

Hirsch didn’t respond towritten questions asking him toelaborate on standards he hasadopted for judging 9/11-relat-ed deaths. Which is unfortu-nate, because the Godbee letterextends a record of confusingpositions by the medical exam-iner.

He added to the roster of vic-tims the name of Felicia Dunn-Jones, a lawyer who wascaught in the 9/11 dust cloudand died five months later ofsarcoidosis - but not until herfamily’s attorney broached alawsuit. Then he ruled thatZadroga’s debilitating lung ill-nesses, which started withinweeks of 9/11, were not rele-vant to his death.

Godbee’s case raises newquestions: Will Hirsch acceptas a victim of the terror attack afirefighter who arrived on 9/11after the towers fell and laterfell sick with an illness thatproved fatal? If so, why wouldhe not accept a firefighter whoarrived a day or two later?

Or has he determined thatnone of the Forgotten Victimsof 9/11 are worthy of thememorial list?

These are not issues of sci-ence. These are legal and poli-cy matters with profound socialimplications that should not beone person’s to address.

That’s why we still believeBloomberg would be wise toseek the counsel of a blue-rib-bon panel as he devises a way tomemorialize the sacrifices ofZadroga, Godbee and others stillto come.

World Trade CenterThe Disease Within

Risk & Insurance (10/07)Vol. 18, No. 12, P. 28;Rousmaniere, Peter

The September 11, 2001, ter-rorist attacks created anunprecedented amount ofworkers’ compensation claimsfor the state of New York.Despite the best intentions, the

only claims that have been suc-cessfully paid were for thosekilled in the collapse of theWorld Trade Center. Currently,lawyers, unions and legislatorsare doing their best to find themoney to pay out claims to res-cue workers suffering the aftereffects of the time they spentworking at Ground Zero. Muchof this money will have tocome from federal grants, lia-bility awards and disabilitypensions. According to a 2004audit of the New York StateCompensation Board, about 48percent of claims related to9/11 were still outstanding. Thestaggering number of outstand-ing claims from Ground Zeroworkers shows the currentcompensation system is notprepared to deal with a large-scale disaster like 9/11

UFA/UFOA Hold PressConference ClaimingFDNY Deutsche Bank

Fire Cover-UpThe Uniformed Firefighters

Association IAFF Local 94 andthe Uniformed Fire OfficersAssociation IAFF Local 854held a joint press conference toexpose the active effort by theNew York City Fire Commis-sioner and his staff to hinder theinvestigations and the cloud ofscandal surrounding the fatalDeutsche Bank fire that killedLocal 94 fire fighters RobertBeddia and Joseph Graffagnino.Both locals said that the currentFDNY building inspection pro-gram is a failure, and recom-mended establishing a dedicatedbuilding inspection task force.

Bargaining Bill Introduced in Senate

The IAFF’s top legislativepriority, the Public SafetyEmployer-Employee Coopera-tion Act, was introduced in theU.S Senate October 1 withbipartisan support. Led by Sen-ators Judd Gregg (R-NH) andTed Kennedy (D-MA), 10Republicans and 11 Democratsjoined together as original spon-sors of the legislation, S.2123.

The strong showing of bipar-tisan support was essential tomoving the legislation forward,since major legislation requiresa supermajority 3/5 vote topass the Senate. Having 10Republicans listed as originalsponsors is a signal that thelegislation has sufficient sup-port to reach the 3/5 thresholdand overcome a filibuster.

“This is an important stepforward in our decade-longeffort to secure bargainingrights for all fire fighters,” saysIAFF General President HaroldSchaitberger. “The bipartisansupport for this legislationdemonstrates that we havefriends in Congress who cham-pion bargaining rights for allpublic employees.”

The next step remains unclear.S.2123 was assigned to the Com-mittee on Health, Education,Labor and Pensions (known asthe HELP Committee), chairedby Senator Kennedy. The Com-mittee could either take up the

legislation directly or seek toattach it to some other legislationmoving through the process.

