The Los Angeles Firefighter - uflac.orguflac.org/files/FF_Sep_Oct_2003.pdf · September/October...

VOL. 41, NO. 5 September/October 2003

The

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

The Los Angeles Firefighter1571 Beverly Boulevard

Los Angeles, California 90026(#ISSN01907573)

September/October, 2003

PERIODICALPostage Paid

atLos Angeles, CA

In This Issue . . .Article . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page(s)Report from the President - Workers Comp Under Fire . . . . 3Director’s Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5New Work Comp Law Affects City Firefighters . . . . . . . . . . . 6Grieving Behind the Badge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 724th Annual Firemen’s Reunion in Grass Valley . . . . . . . . . 8-9W.T.C - the Aftermath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Firefighter Charities - Who to Trust? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Home from the War Front - David Danielson . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Leadership: Some Discredited Theories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Message from the War Front - Rudy Santiago . . . . . . . . . . . 14“Thanks for the Memories” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14In Memoriam - Bill Shonborn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Kudos to City Council and Fire Commission Members. . . . 16

The widows of three LosAngeles City firefighters killedin the 1998 helicopter crashmay sue Bell Helicopter Tex-tron for their deaths, a courtrecently ruled.

The aircraft’s manufacturerreceived a favorable rulingfrom a trial judge two yearsearlier who ruled that federallaw barred the plaintiffs fromsuing because the LAFD heli-copter that crashed was more

than 18 years old.But the 2nd District Court of

Appeal disagreed, saying thatthere was evidence that Bellwithheld information from theFAA about five military aircraftaccidents that they knew werecaused by failure of identicaltail rotor yokes, which causedthe LAFD helicopter crash.

Bell allegedly failed to reportprevious parts failures and indoing so was not protected by

the General Aviation act of 1994.The act eliminates the liabili-

ty to manufacturers when theaircraft has been in use for 18years or more. The LAFD heli-copter that crashed was 22years old. However, there is anexeption for withholding infor-mation from the FAA.

LAFD Apparatus Operatorcrew member Michael D.McComb, 48 and ParamedicsMichael A. Butler and Eric F.

Reiner, both 33, were killed inMarch 1998, while rushing acritically injured 11-year-oldcar crash victim from Sun Val-ley to Children’s Hospital inLos Angeles, about 10 milesaway. The child, Norma Videsof Sun Valley, also died in thehelicopter crash.

LAFD Pilot Steven L. Robin-son and Firefighter crewmember Dennis Silgen wereseriously injured.

The National Transportationand Safety Board determinedthat the crash was caused whena tail rotor separated from theaircraft in flight “due to afatigue fracture in the yoke.”

Butler v. Bell HelicopterTextron, Inc., C.A. 2nd, No.B152609, June 13, 2003, byBoland.

The full text of this caseappears in the Daily AppellateReport on page 6547.

LAFD Fire 3 Families Get Favorable Judgement“Helicopter manufacturer that withheld information from federal agency may be liable for crash.”

…2nd District California Court of Appeal, Division 8

On Thursday August 7th,Councilperson Janice Hahnjoined LAFD firefighters, fam-ily members, and friends tospeak at the grand opening ofthe LAFD Harbor Museumhoused at old Fire Station 36 inSan Pedro. Ms. Hahn has longbeen one of the most ardentand vocal supporters of theLAFD, and her heartfelt com-ments once again demonstratedwhy she is so well thought ofby firefighters and their Union.She especially endeared herselfto the many active and retiredfirefighters who hail from San

Pedro by suggesting that noother community of the Cityhad given so many of its bravesons and daughters to the ranksof the LAFD.

Councilperson Hahnrestates support for

firefightersOnly a few short months ago

Councilperson Hahn spoke atthe dedication of four new fire-boats built to protect the Port ofLos Angeles. At that ceremonyshe buoyed the spirits of thefirefighters assigned to thoseboats by pointing out that while

the new vessels were wonder-ful additions to the LAFD’scapabilities, it was the hardwork and dedication of fire-fighters that has saved lives andproperty in the harbor over theyears. Ms. Hahn went on topublicly state her intention tomaintain the current staffinglevels on LAFD fireboats.

Fire Chief misspoke onreduction in staffing

Just weeks after the dedica-tion ceremony the Harbor andFire Departments entered into

LAFD Harbor Museum Dedication

Councilmember Janice Hahn addressing the crowd at the dedication of the LAFD Harbor Museum.Photo by Mike McOsker

Fire 3 in action during a brush fire in 1997.Photo by Mike Meadows, CFPA

Tragic crash of Fire 3 on March 23, 1998.Photo by Gene Blevins, CFPA

Continued on page 5

Los Angeles Firefighter September/October 2003

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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.

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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) 252-8352Benefits:

(213) 895-4990

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

California Professional Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO-CLCL.A. County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO-CLC

California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO-CLC American Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO-CLC

International Labor Communications Association, AFL-CIO-CLCWestern Labor Communications Association, AFL-CIO-CLC

Los Angeles Fire and Police Protective League

Los Angeles Firefighter Newspaper StaffJim [email protected]

Member of the Communications Workers of AmericaCWA Local 9400, Southern California Newspaper Guild, AFL-CIO-CLC

Harry Carter, Ph.D - Staff Writer Aaron Espy - Staff WriterPeggy Sweeney Rainone - Staff Writer Jerry Smith - Staff Writer

Contributing Photographers

Note: CFPA denotes membership in theCalifornia Fire Photographers Association

Ross Benson, CFPABonnie Burrow

Isaac Burks, LAFD Gene Blevins, CFPABrian Haimer, CFPA

Bill Hartenstein, CFPAChris Jensen, CFPA

Gavin Kaufman

Brian Litt, CFPAJuan Guerra, Valley News Service

Rick McClure, LAFDAllison Meadows

Mike Meadows, CFPAJeff Miller, CFPA

Martin Nate Rawner, CFPABoris Yaro

WESTERN LABOR COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION

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

UFLAC 2002-2004 Executive BoardUFLAC 2002-2004 Executive Board

PRESIDENTPatrick S. McOsker, Engineer. . . . . . . . . . . . UFLAC Office

SECRETARYDon R. Forrest, Inspector I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UFLAC Office

FIRST VICE PRESIDENTMichael K. McOsker, Engineer. . . . . . . . . . . UFLAC Office

SECOND VICE PRESIDENTStephen E. Norris, Captain II. . . . . . . . . . Fire Station 63-B

TREASURERBrian K. Hishinuma, Captain II. . . . . . . . . Fire Station 38-C

DIRECTORRandy W. Beaty, Captain II . . . . . . . . . . . Fire Station 60-BJames G. Featherstone, Captain II, . . . . Fire Station 64-ALawrence D. Fierro, Firefighter III . . . . Fire Station 114-BPaul Gilbrook, Apparatus Operator . . . . Fire Station 47-BTed Nonini, Firefighter III . . . . . . . . . . . . Fire Station 70-C

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE DIRECTORJerry Brakeman, Retired FirefighterAttendant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UFLAC Office

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

Station StewardsBanks, Michelle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-QISCastro, Joe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-35-CCarpenter, Gary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . High Rise UnitColeman, Joe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-47-CCrandall, Michael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-105-ADelgado, Ray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS- 42-BFabela, Dave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-27-AFletcher, Craig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-109-CGibson, Jim. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-6-AHaro, Ray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-23-AJames, George . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OCD-CJaminal, Adelino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-68-AJust, James A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-69-AKennedy, Cameron. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-15-AKennington, Tom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-3-CKleckner, Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-40-CMerrel, Brett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-4-AMolina, Alexander. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OCD-AMyers, Ron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-96-AOropeza, Daniel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-1-CPimentle, Dave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-43-BPowell, Mathew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-85-BPumphrey, Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-34-CRainey, Tom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-80-CRamsey, Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-74-ARaya, David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-44-BRiley, Bryan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-12-CRuffino, Bob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-73-ARuvalcaba, Leonard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS -17-CSemerjian, Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-105-CSmith, Doak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-14-ASullivan, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-92-ASouter, Scott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-9-CSutliff, Steve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-98-CTeeter, Jason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-60-BTorres, Lou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FS-20-CUglesich, Michael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harbor Industrial Unit

September and OctoberStation Stewards Meetings

Time: 7:30 a.m.Prior to Monthly General Membership Meetings

Paramedic CommitteeMembers

David PimentleCommittee Chair. FS-43-BBill Ramsey . . . . FS-74-ADave Barnes . . . . FS-86-CMike Brown . . . . FS-84-ACedrick Cleveland. FS-38-BRay Delgado. . . . FS-42-BJim Gibson. . . . . . FS-6-AAaron Mungary. FS-47-CDave Raya . . . . . FS-44-BPaul Semerjian FS-105-CStacy Taylor . . . . FS-27-CLou Torres . . . . . FS-20-C

General Membership Meetings

September 17 “A” Shift0900 Hours

October 29 “C” Shift0900 Hours

UFLAC-Union Offices1571 Beverly Blvd.