Legislative Gridlock Complicates Outlook

After the overwhelming 314-97 vote in the House of Repre-sentatives, the primary obstaclenow standing in the way offinal passage for the PublicSafety Employer-EmployeeCooperation Act is the legisla-tive gridlock that is holding upvirtually all substantive piecesof legislation. President Bushand Congress are at logger-heads over every major issue,including the annual appropria-tions bills needed to keep thegovernment operating.

The president has taken atough stand in negotiations,threatening to veto any bill thatisn’t to his liking. Congression-al Democrats are respondingby scheduling votes on popularbills — such as support forchildren’s health care and fund-ing for veterans — that manyRepublicans support.

In this heated political envi-ronment, no bills are deemedsafe bets, so the path forwardremains murky at best. Compli-cating matters, the anti-laborNational Right to Work Com-mittee has been blanketingCapitol Hill with false informa-tion about the bill, such asclaiming that it will force firefighters to go on strike, to scaresenators into opposing it.

The IAFF will be workingwith its allies on and off Capi-tol Hill to secure a vote on thisimportant legislation.

Senate Votes to Strengthen Fire FighterFatality InvestigationsThe U.S. Senate unanimous-

ly voted to double funding forthe Fire Fighter Fatality Inves-tigation and Prevention Pro-gram (FFFIPP) within theNational Institute for Occupa-tional Safety and Health(NIOSH). The program, creat-ed by the IAFF in conjunctionwith President Bill Clinton,conducts investigations of firefighter line-of-duty deaths toformulate recommendationsfor preventing future deathsand injuries. The provision todouble the program’s fundswas offered as an amendmentto the Labor, Health andHuman Services and EducationAppropriations Act for 2008 bySenator John Kerry (D-MA).

Judge Sides With Fire Fighters

Stating reasons of “funda-mental fairness,” District CourtJudge Jane Shuler Gray hasruled in favor of Carlsbad firefighters in their wage disputewith the city of Carlsbad. ShulerGray dismissed the city’s argu-ment that an arbitrator’s awardof a 15 percent raise wouldrequire a re-appropriation offunds in its budget, noting thatthe award was made before thecity’s budget had been finalized.She called the city’s claims“nonsensical and unfair.”

Purchase Your 2008 IAFF Burn Foundation

Calendars!Order copies of the Official

2008 IAFF Burn Calendar andhelp support the IAFF BurnFoundation. Order online usingVisa or MasterCard or call(800) 562-5766, extension 105.

The 2008 Burn FoundationCalendar features full-colorphotos from the annual IAFFMedia Awards Contest. Eachmonth vividly depicts the dan-gerous but rewarding work ofprofessional fire fighters acrossthe United States and Canada.

Order copies for your local’sfirehouses and union halls andfor members of your communi-ty as a reminder of the impor-tant work fire fighters do.These calendars provide greatvisibility for your local andprofessional fire fighters acrossthe United States and Canadaand communicate the criticalneed for a strong, well-trainedprofessional fire service whilehelping the IAFF help burnsurvivors.

Student Loan Forgiveness for FireFighters Approved

The U.S. Congress hasapproved legislation creating anew student loan forgivenessprogram for full-time profes-sional fire fighters and otherpublic safety employees whohave served their communitiesfor at least 10 years. The Col-lege Cost Reduction andAccess Act, HR 2669, passedthe House 292-97 and the Sen-ate 79-12.

President Bush signed thebill into law on September 27.

“The rising costs of highereducation have made it moredifficult for many individualswith student loan debt to pur-sue a career in public safety,”says IAFF General PresidentHarold Schaitberger. “Bymaking the burden of studentloans more affordable, thisprogram will not only rewardthose who commit their livesto serve their communitiesand protect their neighbors,but encourage more youngpeople to do so.”

Under the new program, firefighters who have made 10years of payments on eligiblefederal direct loans whileemployed in a public servicejob will be entitled to the can-cellation of such loans’ remain-ing balance and principal. Thebenefit does not apply to pri-vately financed student loans.

Championed by ChairmanGeorge Miller (D-CA) in theHouse and Chairman EdwardKennedy (D-MA) in the Sen-ate, HR 2669 also increasesstudent aid and reduces thenational debt by $750 million.

It’s taken two decades anduntold buckets of blood, sweatand tears. But come January 1,the Firefighters ProceduralBill of Rights will be the law inCalifornia.

With broad support fromboth political parties and a sig-nature from Governor ArnoldSchwarzenegger, AssemblyBill 220 by AssemblywomanKaren Bass (D-Los Angeles)extends to firefighters the samefundamental on-the-jobemployee protections that nowexist for police officers.

“In the public’s mind, publicsafety professionals are on thesame team,” said CaliforniaProfessional FirefightersPresident Lou Paulson. “Weface the same split-seconddecisions … the same high-stress situations … the samedanger to life and limb. In sign-ing this measure, GovernorSchwarzenegger is recognizingthat all first responders shouldbe on an equal footing when itcomes to protecting our due-process rights.”

AB 220 is the culmination ofa 20-year crusade by Califor-nia Professional Firefightersto secure a consistent procedur-

al standard for all first respon-ders – police, firefighters andpublic agency EMS personnel– when they are the targets ofinvestigation or interrogationby their superiors.

The landmark measure isdesigned to apply common-sense principles of fairness andprofessionalism to the processof investigating and disciplin-

ing first responders. As withthe original Peace Officers Billof Rights approved in the1980s, AB 220 puts in placebasic procedural safeguardsthat recognize the unique roleof first responders:

No more unreasonableinterrogation. The lawrequires that interrogation beconducted at reasonable hours,with compensation and withoutverbal or physical threats orextortion;

Protection of basic rights.Individuals must be advised oftheir rights and secures theright of representation in anyand all interrogations; prohibitsunwarranted search of personalproperty or forced submissionto polygraph testing;

Maintaining professional-ism. Authorizes recording anyinterrogation by employer or

employee, and gives eachaccess to the other’s recordingsand transcripts; statementsmade under duress can’t beused in judicial proceedings;

Preserving appeal rights.Appeals process must conformto state Administrative Proce-dures Act.

During the two-decadestruggle, CPF has introduced a

half-dozen different measuresto enact these basic protec-tions. Almost all fell victim tolegislative partisanship or sim-ple misinformation fromemployers.

This year, however, themeasure enjoyed overwhelm-ing support from both politi-cal parties, including near-unanimous support in theCalifornia Assembly. In addi-tion to Schwarzenegger, themeasure’s champions includ-ed Assemblywoman Bass,Assembly Speaker FabianNunez, Senate President DonPerata and Assembly GOPLeader Mike Villines.

Also standing tall in this bat-tle was GOP AssemblymanTodd Spitzer, who helped winconverts from his own partyduring the legislative battle.

“California’s firefighters are,and should be, held to the high-est standards of public serv-ice,” said Paulson. “We wel-come these high standards, butthey must be applied fairly.This measure establishes thatstandard of basic fairness, andwe are grateful to the governorand the Legislature for theirsupport.”


Orange County

Releases Fire Shelter

Deployment ReportThe Orange County Fire

Authority has released a pre-liminary report on its fireshelter deployment during therecent southern California wild-fires. Twelve Orange County,CA Local 3631 fire fighterswere ordered to deploy theirshelters while fighting a wild-land fire near Santiago Canyonand Silverado Canyon whenone of two hose teams lostwater because of ruptured hoselines. The twelve fire fightersremained in communicationsfrom inside their shelters as theOrange County Fire Authoritymade several high-priority

water drops on the approachingfire. Once conditions were coolenough, all 12 fire fighters lefttheir shelters and were evaluat-ed onsite. None of the firefighters required medical treat-ment. “The heroic actions bythese fire fighters to save peo-ple and property under suchsevere fire conditions are awe-inspiring,” says Joe Kerr,president of Local 3631. “I amalso extremely proud of thequick response by the crewswho came in to save them,including the air crew.” Watch aslide show with radio commu-nications during the incident.