Los AngelesRefreshments and free parking Available

Councilmember Tom LaBonge presents City Council resolutions to members of Task Force35 in honor of the physical rescue of their fellow firefighters at a structure fire in the Holly-wood Hills on January 1, 2003. Front row, left to right, FF Tony Parr, FF Mike Vitar and FFRio-Bec Hernandez. Back Row, left to right, FF John Garnica, FF Louis Vargas, FF TomNyberg, Eng Ray Peralta, Chief William Bamattre, Capt II Joe Castro, Councilmember TomLaBonge, Capt I Rick Godinez, Eng John Cano and A/O Dave Rogers.

City Council Honors Firefighters

If You See An Error…

The Los Angeles Firefighterstrives 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, please callthe UFLAC office at 800-252-8352, Ext. 208 or email theeditor at: [email protected]

________________

In the last issue of the LosAngeles Firefighter we printedthe powerful article and photoof retired Firefighter BrianProsser hugging a woman fromhis wheelchair. We failed tocredit the photographer, AlexHorvath, Photography Editorfor the Bakersfield Californian.Our apologies to Mr. Horvath.Editor

September/October 2003 Los Angeles Firefighter

Pat McOsker

Report from the PresidentReport from the President

Photo by Joe Ortiz, LAFD-HS

Recently the PersonnelDepartment hosted an all day“summit meeting” to discussthe state of workers compensa-tion in the City of Los Angeles.The gathering was attended byrepresentatives of every aspectof city government, manage-ment and labor, a group ofabout fifty people in all. SteveNorris and I were there forUFLAC. Councilman DennisZine began the meeting by stat-ing that the cost of work compin Los Angeles had more thandoubled over the last sevenyears. He estimated that theCity will spend about $142million this fiscal year oninjured workers. Speakingfrom his unique perspective asa former Police ProtectiveLeague Board Member andcurrent Chairman of the Coun-cil’s Personnel Committee, Mr.Zine described how rising workcomp costs will effect the goalsof every department head andlabor organization in LosAngeles. The Councilmansummed it up nicely saying,“There is only so much moneyto go around.”

Workers Comp is still abargain for the City

Even in its current conditionhowever, workers compensa-tion is a tremendous bargain forthe employer. The basic prem-ise of work comp is a simpleagreement. The boss agrees toprovide injured workersprompt, decent medical careand to continue some level ofcompensation while theemployee is off work. Inexchange the employee waivesthe right to sue for the cost ofthose things, and to recoverdamages for negligence by theboss. This “deal with the devil”was worked out between laborand management back in the1920’s during an era of increas-ing litigation over worker’sinjuries. Ever since then,labor’s challenge has been toprotect work comp benefits fortheir members.

…the firefighter’s rule of law.

We firefighters have twoadded reasons to jealouslyguard our rights under theagreement. The first reason isthe firefighter’s rule of law. Inour profession the employee

cannot sue a third party forcommon negligence. The legaltheory, or justification is, “youknew the job was dangerouswhen you took it.” That tiesright in with the second reasonthat firefighters depend sodearly on work comp benefits:Firefighting really is all thatdangerous.

Firefighting…the mosthazardous profession

in AmericaAs a matter of fact, ours is

the most dangerous professionin America. On the averageabout 100 firefighters die lineof duty deaths in this countryannually. On top of that, everyyear hundreds more of ourbrothers and sisters succumb toailments classified as duty con-nected. Studies have shownthat firefighting is a careerchoice that takes an average of7 years off of a person’s life. Inany given year a firefighter is 8times more likely to get hurt onthe job than the average work-er. Statistically, each year halfof all active firefighters sufferan on-the-job injury. Nobodypays more dearly for the typeof work they do, nobody caresmore deeply about the workitself, and nobody deserves fairtreatment in the work compsystem more than firefighters.

Pre-designate a workcomp doctor

As you can imagine, laborand management representa-tives came to the recent workcomp summit with differentperspectives. Even so, therewere certain things we didagree on. We agreed that thelion’s share of the spike in workcomp expense could be attrib-uted to the rising cost ofmedical care. We also agreedthat work comp disputes andappeals are costly for both theCity and employees, and thatthe only group benefiting fromthese disputes were lawyers. Onthat issue, we theorized that theCity would save money byencouraging each employee topre-designate a work compdoctor. We suggested that anemployee receiving care from aphysician whom they know andtrust is less likely to dispute thequality of that care. To theircredit, the City Attorney’s rep-resentative confirmed ourtheory with statistics, and the

General Manager of the Person-nel Department bought in onthe concept. On page 6 of thisissue we have reprinted an arti-cle by attorney Bob Sherwinfrom our March/April editionof the Los Angeles Firefighter.I encourage you to read it, andto follow Mr. Sherwin’s adviceregarding pre-designation ofyour doctor.

Firefighters do not “milk the system”

Of course there were areaswhere labor and managementclearly disagreed. Those whoadminister work comp seem tobelieve that fraud is fairlyprevalent. Steve and I saw thatissue differently and said so.We explained that LAFD fire-fighters have so rarely “milkedthe system” that the Operationsoffice has almost no workcomp “convictions” to showfor all of their effort over theyears. In fact, the opposite canbe said about the averageLAFD firefighter. We are moreinclined to keep working withinjuries than to go off-dutywith them.

When firefighters do go off-duty, they usually press theirdoctors to allow them to returnto the firehouse sooner ratherthan later. There are severalreasons why. We tend to loveour profession, enjoy our co-workers and miss the firehousewhen we are away. We hate tobe perceived as “snivelers” or“wimps“ by our fellow fire-fighters. We especially hate thelight-duty assignments that aremore likely to occur the longerthat we stay off-duty. Andfinally, the biggest reason wehesitate to go off-duty andstrive to come back quickly isthe loss of income due to theloss of overtime opportunitywhile off-duty.

Third party “Cambridge”hired to reducecosts/benefits

I contend that bad faith onthe part of the employer savesthe City more money thanfraud wastes when it comes tofirefighters. Several years ago,as the price of work compbegan gnawing at the budget,the Personnel, Fire and othercity departments came underpressure to do something aboutit. The Personnel Departmenthired a third party administra-

tor (now called Cambridge) tooversee work comp benefits forfirefighters and cops. Althoughthey deny it, I believe Cam-bridge’s strategy has been toreduce costs by reducing thebenefits (care) for injured copsand firefighters. I have seenobvious IOD claims, eventhose where presumptive lawsapply, denied by Cambridge. Ihave also known Cambridge topressure doctors into returninginjured firefighters to dutyearly, into rewriting workrestrictions so that firefighterscan be placed on light-duty,and in a few instances into giv-ing up control of an injuredfirefighter’s care altogether.Because work comp doctorsare paid by the City throughCambridge and receive newbusiness from the City only aslong as they remain on a list ofdoctors maintained by Cam-bridge, there is real motivationfor them to comply.

Medical Liaison’s role has changed

Even the Fire Departmenthas wilted under pressure to dosomething about work compcosts. Many of us rememberthe days when Medical Liai-son’s roll in the process waslimited to arranging qualitycare for firefighters and moni-toring their duty status.Somewhere along the linemanagement expanded thatroll. We are beginning to see afew individuals assigned toMedical Liaison pressuringdoctors, pressuring firefight-ers, and even investigatingfirefighters in a manner that ismore properly the responsibili-ty of Advocates assigned toOperations.

So what effect does this“squeeze” have on the averagefirefighter? Sometimes aninjured member who experi-ences difficulties will contactthe union or a work complawyer for help. When we arecalled we assist members bymaking inquiries on theirbehalf, and if necessary, walk-ing them through the workcomp appeal process, usuallywith good results. In too manycases though, rather than fightCambridge or risk conflict withFire Department officers, fire-fighters simply give up on theirclaim. When they do they areforced to burn up their sick

time while recovering, ourmedical plans eat the cost oftheir care, and the firefighterslearn tough lessons about loy-alty and the LAFD family.

It was interesting to hear theopinions of management peo-ple at the summit meeting. Atleast one department headquestioned why the City wouldcontinue to pay cops and fire-fighters full salary while offIOD rather than the “state rate”of $490 per week. I remindedhim that no matter how dis-tasteful it may be to somepeople (in management), theintention has always been notto penalize a cop or firefighterfor the crime of getting injuredwhile protecting the public.

Union affiliates workingclosely together

In the coming months,UFLAC will work closely withthe IAFF, the CPF and otherlocal unions to protect workcomp benefits. This issue is notgoing away anytime soon. Asthe recent state budget battle wasbeing waged, our traditionalfoes in Sacramento consideredagreeing to a sales tax increasein exchange for legislation thatwould significantly reduce bene-fits for injured workers. Morethan one of the pretenders to thethrone on the Governor recallballot is out there right nowmaking work comp “reform” thecenterpiece of their campaign.