Landmark Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights Signed

by Governor Schwarzenegger

Governor

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Assemblywoman

Karen Bass

Firefighter Anti-Terrorism Training

California’s first responderswill be better prepared to meetthe challenges of domestic ter-rorism thanks to CPF-backedlegislation signed by GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger.

The CPF-backed legislation,AB 587, authored by Assem-blywoman Betty Karnette (D-Long Beach), earmarks $2.5million for firefighter anti-ter-rorism training — half of the$5 million allocation made outof proceeds from a special 9/11license plate fund.

The measure was approvedby the Legislature and signedinto law by GovernorSchwarzenegger on October10th (Chapter No. 392,Statutes of 2007).

It is incredibly important thatCalifornia’s firefighters areadequately trained andequipped with the necessarytools to deal with a variety ofemergency situations, includ-ing acts of domestic terrorism.

The need for funding fireservice antiterrorism trainingcourses and activities has neverbeen more critical given thatfirefighters are soldiers of firstresponse in acts of domesticterrorism. The public has cometo expect firefighters to actheroically and unselfishly invarious emergency situations,an expectation that was height-ened and reinforced by the Sep-tember 11th attacks. And sinceSeptember 11, 2001 responses

by fire service personnel to sub-stances of unknown originhave increased dramatically.The public’s demand for evalu-ations of perceived hazardousmaterials and assessments ofunknown compounds hasstretched fire department

resources beyond all previouslevels

When firefighters are proper-ly trained, the negative impactof a terrorist threat is signifi-cantly reduced. To help preparefirefighters for unexpected situ-ations, AB 587 does sever-al things. First, it appropriates$2.5 million from the state’sAntiterrorism Fund to theOffice of Emergency Servicesfor disbursement to the Califor-nia Fire Fighter Joint Appren-ticeship Program for the pur-pose of developing fire serviceantiterrorism training courses.It also reimburses local andstate fire agencies for antiter-rorism training activities. Inthis new era we live in, where

the threat of a terrorist attack isa daily occurrence, and fire-fighters often find themselvesworking alongside thosefrom different jurisdictions, theneed for increased trainingcourses for all California fire-fighters is critical. The publicneeds to know they can dependon those they turn to in desper-ate situations and firefightersneed to feel prepared and knowthat those working alongsidethem are prepared as well.

AB 587 was approved 31 to 7on the Senate Floor, and wassent back to the Assembly,which concurred in Senateamendments, and sent this billto Governor’s desk by a voteof 68 to 9.

Assemblywoman Betty Karnette

Three young men were critically injured when the car they were in collided head on with a

school bus at Vineland and Cohassett St. in North Hollywood. One of the injured had to be

cut out of the wreckage and all three were taken to area hospitals. LAPD is investigating.

Photo and information by Mike Meadows


Two CAL FIRE Firefighters Remain Critical as

San Diego Community Honors Their EffortsThe community of San

Diego is reaching out to sup-port the men and womeninjured on the front lines whilesaving lives and battling thedevastating wildland fires inSouthern California.

Four CAL FIRE firefighters,working on Engine 3387 out ofthe San Marcos Fire Station,were critically injured in theearly stages of the fires Sundaywhen their engine was burnedover while rescuing local resi-dents. The four all receivedburn injuries and were immedi-

ately transported to UCSDMedical Center.

Two firefighters remain incritical condition, with seconddegree burns to their faces andrespiratory systems. They arecurrently in intensive careunder sedation to allow forlung recovery. The other twosuffered second-degree burns,but their condition has beenupgraded and are doing well inthe intermediate care ward ofthe UCSD Burn Center.

Fund Raising

The San Diego Chargers helda fund raising drive forthe crew of Engine 3387 andother victims of the devastatingfires at their game with theHouston Texans.