Our very good friend here inLos Angeles, CouncilmanZine, has it quite right. Therereally is only so much moneyto go around. By the sametoken though, firefighters onlyget one life, one physical bodyand one chance for a healthyretirement. Firefighting is adangerous business andinjuries and exposures areinevitable. UFLAC will workwith the City to reduce claimsthrough improvements in fire-fighter safety, health andfitness. At the same time, wewill defend at all cost yourright to fair pay continuationand quality medical care forIOD injuries.

Workers Compensation Under FireStudies have shown that firefighting is a career choice that

takes an average of 7 years off of a person’s life.

Fraternally,


by Randy W. BeatyDirector

“A day’s wages for a day’swork”. It is a simple phrase,rich with meaning. Its focus ison “fairness”. But what hap-pens when someone doesn’treceive a day’s wages for aday’s work? I am talking aboutsomething that goes wellbeyond a timekeeping mistake.We know how to fix those.There is an issue now pendingbefore the Department that isrevealing and offers some les-sons for those familiar with thefacts. The story you are aboutto read is almost unbelievablebut true.

At the end of fiscal year2000/2001 our membersreceived a cost-of-living adjust-ment (COLA) retroactive pay-check of 4% reflecting theamount they should havereceived during that fiscal peri-od. That was the good news.Those paychecks were distrib-uted to members around Octo-ber of 2001 due to an agreementbetween the Department,UFLAC and others.

At the same time, our PayrollServices Unit was convertingover from one software pro-gram to another. Data wasbeing uninstalled and rein-stalled during this time. Itshould also be noted that theFire Department has what isconsidered to be one of themost complex pay tables in theCity of Los Angeles. Accuracyin payment can sometimes bedifficult.

Time constraints and mis-information

During this same timeAccounting personnel wereworking under a deadline to getchecks processed and distrib-uted. Another problem emergedas the Accounting Sectionrelied on information from Per-sonnel Services to provideaccurate pay scale informationon which to base people’ssalaries, bonuses, etc. Not all ofthat information was accurate.

One of the most miscalculat-ed groups was EMS Supervi-sors. There is a matter nowpending before the Departmentinvolving 21 EMS Captainsand, oddly enough, one OCDdispatcher. These 22 individu-als were incorrectly paid duringthe fiscal year in question. Theywere provided a retroactivepaycheck based on the wrongCOLA percentage. Accountingsupervisors personally auditedall members of the Departmentafter the paychecks were dis-tributed and found that these 22had been paid, on average, 11%retroactive instead of 4% likethe other 3200 of us.

Once the Department learnedof the perceived overpayments(believed to total over $125,000)the members were asked to payall of the overpayment back.Four of them did. Two otherssettled for reduced amounts ask-ing the Department to take intoconsideration the taxes and pen-sion monies that were paid outof the overpayments. Sixteenothers failed to request hearingsor make arrangements for repay-ments with the Department.Some never received the noticefor hearings. Others ignored it orwere ill advised not to addressthe matter believing that the Citywas responsible for the overpay-ment and not the members.

Overzealous and misguid-ed abuse of discretionRather than direct the

remaining sixteen to attend ameeting and/or hearing to

address the overpayment issue,the Department turned theirnames over to the Office ofFinance and Citywide Collec-tions. That Office elected toborrow the letterhead of theCity Attorney and threatenedour members to make paymentin 10 days, or else. The remarkmade in the letter read,“WARNING - Failure torespond may result in the fil-ing of a lawsuit by the City orreferral of your case to a pri-vate collection agency thatreports delinquent accountsto credit bureaus.”

In steps the UnionThe Union was called and

President McOsker gotinvolved. He called the CityAttorney’s Office and insistedthat members were entitled tohearings on the matter andentitled to be presented withwritten documentation fromthe department to support theclaim of overpayment. TheCity Attorney’s representativeagreed. She granted a 90-dayextension on collections andsent a letter to the departmentmandating the meetings anddocumentation. PresidentMcOsker then assigned thiswriter as the sole representa-tive to work with the 22 affect-ed members to resolve theissue. A plan was put in motionto accurately determine whateach member was entitled toduring the time in question.

Preparation for the hearingswas under way. The combina-tion of capable people involved,available records and a techni-cal consultant who helped todevelop accurate spread sheetsmade for the foundation of asolid rebuttal. “A day’s wagesfor a day’s work.” This simplephrase seemed to capture theessence of our argument.

Significant reductionsattained

Hundreds of hours have beeninvested by these members, the

Union, the Department andeven legal counselors. In June,six of the members met withthe Department to conducthearings. Five reached settle-ments. The Department origi-nally billed them for over$22,000. At the end of the daya total of $1447 was collectedfrom these five individuals.Just around 6% of the amountbilled.

Why such a significant reduc-tion in the amount collected?There are many reasons.Accounting errors were found,inaccurate information comingfrom Personnel led to inaccu-rate formulas being applied tothe calculations used to estab-lish payment amounts. Wrongbase salaries were in the com-puter software, etc.

The Department modified therequest from some members,taking into consideration thetaxes that were paid on theoverpayment along with thepension dollars that were takenout of the overpayment.

Investigation reveals past discrepancies

A second issue emergedregarding the Department’sacknowledgement that EMSSupervisors have been incor-rectly paid based on MOULevel 8 calculations ratherthan on Level 9 as called for bythe MOU. As a result, allaffected EMS Captains havebeen receiving their variousbonuses, (EMT, education,bilingual, etc.) based on thewrong level of pay. This matteris going to be addressed assoon as the other issue isresolved. There will be more tofollow here.

Changes comingAs of the writing of this arti-

cle many hearings are soon tooccur. The Department hasrecalculated what they arerequesting and it is now$87,325. We expect this num-ber will be reduced after the

hearings. The Department hasextended deadlines andreduced their requests based onreasonable arguments regard-ing taxes and pensions andacknowledged errancies.Retroactive checks are beingreturned to members who over-paid on their bills. Responsibleparties have also acknowledgedthat using a collection agencywas completely inappropriate.

It is our intention that ourmembers will be retroactivelypaid correctly and that allmonies owed will be rectifiedin short order.

Calculate hours and confirm accurate pay

The moral of the story is thatall members should be aware ofhow to calculate and confirmthat each paycheck they receiveis accurate. Our technical con-sultant in this case has inspiredUFLAC to work towardinstalling a feature on our Web-site that will allow members tocompare hours worked to theirpay checks and confirm if whatthey received is correct. Offi-cers are asked to assist anymembers in seeking clarifica-tion in matters resolving pay.

Don’t forget that of all theCity Departments, the FireDepartment has the unique dis-tinction of having the most diffi-cult pay scale to apply to indi-viduals. We all have a responsi-bility to confirm that our pay iscorrect each time we receive it.That is not easy. Use the newMITS feature on the Depart-ment’s web page to see whatbonuses each member is receiv-ing. Become familiar with theMOU and FLSA procedures.Have the more eloquent andarticulate studiers’ present drillson methods for calculations.

Remember that if someonetells you that you owe themmoney; take the time to con-firm it. In the end, all will begrateful. “A day’s wages for aday’s work”. That sounds fairenough.

“A day’s wages for a day’s work”

When things don’t add up…Do it yourself

We will never forget…September 11, 2001

In honor of all those who perished on 9/11; the firefighters,police officers and other rescue personnel, the workers inthe World TradeCenter and thePentagon, the pas-sengers, pilots andflight attendantson the United andAmerican Airlinesflights, and all theinnocent victims,our prayers remainwith the familiesand friends of thedeceased.

Photo reprinted with permission ©SusanLernerPhoto.com


Councilmember Janice Hahn inside the Harbor Museum.Photo by Courtney Chesla

by Ted NoniniDirector

My name is Ted Nonini andI am a Firefighter III assignedto Fire Station 70 on the “C”shift. On May 1, 2003 I washonored to be named to theUFLAC Executive Board as aDirector.

Last year, during the UFLACElections, I was nominated torun for a position on the Exec-utive Board. I accepted thisnomination with no expecta-tions. The results of that elec-

tion placed me sixth for the fiveDirector spots.

Appointment to the Boardof Directors

Due to a retirement on theExecutive Board on May 1,2003, I was appointed to theBoard based on the fact that Iwas the next candidate with themost votes. And again, I amtruly honored to represent all ofthe Brothers and Sisters of thisgreat Union.

A running startSince May 1, 2003, I have

jumped in with both feet. I havespent time in Sacramento,negotiated for our new con-tract, been placed on variouscommittees, handled severalgrievances, and helped out inmany discipline cases.

LegislationLet’s start with spending time

in Sacramento. In both May andJuly, along with other Board

members, I spent several days inSacramento lobbying heavilyalongside California Profession-al Firefighters (CPF), for manynew laws that were written forfirefighters. The laws will notonly be beneficial for LA CityFirefighters, but also for all fire-fighters across the state.

Along with many Brothersand Sisters across the state, wemet many lawmakers, as wellas with the Governor.

Contract NegotiationsContract negotiations are

ongoing and very time con-suming. Although we can’tgive details, I will let you knowthat we are fighting for manythings. Hopefully, we will soonhave success.

GrievancesGrievances and discipline

never seem to end. Many of thegrievances are timekeepingissues. At the negotiating tablewe are attempting to come up

with plans to combat theseproblems. Hopefully, a planwill be in place soon whichwill solve many of these issues.

Membership involvementLastly, let me end this by ask-

ing you, the membership, tohelp us out. This is your Union,and we are just your representa-tives. The more involved thatyou can get, the better, strongerand more unified our Union canbecome. So, please make it tosome meetings. They are nor-mally the last payday of every

month. Consider becoming aSteward. The Stewards programis where I started. It is an excel-lent program that allows infor-mation to go from the Union tothe Station and back. Unioninvolvement helps everyone.

Again, thank you for not onlyhaving the confidence in nomi-nating me, but also in electingme. If you have any problems,questions, comments, or justwant to chat, don’t hesitate tocall me at Fire Station 70-C orthe Union office.

Be careful out there.

New face on the Union Board…

Commitment to Serve

by Paul GilbrookDirector

On Tuesday August 12thGovernor Gray Davis signedCPF-supported legislationwhich clarifies the roll of thePublic Employment RelationsBoard (PERB) and empowersemployees of a local employeeagency or employee organiza-tion to challenge a rule orregulation of a public agency inviolation of the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act. The MMBA, which

first became law in 1968, givespublic employees in Californiathe right to form unions and tobargain collectively.

Member of PERBThe Governor’s support of

this legislation was a signifi-cant victory for firefightersthroughout California. IAFFPresident Emeritus Al White-head sits on the PERB whichwas strengthened by the adop-tion of this law. For the past 21⁄2years former President White-head has been a strong andtireless advocate for the rightsof firefighters and other publicemployees in his roll on thatjudgment rendering body.

UFLAC members will longremember President White-head’s moving remarks at thememorial service in 1998 forour fallen brothers Mike Butler,Eric Reiner, and MikeMcComb. Equally so, we fond-

ly remember the 12 years thathe served as the President ofour great International Union,his 6 years as the SecretaryTreasurer of the IAFF, his 25years on the Executive Board ofthe Los Angeles County Fire-fighters Local 1014, including12 years as their President, andall that his dedication has meantto firefighters and to the fireservice throughout the years.

Landmark Firefighter Legislation

Many years ago Al White-head and Dan Terry of the CPFworked with then Chief ofStaff to the Governor, GrayDavis, on landmark firefighterlegislation. Together thesethree advocates helped achievethe nation’s first cancer pre-sumptive law for firefighters.More recently, during AlWhitehead’s watch at the helmof the IAFF, the NFPA’s 1710Staffing Standard, the Well-ness/Fitness Initiative, andFederal Line-of-Duty-Deathinvestigations all came intobeing. Perhaps most impor-tantly though, under theleadership of Al Whiteheadthe IAFF’s Federal PAC Fundgrew exponentially, and overtime it became one of the most politically powerful and effective committees in Wash-ington D.C.

Tireless Advocate

Even now at age 73 and inso-called “retirement”, AlWhitehead continues to givelike no one else to the broth-erhood and sisterhood of theIAFF. Besides travelingweekly between his home inHuntington Beach andSacramento for his duties onthe PERB, Al Whiteheadspends many hours eachweek assisting IAFF localshere on the West Coast withhelp and advice on theirissues.

We thank the Governor forsigning this important legis-lation and his continuedsupport of firefighters. Wealso thank Al Whitehead forall that he has done and con-tinues to do. We lookforward to seeing you soonBig Al… holding court inyour usual spot down atUFLAC South!

IAFF Legend Al Whitehead Continues to Serve

Al Whitehead

discussions regarding a reduc-tion of staffing on Fireboat 2.Personnel from Fire Station112 subsequently notifiedUFLAC that they had been vis-ited by the Fire Chief whosuggested that a reduction ofdedicated staffing wasinevitable. We immediatelycontacted City Councilmem-bers (beginning with JaniceHahn), the Mayor’s Office andmembers of the Harbor andFire Commissions.

UFLAC has been extremelypleased with the support we

have received from all of thosewho have heard us on this issue.Councilperson Hahn deservesspecial recognition for herunwavering commitment toadequate fireboat staffing. Herresolve has paid off. As of thiswriting Boat 2 is still safelystaffed, harbor fire protectionhas not been diminished, andthe pressure to reduce staffingappears to have evaporated.

Thanks for coming to bothdedication ceremonies Janice…and thanks for supporting theLAFD of the past, present andfuture.

Dedication of Harbor MuseumContinued from page 1

Drag Race - More FatalitiesThis one happened on Glenoaks Blvd. near Sheldon St. in the San Fernando Valley. The carpictured was racing with another car when the driver lost control and hit a telephone pole atclose to 90 MPH. The driver died at the scene and his passenger died at Pacifica Hospital.Both were teenagers. Photo by Mike Meadows. CFPA


New Work Comp Law Affects City Firefighters

by: Robert Sherwin Lewis, Marenstein,

Wicke & Sherwin Law FirmLast year, the California leg-

islature passed legislationaffecting workers’ compensa-tion benefits. These new lawsbecame effective January 1,2003 and apply to injuriesoccurring only after January 1.As firefighters, you shouldbecome familiar with the moresignificant procedural changesthat will affect the amount andtype of benefits you receive ifinjured on the job.

You can avoid the 30 daywaiting period if you

“pre-select” a treatingphysician

Most of you are probablyaware that if injured on the job,and the city accepts liability forthat injury, then you are entitledto all medical treatment that is

reasonable and necessary forthe effects of that injury. Nor-mally, for the first 30 days froman injury, the city controls yourtreatment and you must treatwith a physician of their choice.After 30 days, you have anabsolute right to transfer treat-ment to a doctor of your choice,assuming you are still in needof treatment. You are not limit-ed to just one change of doctorsbut may transfer treatment toother doctors so long as yourchanges are reasonable. Youcan avoid the 30 day waitingperiod if you “pre-select” atreating physician, however, topre-select a doctor, it must be aphysician that you have previ-ously seen, not someone youwill be seeing for the first time.

…the City and CambridgeIntegrated Services willminimize the extent oftreatment or disability.

Previously, in all cases, thetreating physician for a workrelated injury carried a legalpresumption that he/she wascorrect on all issues concerningthe injured employee (tempo-rary disability status; level ofpermanent disability; and needfor treatment). It is extremelydifficult to rebut this presump-tion and therefore whoever was

controlling the treating physi-cian, was controlling your des-tiny! That is why the City andCambridge Integrated Services(the insurance administrator)frequently sends you to certainphysicians or medical groupsas they know these doctors willminimize the extent of treat-ment or disability.

The law remains the same that in order to pre-select a doctor,

he/she must be your “personal physician”

The new law eliminates thetreating doctor presumptionexcept in cases where theinjured firefighter “pre-selected”a treating doctor. In other words,you can still get the upper handon Cambridge Integrated Ser-vices and control your claim, ifyou pre-designate your treatingphysician. The law remains thesame that in order to pre-select adoctor, he/she must be your“personal physician” who isdefined as your regular physi-cian who has previously directedyour medical treatment and whoretains your medical records. If aphysician has seen you on oneprior occasion for any condition,that doctor would qualify as apersonal physician for pre-des-ignation purposes.

Many firefighters ask whattype of physician should theypre-designate? Should it be anorthopedic surgeon? Aninternist or cardiologist? Thereis no hard and fast answer tothat dilemma. A treating physi-cian for a work related injuryhas the ability to refer you toother doctors to render appro-priate treatment. Thus if youpre-select an internist as yourpersonal physician, and yourinjury is to your back, yourinternist would be the primarytreating doctor and he/she couldthen refer you to an orthopedist,chiropractor, acupuncturist,etc., for appropriate treatment.Conversely, if you designate anorthopedist, that doctor can alsorefer you to appropriate special-ists as needed (neurologist,internist, etc.) What is critical isthat whomever you pre-selectas your treating doctor is onethat must have seen you at leastonce prior to any work relatedinjury and that doctor should befamiliar with workers’ compen-sation reporting requirementsand permanent disability guide-lines. If you select a doctorunfamiliar with the workers’compensation process, you areinviting trouble as that doctorwill not issue reports to Cam-bridge in a timely mannerwhich could jeopardize your

benefits such as IOD time andtreatment. If you pre-select atreating physician and decidelater that you would like tochange doctors, you may do soeven if it is during the treatmentprocess.

What if you do not pre-select a treating doctor?You still have the right to

select a doctor of your choiceafter the first 30 days from thedate of injury, however, thatdoctor will not carry any legalpresumption that his/her opin-ion is correct. It simply putsyou on an even playing fieldwith the City should a disputearise on your claim and Cam-bridge sends you to a doctor oftheir choice for a medical legalevaluation. With the presump-tion on your side, you controlthe game! Under past law, thepresumption applied to anytreating physician, whetherpre-selected or not. As of Janu-ary 1, 2003, the presumptiononly applies to those personaldoctors you pre-designate.