A donation was made on thefamilies’ behalf and specialpre-game ceremonies honoringCalifornia’s firefighters wereheld.

The CDF Firefighters501(c)3 Benevolent Founda-tion is accepting donations forour members of Engine 3387who were injured during the

Harris Fire burn over whileactively engaged in structureprotection while performingtheir firefighting duties. Dona-tions should be sent to:

CDF Firefighters BenevolentFoundation

1731 J Street, Suite 100Sacramento, CA 95811

(916) 609-8700Tax ID # 20-5686356

Reaching Out To Fellow Firefighters

Cards and greetings for the arewelcome and should be

addressed to:UCSD Burn Center

Attention: CAL FIRE Firefighters

220 West Arbor Dr.San Diego, CA 92107

Direct line to the CALFireemployee and family supportoffice at the UCSD burn center619-543-6599 Mike Vogt Fire-fighter and Family LiaisonMichael Vogt Battalion ChiefTraining and Safety Office CALFIRE - San Diego 619-590-3119 Office 619-590-3106 Fax

WHEREAS, seven coun-ties in the San Diego andSouthern California area,covering 515,000 acres, wererecently ravaged by a seriesof the most devastating wild-fires in California history,where more than one millionpeople had to be evacuated,hundreds of thousands weredisplaced for longer periodsof time, nearly 2,200 homeswere destroyed, and 14 Cali-fornians lost their lives; and

WHEREAS, once morefirefighting professionalsfrom across the stateanswered the call and foughttirelessly to bring these dev-astating fires under control,to save homes and ultimatelysave lives, despite the adver-sity of the fierce Santa Anawinds; and

WHEREAS, a total of 108firefighters suffered injuriesas a result of the fires, andmany were away from theirown families for weeks whilebattling the fires, and allworked tirelessly under enor-

mous pressure to protect andserve these communities;

THEREFORE BE ITRESOLVED, that the Cali-fornia Democratic Partycommends the Californiafirefighters and all otheremergency crews who bat-tled these devastating wild-fires, and is mindful thattheir lives are on the lineeach and every day they areon the job; and

THEREFORE BE ITFURTHER RESOLVED,that the California Demo-cratic Party gives thanks tothese brave men and womenand acknowledges the per-sonal sacrifices they make inserving their communities.

Submitted by: Senator ArtTorres (Ret.), Chairman ofthe California DemocraticParty

Adopted by the ExecutiveBoard Of the California Democratic Party At ItsExecutive Board Meeting,Sheraton Hotel, Anaheim,November 18, 2007

California Firefighters

Honored



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IAFF and AFL-CIO affiliates have prior approval to reprint or excerpt articles inthe Los Angeles Firefighter — Please include credit line.

Note: Photos and cartoons may not be reprinted without the expressed writtenpermission of the photographer or artist.

The Los Angeles Firefighter(ISSN #0190-7573)

Local 112, IAFF, AFL-CIO-CLCOfficial Publication of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City is

Published Bi-MonthlyPeriodical Postage paid at Los Angeles, CA

Known Office of Publication isUnited Firefighters of Los Angeles City,

1571 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles,California 90026-5798

POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to The Los Angeles Firefighter1571 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90026-5798

Union Office Phone NumbersAdministration:

(213) 895-4006 - (213) 485-2091 - Toll Free (800) 252-8352

Benefits:(213) 895-4990

FAX: (213) 250-5678

Website: www.uflac.org

EAP Office: (213) 895-0910 or (800) 252-8352

EAP FAX: (213) 481-1038

EAP 24 Hr. Help LineAnswering Service: (213) 250-1212

AffiliationsInternational Assn. of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO-CLC

California Professional Fire FightersL.A. County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO

California Labor Federation, AFL-CIOAmerican Federation of Labor

International Labor Communications Association, AFL-CIO-CLC

Los Angeles Firefighter Newspaper StaffJim [email protected]