There are other significantchanges in the work comp lawsthat will be discussed in futurearticles. For the present howev-er, be smart and consider find-ing a good doctor who can treatyou if you suffer a work-relatedinjury.

by Dan TerryPresident

California Professional Firefighters

IAFF, AFL-CIO-CLCBy any measuring stick you

care to use, Gray Davis hasbeen the best friend firefightershave had in Sacramento in atleast two decades. Maybe ever.Gray Davis’ history as a friendof our profession extends wellbeyond his tenure as governor.From the time he was in a posi-tion to influence state policy,Davis has been a solid support-er not only of firefighters, butof all working people.

Began Public Service in 1974

For those who don’t know,Davis first gained statewidenotoriety as the chief of staff toGovernor Jerry Brown, from1974 to 1981. During that time,I got to know him pretty well ashe was instrumental in helpingour firefighters navigate a diffi-cult period in labor-manage-ment relations.

Firefighter StrikesDuring the 1970s, there were

no fewer than 10 full-scalestrikes, as local governmentsdug in their heels against need-ed investment in public safety.Governor Brown was bound bylaw to insure the protection ofthe public during these workstoppages, but he wanted to doit without appearing to breakthe strike.

Honorable ResolutionWith Brown’s blessing, Gray

Davis and I worked out anarrangement. I’d convincestriking firefighters to keeptheir turnouts handy and agree

to respond in the event of amajor fire. Davis, in turn,would keep state resourcestucked away on state property,out of sight of the public butready to respond to protect thepublic. Thanks to Gray Davis,the public was protected, thejob actions weren’t compro-mised, and the good name ofour profession was maintained.

As he advanced in the ranksof state politics, Gray Daviscontinued to show his supportfor our issues. During his fouryears in the State Assembly,Davis was a solid vote on pub-lic safety and labor issues. AsState Controller from 1986 to1994, Davis consistently sup-ported the position of employ-ees and working people in hisvotes on the Public EmployeeRetirement System Board andthe State Board of Equalization.And in a show of solidarity withstate workers, Davis refused toissue paychecks to members ofthe Legislature during the statebudget crisis of 1992, when therest of state employees werebeing paid with IOUs.

I bring up all of this historynot just out of nostalgia but tomake a point. Gray Davis was astand-up guy for Californiafirefighters before he asked usfor one dollar to support hiscampaign for governor. Unlikeother politicians, who are onlytoo happy to hug firefighterswhen the camera’s turned on,Gray Davis was with us whennobody was watching him. Andthings have only gotten bettersince he’s been in the spotlight.

How good has Gray Davisbeen for us?

Look at the record. Thirty-sixCPF sponsored and co-spon-

A friend in Good Timesand Bad

Gray Davis was a stand-up guy for California firefighters before he asked us for one dollar to

support his campaign for governor.

sored bills have been signed byDavis since he took office.Retirement benefits, such as 3%at 50 and the 90% PERS cap,were signed by Davis, benefit-ing state and local firefighters.A 30-year quest to win the pro-tection of binding arbitrationtook a huge step forward whenDavis signed SB 402. Importantnew presumption laws for can-

cer and blood-borne pathogenswere signed by Davis. And thegovernor OK’ed groundbreak-ing legislation that insures thatall working people are protect-ed from employer retaliationfor their off-the-job politicaland union activities.

Governor Gray Davis — A Proven RecordA Proven Friend

Mutual Aid Brush Fire Angeles National Forestry Units responded to a brush fire onBig Tujunga Canyon Road in the Wildwood area. ANF Battal-ion 12 requested a brush assignment from LA City Fire torespond to the location along with all available aircraft. LosAngeles City Fire OCD dispatched a full brush response tothis location. Arriving units on scene reported 50+ acres run-ning up hill from Vogel Flats where the fire originated.Helicopters from LA City arrived on the scene and workedalong with the forest service and LA County units to slow thefire down. The fire was contained to 113 acres, with a lossestimated at $150,000. No structures were damaged and thecause is under investigation.

Photo and information by Chris Jensen, CFPA


by Peggy Sweeney RainoneLos Angeles Firefighter

Staff WriterThere are four main factors

that I believe effect our person-al reactions to or how we copewith grief. In previous articles,we discussed the followingthree:

• Our emotional relation-ship with the person whodied or the life-altering event

• Previous loss experiences

• Lessons we learned aschildren for coping with griefand loss

The manner of death (suddenor anticipated) is the final ele-ment. No matter how the deathoccurs, we grieve. However,the manner in which the deathhappens will influence ourgrieving process. For example,heart attack, stroke, or a motorvehicle accident are examplesof sudden death. When we hearthe news of our loved one’sdeath, we are often shockedand usually do not want tobelieve what we are hearing.When I received a phone callfrom a good friend of the fami-ly that my dad had had a heartattack and was dead, I immedi-ately dialed my parents’ homebecause I knew the person whohad called must have been mis-taken. Sadly, they were not.

…a belief that as long asthere is life, there is hope

When death occurs as the

result of a long-term illness orinjury, the levels of shock anddisbelief may be less intensethen they are with a suddendeath. Nevertheless, whensomeone we love is slowlydying over time because ofcancer, heart disease, a braininjury, or Alzheimer’s disease,we may still find ourselves sur-prised when their death occurs.This is not an abnormalresponse, but rather a beliefthat as long as there is life,there is hope. On the otherhand, some people find it verydifficult to watch a familymember or close friend debili-tated or suffering a slow,painful death. They may silent-ly pray for a peaceful death; anend to the torment. During themany months that my motherstruggled to live, I foundmyself on what seemed like anendless roller coaster ride. Upone minute when a surgery ormedication appeared to correcta problem or ease her pain andtossed down into the depths ofdespair when efforts to makeher well and pain-free failed.Watching someone you lovevery much die is never easy.For me, Mom’s death—although very painful at timesto cope with now—was a bless-ing for her.

Impact on healing our grief

What impact do these twotypes of death (sudden or antic-ipated) have on us as we beginto heal our grief? Disbelief,shock, denial, and a numbing ofour senses may often accompa-ny a sudden death. Some peoplemay be angry, consumed withguilt, or lash out at those aroundthem. Sudden death does notallow us to say a final goodbyeor tell the person how much welove them. We think it is too lateto ask for forgiveness or tomake amends for hurtful thingswe may have said or done in thepast. Following a very traumat-ic death (the death of a child,suicide, homicide, etc.), ourbrain and our body acknowl-

edge the fact that we are facingsomething that is almost toohorrendous to cope with.

Nature’s coping mechanism

Many people will experiencea sense of being on “automaticpilot.” They will do simpletasks without any thought. As amortician, I witnessed thismany times. A family memberwould come to the funeralhome to make arrangements.Without any outward sign ofemotion—almost robotically—they would answer my ques-tions and give me detailedinformation concerning theirwishes for the funeral and bur-ial. This seemingly detachedattitude is perceived by otherpeople as a sign that this personis “coping well” or emotionallyunscathed by the death. This isnot true at all. It is merelynature’s coping mechanism.Eventually, the pain of griefwill descend unmercifully.

Although we grieve and havemany of the same feelings andemotions as someone who iscoping with the sudden deathof a family member or specialfriend, anticipated death givesus the opportunity to completesome of our grief work beforeour loved one dies. Unless thisperson is in denial of theirimminent death, you can bothopenly express your feelingsand emotions, right wrongs,and make amends. Many peo-ple who are dying not onlywant to do this but find it to bea relief. Due to their particularlong-term illness or injury, theymay have had to relinquishcontrol over many things intheir life. Allowing them totake part in a healing experi-ence such as this will bringboth of you comfort and asense of peace.

Assist those in needSome people may also want

or need to be assured that theiraffairs are in order and ask youto help them. Funeral arrange-ments, legal issues, and con-cern for surviving family mem-

bers are of great concern tothem. Do not hesitate to assistthem. The rewards for you inthe long run will be well worthyour efforts now.

We will grieve in spite of themanner in which our lovedones die. Death is death. Griefis grief. Pain is pain. We cannotgo back in time and undoevents that have happened ortake back words that were saidin anger or haste. We mustaccept our humanness. Wemust learn to forgive and askfor forgiveness. We must loveunconditionally. You neverknow when death will touchyour life. Should tomorrownever come, you will have noregrets today.

Copyright 2003 PeggySweeney Rainone. All rightsreserved.

About the Author: Peggy,founder and president of TheSweeney Alliance, is an EMT-Band formerly a firefighter andmortician. She has developedand facilitated numerous work-shops on coping with grief andpost-traumatic stress for profes-sionals and families and hasreached out to her communityby way of support groups forbereaved parents and children.She offers help to emergencyresponse and public safety per-sonnel through her GrievingBehind the Badge training pro-gram. As a staff writer for theLos Angeles Firefighter, boththe International Labor Com-munications and the WesternLabor Communications Associ-ations have recognized Peggyfor outstanding achievement inthe field of labor journalism.You may contact Peggy throughher Web site at:

www.sweeneyalliance.org or by e-mail:

[email protected]___________

And If Tomorrow Never Comes

If I knew it would be the lasttime that I’d see you fall asleep,I would tuck you in more tight-ly and pray the Lord, your soul

to keep.If I knew it would be the last

time that I would see you walkout the door, I would give you ahug and kiss and call you backfor one more.

If I knew it would be the lasttime that I’d hear your voicelifted up in praise, I wouldvideo tape each action andword, so I could play themback day after day.

If I knew it would be the lasttime, I would spare an extraminute or two to stop and say “ILOVE YOU” instead of assum-ing you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the lasttime, I would be there to shareyour day, well I’m sure you’llhave so many more, so I can letjust this one slip away.

For surely there’s alwaystomorrow to make up for anoversight, and we always get asecond chance to make every-thing right.

There will always be anotherday to say our “I LOVE YOU’s,and certainly there’s anotherchance to say our “Anything Ican do’s?

But just in case I might bewrong, and today is all I get, I’dlike to say how much I love youand I hope we never forget,tomorrow is not promised toanyone, young or old alike.

And today may be the lastchance you get to hold yourloved one tight.....

So if you’re waiting fortomorrow, why not do it today?For if tomorrow never comes,you’ll surely regret the day thatyou didn’t take that extra timefor a smile, a hug, or a kiss, andyou were too busy to grantsomeone, what turned out to betheir one last wish.

So hold your love ones closetoday, whisper in their ear, tellthem how much you love themand that you’ll always holdthem dear. Take time to say“I’m sorry,” please forgive me,”Thank you, or it’s okay.

And if tomorrow nevercomes, you’ll have no regretsabout today...

Author Unknown

Grieving behind the badge…

Sudden Death Vs Anticipated Death

LAFD Fire 4 was called to assist and transport at a traffic accident northbound 1-5 at the 134 freeways. Theywere needed to transport a 7-year-old child that was going in and out of consciousness following a trafficaccident in which he and his mother where trapped in their car after it collided with a simi truck.

Photos and information by Ross A. Benson, ©2003 CFPA


24th Annual Firemen’s Reunion Grass Valley, CA

by Jim PerryEditor

Another reunion has comeand gone but the wonderfulmemories will be with us untilwe meet again next year.

312 active and retired mem-bers of the LAFD family werein attendance and 61 RV’s werein the campground. The rest ofthe attendees either live nearthis beautiful area or werehoused in nearby bed andbreakfast homes or motels.

There are over 60 men andwomen involved in puttingtogether this annual reunion…far too many to list. Not mean-ing to slight any one of theseunselfish and dedicated men

and women, I must mention afew.

Dan and Alice Hostetleralong with Frank Cutter serveas the all-around coordinatorsfor this annual event. BarbaraBrown coordinates the bus tripto Lake Tahoe for gamblingand the boat excursion, andBud Zink manages the golfouting. The rest of the reunioncommittee could be seen work-ing all around the campsitewearing their white vests andhost badges.

Much credit is given to theLos Angeles Firemen’s ReliefAssociation and the CreditUnion for their contributions inboth food and drink.

President Dave Lowe andVice President Barry Hedbergand Retired Trustees Bill Gossand Bob Henderson represent-ed the Los Angeles Firemen’sRelief Association.

LAFRA Dalmatian’s FireHouse store manager LindaLara and staff were in atten-dance with a large selection offire department apparel formen, women and children,accessories and other merchan-dise.

The LAFD Historical Soci-ety was also present with a fineselection of LAFD merchan-dise.

President/CEO Mike Mastroand staff represented the Los

Angeles Firemen’s CreditUnion. They held informativemeetings regarding CreditUnion Online operations.

Lyle Hall, retired and formerPresident of United Firefight-ers of Los Angeles City and theRetired Fire and Police Associ-ation gave a pitch for bothorganizations.

The deep-pit BBQ luncheonis always the BIG event. Oncethe meat and veggies are hoist-ed out of the ground, the wrap-pings are removed and thecarving knives come out. Thisall-firefighter BBQ crewquickly served 312 plates fullof BBQ beef, vegetables,coleslaw, beans, rolls and but-

ter. Ralph Bischofberger’sfamous carrot cake topped offthe meal.

Following the meal, a rafflewas held with scores of donat-ed prizes going to lucky ticketholders.

I must say that this is not a“Retired Only Reunion” andwould encourage all activemembers of the LAFD to joinin on next year’s reunion.

Mark Your Calendars:May 17-22, 2004

Photos byMarcel Verdooner LAFDForensic Photographer,

Darleen Dills and Jim Perry


by Jerry SmithCaptain, LAFD RetiredLos Angeles Firefighter

Staff WriterOn September 11, 2001 and

the brutal days and months fol-lowing the WTC collapse; firstresponders and other rescue andrecovery personnel were facinga horrendous challenge to pene-trate an extraordinary pile ofrubble… a very difficult task toretrieve dead bodies buried incontaminated building material.A nightmare atmosphere andmagnitude of destruction atground zero will be remem-bered as a breeding ground fora variety of deadly toxins.

What you’re about to readshould serve notice that we as acivilized society have a moraland legal obligation to closelymonitor those brave workersthat placed their own health atgreat risk while searching forany trace of life and to honor-ably retrieve the remains ofincinerated victims.

And what do we have toassociate such great calamitywith? Nothing! This was themother, the greatest of all dead-ly building conflagrations.

Medical experts are warning:“We have to be concernedabout those who survived andserved at ground zero.” Why isthere so much concern from themedical community? Do youhave any idea about the typesand severity of contaminantsthat may have been released?How about Asbestos, CementDust, Cyanide, Dioxins, Lead,Chromium and Other Metals,MTBE, PCBs, etc., etc.

Who pays for my medicaltreatment, and what if I’mforced to leave my job becauseof failing health as a young fire-fighter, police officer or

medic…my pension is notenough to support my family,what then? If I die will myspouse receive LODD benefits?Who cares about me for caringabout others and putting myown safety in harm’s way toprove my unfettered dedicationto public safety at any cost?

A report put out by *(Physi-cians for Social Responsibility)lays it out in hard cold facts forpolice officers, firefighters,emergency medical personnel,and other responders of the pos-sible dangers that could appearin the months and years to come.

I’m no chemistry teacher butI’m smart enough to know hadI been working at ground zero,especially in the early goingand not using protective gear toprotect my lungs and skin Iwould be overly concernedabout my health now and in thefuture.

A NIOSH report states,“Hazard monitoring was con-ducted at the site but it was notpossible to fully access thewide range of potential chemi-cal threats or disseminateinformation quick enough toassist emergency workers.”

Does this mean I coulddevelop life-threatening symp-toms that could be lethal sixmonths or 5 years from now?

In this writer’s opinion morethan enough respiratory symp-toms and sickness have alreadysurfaced to warrant necessaryfederal funding for long termhealth screening and medicalmonitoring of fire fighters andother workers who were atGround Zero.

However, you can only hopethat our congressional leadersin Washington D.C. stay thecourse with the growing cer-tainty that many emergencyworkers were exposed to avariety of toxins. Needing toworry about not being takencare of after you risk your lifetrying to save others is a mostfrightening feeling for anyoneto endure. Especially after anunexpected illness or injurythat is duty related suddenlyimpacts your quality of life.

What Happens To Contaminants in

Our Bodies?According to the medical

experts, “The health effects of acontaminant are determined bymany different factors, includ-ing chemical characteristics;the extent, duration, and timingof exposure; and behavior ofthe chemical in the body. Somecontaminants are eliminatedsoon after exposure whereasothers, such as dioxins andlead, can accumulate andremain in the body for months,years or even decades. Somechemicals are stored in variousorgans or tissues, includingblood, bone, hair, and fatty tis-sues.” Does this not confirmthe importance of long-termmonitoring?

Hypocrisy in our Nation’s Capitol

As a responsible writer, Iunderstand my obligation tosponsor fairness and honesty inmy personal opinions. Rightnow I’m disturbed enough toyell and shout about my frus-tration with a hypocrisy thatexists in Washington D.C. Whywould anyone that champion’sdecency and fairness want tovote against a proposal helpingemergency responders and thelong-term effects of serious

exposure during the WTC res-cue and recovery effort?

And why would a senatorload up a proposal with amend-ments that’s sure to be deniedby the party majority in theSenate. I believe what I’m try-ing to say to the congressionalleaders in Washington D.C.please set aside your partisantricks, cut the political circus,and rally behind our nationsfirst responders.

If we are seriously at waron terrorism then I ask all

politicians to conductthemselves accordingly.

At no time has this greatnation on the domestic frontbeen so tested, overwhelmedand stressed by one incidentthat would last so long. I askmy readers to join me andmake our concerns known withthose that lead and support thisgreat country of ours. Whatworks better than “letters to theeditor” in your hometownnewspaper?