Aaron “Cap” Espy - Staff WriterJerry Smith - Staff Writer

Contributing Photographers

California Fire Photographers Association (CFPA)

Isaac Burks, LAFDGene Blevins, EPNRob Curtis, LAFDJuan Guerra, EPN

Bill Hartenstein, CFPAJoshua Harville, EPNChris Jensen, CFPA

Ryan W. Ling, EPNBrian Litt, CFPA

Rick McClure, LAFDMike Meadows

Jeff Miller, CFPA Martin Nate Rawner, CFPA

Jeff Zimmerman, EPN

This union newspaper is printed by a union printer on union-made recycled paper.

If You See An Error…The Los Angeles Firefighter

strives to maintain accuracyand fairness in all stories,graphics, photographs andother copy that appears in ourunion newspaper. It is our prac-tice to correct errors in theissue immediately followingtheir discovery.

If you have a correction orclarification request, pleasecall the UFLAC office at 800-252-8352 or email the editor:[email protected]

Union Stewards NeededWe are in the process of reorganizing and updating our Union

Stewards Program. It is our goal to have a Union Steward atevery work location. Current and prospective Stewards arerequested to contact UFLAC Secretary David Pimentle at FireStation 1 – “A” or call the union office at (800) 252-8352.

2006-2008 UFLAC Executive BoardPRESIDENT

Steve Tufts, Firefighter III . . . . . . . . . . . . .UFLAC Office

FIRST VICE PRESIDENTJon McDuffie, Captain II . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UFLAC Office

SECOND VICE PRESIDENTStephen E. Norris, Captain II . . . . . . . . . .UFLAC Office

TREASURERTed Nonini, Firefighter III . . . . . . . . . . .Fire Station 87-C

SECRETARYDavid Pimentle, Captain/Paramedic . . . . . . . . .EMS 18 Fire Station 68-B

DIRECTORRay Delgado, Firefighter/Paramedic . .Fire Station 42-BJames G. Featherstone, Captain II, . . .Tactical TrainingJobe Leon, Captian II . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fire Station 47-CFrank V. Lima, Captain II . . . . . . . . . . .Fire Station 69-BMike Tobey, Firefighter III . . . . . . . . . .Fire Station 33-A

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE DIRECTORJerry Brakeman, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Retired Firefighter/Attendant . . . . . . .UFLAC Office

EDITORJim Perry, Retired Fire Captain II . . . . . .UFLAC Office

Newspaper Mailing ListIf you are receiving this newspaper and have a change of

address or would like to be removed from our mailing list,please call the union office at 1-800-252-8352, Ext. 208 or clipand mail this note to:

UFLAC Local 112Attn: Maria

1571 Beverly Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90026

Name __________________________________________Address ________________________________________City ___________________________________________State______________________ ZIP_________________

✃

General Membership

Meetings9:00 a.m.

January 16, 2008

“B” Platoon Working

February 27, 2008

“C” Platoon Working

United Firefighters

Union Office

1571 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90026

Refreshments and

Free Parking Available

Check UFLAC

Website

For latest news,

information and

possible meeting

date changes

www.uflac.org

Constitution and By-law Ballot ResultsThe Constitution and By-law

ballots were retrieved, validat-ed, and tabulated by the con-tracted election company onThursday, November 29, 2007.The ballot results are as fol-lows:

ARTICLE I. Sec. 3 - Name;language reconciliation.PASSED

ARTICLE II. Sec. 1 - Juris-

diction; Change in definition ofqualified members. PASSED

ARTICLE III. Sec. 4 - Mem-bership; Addition of “AssociateMember” classification.PASSED

ARTICLE V. Sec. 3 - Offi-cers & Elections; Electionsevery 3 years after ‘08 election.FAILED

ARTICLE V. Sec. 5 - Offi-

cers & Elections; 3 year termsafter ‘08 election. FAILED

ARTICLE V. Sec. 3 - Offi-cers & Elections; Process forfilling of Director vacancies.FAILED

ARTICLE IX. Sec. 1 & 2 -Management of Union Funds;Expenditures over $5,000 needGeneral Membership approval.PASSED

New California Law Affirms Fire

Fighters ̓Right to Fill the BootWith the

full support ofthe IAFF andthe California

Professional Firefighters (CPF),California Governor ArnoldSchwarzenegger signed SB 582- a bill that preserves Californiafire fighters’ right to “fill theboot.”