Who knows about the shelflife of America’s greatestdomestic disaster on record andthe delayed dangers it holds for

the future quality of life forthose that worked at groundzero? And that includes rescueworkers from other countrieswho sacrificed their personalsafety as well.

*Source:http://www.epa.gov/wtc/ben

chmarks.htm#listhttp://www.psr.org/fireRe-

portweb.pdf

About the writer: JerrySmith, a former Los AngelesCity Fire Captain and Califor-nia Governor’s Office of Emer-gency Services Fire & RescueDivision Assistant Chief,retired from active service in1987. After 42 years, heremains a “tell it like it is”advocate for firefighter rightsand safety.

Jerry is also the WebBoardAdministrator for the Emer-gency Grapevine,www.emergencygrapevine.coman “all-risk” message forumfor emergency response andrecovery personnel around theworld. A public safety Websiteestablished in August 1997,and a staff writer for the LosAngeles Firefighter.

W.T.C. – the aftermath…

Will Help Be Around If You Get Seriously ILL Years from Now?

There should be no denial that many rescuers were exposed to a wide range of potential chemical threats. The emotional and physical toll

could be incomprehensible for years to come.

The four major creditbureaus in the US, Equifax,etc.) will be allowed torelease credit information,mailing addresses, phonenumbers, etc., to ANYONEwho requests it.

If you do not want to beincluded in this release ofyour personal information,you can call 1-888-567-8688.

Once the message startsyou will want option #2 (eventhough option #1 refers tothis email, push #2) and thenoption #2.

Be sure to listen closely, thefirst option is only for a two-year period. Make sure youwait until they prompt for thesecond option, which optsyou out FOREVER.

Guarding Personal Information


by Wendy NorrisPresident

Firefighter Ministries(www.ultimatefirehouse.com)

You see, in just the last 12hours I have learned about twofirefighter charities that arebeing run in such a way thatthey appear to be scams. Iheard about one charity on amajor fire news Website and Ihear about another on PrimeTime just a few minutes ago.And personally, I know of twoother emergency service chari-ties that seem to be shady.

So, why am I feeling panicky?

I am feeling panicky becauseI am the president of an emer-gency services charity calledFirefighter Ministries. Eventhough I have worked my back-side off for the past few yearsto make sure that my organiza-tion is trust-worthy, honorable,and serves firefighters andEMT’s 100%, for some reasonthis latest information on shadycharities is making me feel bad.

Charity scams that involvedthe emergency servicesseemed to rear its ugly headwhen 9/11 happened. Money-hungry people that ran majororganizations were takingadvantage of kind-hearted andgiving people. Fly-by-nightorganizations appeared, raisedmoney on behalf of the deadfirefighters and police officersand then took off running,never to be heard from again.Well, once those scams seemedto be taken care of, here we arenearly two years later hittingour heads against the samebrick wall. It makes me sickthat there are people out therewho are trying to make a quickbuck off the backs of our pub-lic servants.

On behalf of all of the other

trust-worthy, hard working, andhonorable organizations outthere that truly do want to usetheir money to help firefighters,EMT’s and police officers, Iwould like to share with yousome tips on how to choose acharity to support.

• Make sure that the charity islegitimate. You can ask theorganization for its Tax IDnumber and then run it throughthe IRS.

• Check and see who is affil-iated, who has partnered, orwho supports the organization.If other trust-worthy compa-nies and individuals support theorganization, it is most likelythat the organization is legiti-mate.

• Ask the charity how muchof the money it raises goestowards its actual programs. Acharity should not use morethan 30% of its income onfundraising or administrativecosts. Also, the salary of theExecutive Director and staffshould rival that of other organ-izations similar in size.

• If possible verify that theirprograms really exist. If theyare helping another organiza-tion or company, call that com-

pany and ask them if they knowof ‘said named’ charity.

• A good nonprofit doesn’tjust ask for money, they willask for services, in-kind gifts,and for volunteers. Moneydoesn’t necessarily make thecharity a good one.

• Don’t give cash. Alwaysgive a check. That way, if youneed to, you can issue a stoppayment.

• Don’t be afraid to ask for acharity’s last filing of their 990form. The 990 form is anaccount of what the charityreceives and how it is spent.However, be advised that anorganization that makes lessthan $20,000 during a one-yearperiod does not have to file thisform.

• Ask how long the companyhas been in operation. Thelonger the company has been inexistence, the more likely it isthat they are not just going totake the money and run.

• Follow your heart, not youremotions. If you are uneasyabout the donation, don’t makeit!

• If you feel that you havebeen scammed, you can makecomplaints to the Better Busi-

ness Bureau, your state’s Attor-ney General as well as to theIRS.

Please remember that thereare good organizations outthere that really do want toassist our public servants. Run-ning a nonprofit is tough work,especially when the organiza-tion is following its missionstatement. For those of us whoare out there trying to keep ournames and our work honorable,remember that honesty isalways the best policy.

Blessings,Wendy Norris

________________

Editor’s note:Charity scams are nothing

new. We have written aboutthem over the years and wantto remind our readers that thefirefighters union and the LosAngeles City Fire Departmentdoes not participate in market-ing solicitation scams. If youhave questions about anyonesoliciting in the name of theFire/EMS services in LosAngeles, call the UFLACoffice at 800-252-8352.

Guest editorial…

Firefighter Charities - Who To Trust?My stomach is in knots and my head is pounding because of my rising blood

pressure. I feel fearful and anxious, much like I’m having a heart attack. Am I having a panic attack? Yes, but not the type you are probably thinking about.

David DanielsonFFIII/PMFS-46-C

Hello Brother Jim,As you can imagine it has

been a long awaited day. Com-ing home via Frankfurt, Ger-many the most amazing andbeautiful image was not seeingthe Rhine or the castles of Hei-delberg but seeing those amaz-ing blue/green eyes and flowingred hair at the bottom of theescalator at San Diego Interna-tional Airport. It was indeedgood to be home.

I have been given 96 hoursliberty and then I have request-ed an additional 3 days Leave.My Executive Officer grantedthe time without a second look.Everybody has been so wonder-ful and supportive. Denise andI will be leaving on Sunday forDallas, Texas. We are planning

Home from the War Front...

Carolyn Blasheck puts togeth-er packages of goodies at herown expense and sends them tomilitary personnel overseas.

The lawyer-turned-stay-at-home mom has single-handedlysent over 370 packages in thelast few months to U.S. troopsserving in the Middle East.

Working alone in her Encinohome, Blashek stuffs toiletries,games, books, batteries, toys

and snacks into cardboard boxesbefore hauling them in her mini-van to the post office. Shespends about $150 for a load ofpackages during weekly trips todiscount and drug stores.

Even as thousands of troopsare returning from overseasposts, Blashek said she intendsto continue to send the pack-ages indefinitely to those whoare still far from home.

to see her family and spendsome much needed family time.

When I return home I will becontinuing to work down inSan Diego with my squadron.Flight training has beenramped up with the lessonslearned by all of us who havecome home from Iraq and weare immediately applying newtraining techniques.

We are planning on 3-monthrotations, so if our presence isrequested to remain in Iraq orto go elsewhere in the near

future, then we are preparing tobe ready at any given moment.

Thank you again for yourheartfelt support. I haveenclosed some photos that pret-ty much speak for themselves.

On another note…I thought that you might be

interested in some email that Ihave been receiving from Car-olyn Blashek. She is theoperator of the Los AngelesUSO and has started a wonder-ful program called Operation

Gratitude. It is a care packageprogram to send packages andletters to US Armed Forces per-sonnel operating in the MiddleEast.

I think it would be a greatopportunity if you would pub-lish an article regarding theproject and see if we can cre-ate some support frommembers of the LAFD todonate their time in support ofCarolyn’s project.

Thanks again for your sup-port. I have been honored to

receive so many emails fromboth active and retired LAFDmembers. It has been anabsolute joy.

Fraternally,David A. Danielson

For more information on howto get involved in OperationGratitude, call Carolyn at (818)789-0123, or e-mail her [email protected] orvisit Carolyn’s website at:http://opgratitude.com

David Danielson in Baghdad enjoying the “goodies” sent byCarolyn Blashek via her Operation Gratitude program. Car-olyn spends about $150 for a load of packages during weeklytrips to discount and drug stores.


Leadership: Some Discredited Theories

by Harry R. Carter, Ph.D.,Staff Writer

Los Angeles FirefighterFor the past several years, I

have been studying the subjectof leadership. Given the fre-quent email complaints that Ireceive regarding bad leader-ship, I have decided that this isone of the most critical areas offire department operations. Asa result of my time in theresearch mode, I have come toone not-so startling conclusion.Leadership is neither a simple,nor an easy area within whichto operate. The pitfalls aremany and the dangersimmense.

During the course of myresearch and review, I haveidentified at least a dozen dif-ferent styles of leadership.Each of these styles is acceptedwithin the world of academicresearch and writing. Restassured that there is no com-mon agreement as to the onebest way to lead people. Eachof these has its proponents andits opponents.