Last year, the Muscular Dys-trophy Association allocated77.4 percent of every dollarspent directly to the programsthat advance its lifesaving mis-sion: research, health care andsupport services, and public

and professional health educa-tion. MDA subscribes to boththe Wise Giving Alliance Stan-dards of the Better Business

Bureau and the American Insti-tute of Philanthropy. For moreinformation, call (800) 572-1717 or visit www.mda.org.

Station StewardsAssignment Platoon Name

001 A Mark B. Stafford004 A Charles Garcia008 A Michael Crandall008 C Mark Kleckner015 A Cameron R. Kennedy016 A Dan Butcher029 B Michael Ladue034 B Joe Smith042 C Ruben Terrazas044 B David Raya048 A Hector M. Hernandez048 B Frank Hurtado052 C M. Benjamin J. Rossell061 A George James063 B John R. Maestri066 C Anthony R. Temple070 B Jeffrey Rickey074 A William Ramsey075 A Adam M. Van Gerpen078 A Sidney Chambers079 B Ed Campos083 C Bejamin R. Guzman084 A Thomas G. Chamberlain084 A Douglas Deyoung084 C Russell Rawl085 B Andrew D. Muniz091 B Michael McGrady094 C Arellano, Rigo092 A Christopher Contreras095 A Buck O’Connor096 A Ronald Myers105 B Henry Munoz112 A Keith Massey112 C John DonatoVFP Scott Miller

Station Stewards Meetings

Time: 7:30 a.m.

Prior to Monthly Membership Meetings


2007 INCOME TAX

INFORMATIONACTIVE MEMBERS

ANNUAL DUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$975.84

UFLAC UNITED CONCORDIA FLEX DENTAL PLANMember only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0.00Two-Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154.00Member with Dependents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .658.00

UFLAC DIRECT REIMBURSEMENT DENTAL PLANMember only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0.00Two-Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360.00Member with Dependents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,018.00

ACTIVE CHIEF

UFLAC UNITED CONCORDIA FLEX DENTAL PLANMember only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0.00Two-party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166.00Member with Dependents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .670.00

UFLAC DIRECT REIMBURSEMENT DENTAL PLANMember only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.00Two party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .372.00Member with Dependents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,030.00

PREPAID PLANS

GOLDEN WEST DENTALMember only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0.00Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0.00

UNITED CONCORDIA PLUS DENTALMember only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0.00Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0.00

BLUE CROSS (CaliforniaCare)Member only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0.00Member and one . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193.50Member and two or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .544.50

BLUE CROSS PPO (Prudent Buyer)Member only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243.00Member and one . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,942.85Member and two or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5,246.85

RETIRED MEMBERS

Retired members do not pay dues

UFLAC UNITED CONCORDIA FLEX DENTAL PLANMember only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672.00Two-Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .984.00Member with Dependents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,488.00

UFLAC DIRECT REIMBURSEMENT DENTALMember only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .731.00Two-Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,192.00Member with Dependents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,848.00

PREPAID PLANS

GOLDEN WEST DENTALMember only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240.00Two-Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240.00Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240.00

UNITED CONCORDIA PLUS DENTALMember only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .396.00Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .720.00

BLUE CROSS (CaliforniaCare)Member only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4,356.00Member and one . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8,376.00Member and two or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10,272.00

BLUE CROSS PPO (Prudent Buyer)Member only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6,861.00Member and one . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13,482.00Member and two or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15,476.00

If you are a retired member receiving a City health and den-tal subsidy, then you will need to adjust the above figuresby the subsidy amount you have received. In this case, youmay call the UFLAC Benefits office at (213)977-9014 orwrite for the correct rates.

The IRS has published newinstructions on how retired firefighters can take advantage ofthe Healthcare Enhancementfor Local Public Safety(HELPS) benefit on their 2007tax returns.

Last year, the IAFF won anunprecedented congressionalvictory in the passage of theHELPS retiree health care ben-efit, a tax-free distribution ofup to $3,000 from retirementplans to help retirees pay forhealth insurance or long-termcare insurance premiums.

The IRS instructions for fil-ing 2007 tax returns explains

how to take advantage of thisvaluable benefit. The IRS willallow retired fire fighters toexclude from income distribu-tions made from eligible retire-ment plans up to $3,000 annu-ally to pay the premiums foraccident or health insurance orlong-term care insurance. Thepremiums can be for coveragefor the retiree, spouse ordependents. The distributionmust be made directly from theretirement plan to the insuranceprovider. Eligible retirementplans include qualified trusts,section 403(a) plans, section403(b) annuities and section

457(b) plans.The IRS requires retirees to

report total distributions onForm 1040, line 16a; Form1040A, line 12a; or Form1040NR, line 17a. The taxableamount should be reported onForm 1040, line 16b; Form1040A, line 12b; or Form1040NR, line 17b. Also,retirees should write “PSO”next to the appropriate linewhere the taxable amount isreported. For more informationgo to www.iaff.org

For additional assistance,retirees should contact a taxaccountant.

IRS Publishes Instructions on

HELPS Benefit

Important Information...

For Retirees Accrued Leave

Deferral OptionThe City of Los Angeles

Deferred Compensation Planhas announced a new benefitavailable to employees retiringfrom City service. Individualsreceiving payments of residualsick, vacation, and otheraccrued leave upon retirementwill be eligible to make contri-butions to the City’s DeferredCompensation Plan from thosepayments, up to the individ-ual’s annual contribution limitfor calendar year.

As an example, assume anemployee, age 55, is retiring inlate December and expecting toreceive an accrued leave pay-ment of $25,000 in early Janu-ary. The annual contributionlimit for an individual over age50 is $20,500. This employeecould elect to contribute$20,500 into the Plan from thataccrued leave payment. Allcontributions to the Plan aretax-deferred, so eligible indi-viduals taking advantage ofthis program could realize sig-nificant additional tax defer-ral benefits.

You will need to work with a

local Plan representative toenroll in this program. Thelocal representative will helpyou determine:

The approximate amount ofaccrued leave you will bereceiving.

The date the payment will bereceived.

The annual limit applying toyou for he calendar year of thedeferral; and

The amount you are them eli-gible to contribute.

Individuals not currentlyenrolled in the Deferred Com-pensation Plan are also eligible

for this program, but must enrollin the Plan as part of this process.You should be aware that enroll-ment in the Plan, or an election toparticipate in the Accrued LeaveDeferral Option, must occur nolater than the month prior to thedate that you receive youraccrued leave payment.

For further information or toenroll, please feel free to stopby the Plan Service Centerlocated at City Hall, 200 N.Spring Street, Room 867, Mon-day through Friday from8:30-5:00, or call NatashaZuvich at (213) 978-1617.

Los Angeles firefighters were dispatched to the report of a structure fire in the 12100 block

of W. Jerome Street. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered heavy fire conditions in a single-

family residence behind Pacifica Hospital in Sun Valley. Firefighters aggressively advanced

hose lines inside the home while others worked to relieve the heavy heat and smoke condi-

tions inside by cutting holes in the roof. Although the home was severely damaged, all

occupants were able to escape uninjured. The cause of the fire was unattended candles.

Photos and information by Rob Curtis, LAFD

35679 Firefighter JanFeb08.qxp:LA Firefighter - uflacuflac.org/files/Firefighter_JanFeb_08.pdf ·...

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