My mission in this messageis much simpler. I want to sharea number of discredited stylesof leadership that I have experi-enced, identified, or uncovered.My research, as supplementedby my living life for more thanfive and one half decades hasshown me that there are somereal lousy leaders out there.

…avoid using any ofthese styles of un-leadership

Let me share these prescrip-tions for disaster with you nowin no particular order. I wantyou to read the following para-graphs carefully. Please reviewthe examples I am listing andthen decide how you are goingto act. I sure hope that you willsee that these are not ways inwhich you should work to leadyour troops. I could be wrong,but I think that you will chooseto avoid using any of thesestyles of un-leadership.

I have read that in the worldof social interaction there arethose theorists who write that itis our environment that shapeswho we are and what we turnout to be in life. If we arebrought up in a loving and nur-turing home, we will be betterpeople, or so the theories state.As you can imagine, the defini-tion of what constitutes beingbetter people in our society isopen to much debate.

I would like to make a sug-gestion to you as to how andwhy certain people act as they

do. I have worked for peoplewho were among the meanestpeople on the face of the earth.In another time and place, theymight have worked on a rackdevice during the SpanishInquisition. It is equally possi-ble that they could have workedas jail guards in the Gulags ofRussia. Surely they could havegleefully yanked the lever onany number of gallows in stateprisons around the world.

You would almost think thatthese folks were “human fertil-izer sales people.” These horri-ble examples of leadershipcontinually treated their peoplelike farm soil. They dumped allover everyone on practically adaily basis.

…treating subordinates ina dehumanizing way

I have never been able tounderstand how these peoplegot such a great sense of pleas-ure from treating their subordi-nates in such a dehumanizingway. You can almost envisionthem going home from the fire-house, kicking open the door totheir home, striding in, beatingtheir wives, smacking theirkids, and kicking their cat, orso it would seem.

I have found that research isa truly great tool. People havequestions about things, andthen they decide to search forthe answers. So it has been inthe world of the social sci-ences. It seems that there havebeen studies that show that

people who were abused andtreated badly during their form-ative years end up acting outtheir experiences through otherpeople. It is sort of like anexample of the Golden Rulegone awry. These people aretreating others as they weretreated in some convoluteddrive to get back at those whotreated them badly.

These are the folks who endup trying to pay everyone backfor how badly they themselveswere treated. Sadly, they areusually punishing a new gener-ation for the sins of the old one.This is similar to the theorieson the perpetuation of childabuse. People who had no handin creating the monster becomeits victims.

This is a serious situationHow can you be expected to

go to work and be productive insuch an environment? It is mostdifficult, because these abusivepeople are also usually a bitparanoid. They think that theworld is out to get them andthem alone. If ever there was aself-fulfilling prophecy, this isit. Think about this. If you treatpeople well, they will usuallyrespond and work well for you.If you are suspicious, treat yourpeople badly, and think thatyour people are truly out to getyou, guess what? Your wishwill probably come true.

…being nice will makeyou feel better

I have found that the onlyway to deal with people likethis is to do your job to the bestof your ability, and smile a lot.You cannot control how thesepeople will respond to you,however, you can, within cer-tain limits, control yourself andhow you act. Kill these peoplewith kindness. I have foundthat this really confuses them.Be nice, smile, ask how theirfamily is doing, and in generalbe a kindly human being.

Maybe it will work, andmaybe it will not. However,being nice will make you feelbetter. It will allow you toreturn home to your family in asafe and sane manner. Aboveall, leave work at work. Do notburden your family with yourwork-related problems. Thereare plenty of at-home problemsyou can share with your family.

Leadership problemThere is another type of lead-

ership problem that is quite abit different from the last one.It has been my experience thata number of people I have seensuffer from the “... no one is assmart as me...” theory of lead-ership. These people act andthink as though they weregranted their authority directlyby the Supreme Architect ofthe Universe himself. Theyrefuse to believe that anyone issmart enough to offer them agood idea.

These people can beextremely problematic. One of

Continued on page 13

Los Angeles City Fire companies responded to a reported structure fire at the 18000 block of Lemarsh Street in Northridge.Units arriving on scene reported a one story single family dwelling with smoke showing. Firefighters were able to get a quickknockdown on the fire. Firefighters from 70’s and 87’s were able to rescue two cats that were stuck inside the home duringthe incident. Photos and information by Chris Jensen, CFPA

Firefighters Rescue/Revive Two Cats Helpful WebSites

The Department ofLabor and the Office ofManagement and Budgetsay there are 25 new federalbenefit programs (and $34billion annual benefit dol-lars) available at www.Gov-Benefits.gov, a Websitedesigned to facilitate theinteraction between individ-uals and government.

Social Security Infor-mation: There’s a newplace to go for a wealth ofinformation abut SocialSecurity’s programs andservices:www.socialsecurity.gov

The new Web addresstakes you to a redesignedsite that is easier to navi-gate, more attractive, andmore accessible to all visi-tors, including people withvisual impairments or phys-ical disabilities.

United Firefighters of Los Angeles City:

www.uflac.org

Los Angeles Firemen’sRelief Association:

www.lafra.org

Los Angeles FireDepartment:www.lafd.org

by Micheal Josephson©2003 JosephsonInstitute of Ethics

Aretha Franklin reminded ushow it’s spelled, but a lot of usneed coaching on how to showit. In both personal and politi-cal relationships the failure totreat each other with respect isgenerating incivility, contemptand violence.

There’s an important distinc-tion between respecting aperson in the sense that weadmire and hold that person inespecially high esteem andtreating others with respect.While respecting others is desir-able, respectfulness is morallymandatory. Thus, people ofcharacter treat everyone withrespect, even those who are notpersonally respectworthy.

The way we behave towardothers is an expression of ourvalues and character. Thus, weshould treat others with respectnot because they have a rightbut because we have a moralduty to do unto others the waywe want them to do unto us.

Again, it’s not because theydeserve it, but because doingless would diminish our owncharacter.

That’s the message in an oldstory about a politician whocaught himself being drawninto mudslinging and name-calling. Once he realized hewas lowering himself to hisopponent’s level, he stoppedand said, “Sir, I will treat youas a gentleman, not becauseyou are one but because I amone.”

It can take a lot of self-con-trol to be respectful to peoplewho are nasty, dishonorable ordisrespectful to us. Still, ourinner sense of integrity shouldhelp us resist temptations to“fight fire with fire.” As LilyTomlin said, “The problemwith the rat race is that even ifyou win, you’re still a rat.”

Listening…A Vital Dimension

of RespectYesterday I talked about the

nature of respect and our spe-

cial obligation to treat otherswith respect. The virtue ofrespectfulness is demonstratedby being courteous and civil,and treating everyone in a man-ner that acknowledges andhonors their essential humandignity.

An important but often neg-lected aspect of respectfulnessis the simple act of really listen-ing to what others have to say.

Respectful listening is morethan hearing. It requires us toactually consider what is beingsaid. That’s hard when we’resure we’ve heard it all before,are not really interested ordon’t think much of the persontalking. It’s even worse whenwe simply act like we’re listen-ing when all we’re really doingis waiting for our own turn tospeak.

The fact is that most of usdon’t listen very well, certainlynot all the time and especiallywith the people closest to us.Kids are especially adept attuning out their parents, butparents are equally skilled at

ignoring or dismissing as fool-ish or irrelevant what their kidshave to say.

The disrespectfulness of notlistening is most apparent whenwe are being ignored or patron-ized by others. As whensomeone we are talking to rollshis eyes back in a show ofimpatience or contempt, orfake interest is betrayed by avacant stare or wandering eyes.

We all want to know thatwhat we say and think matters.But if we want others to careabout what we say, we need toshow we care about what theysay. Like all the importantvirtues, we teach respect bestby demonstrating it. So listenup! It will make people feelbetter and you may even learnsomething.

Respect means knowingwhen to back off…

I’ve talked before about theethical obligation to treat oth-ers with respect by attentivelistening. Today, I want to talkabout the flip side of respect,the duty to back off and acceptthe fact that while othersshould listen to us, we can’tdemand they agree with us.

Such unreasonable demandsare especially prevalent wherea person in a position ofauthority (like a boss or parent)lectures, criticizes, sermonizesor even berates an employee orchild well past the point oflegitimate communication. But

it isn’t only people of authoritywho engage in bulldozer con-versational tactics that seek toimpose an idea on someoneelse.

The common thread in disre-spectful communications isthat they go beyond reasonableattempts to inform or even per-suade — they becomeharangues. It’s as if the speakeris engaged in a campaign tobeat us into submission ratherthan simply convey a point ofview. So he or she pummels uswith repetitive opinions, com-plaints or demands. And if wedon’t give the desired response,the speaker simply restates thepoint more loudly or aggres-sively.

Telling these ardent opinion-ators that we understand theirposition, that we’ve reallyheard and considered what theyhad to say, rarely stops theonslaught because the onlyway some people will believethat we understand their pointis if we agree with it. They canbecome so self-righteous thatthey truly believe that disagree-ment with them is proof ofconfusion, ignorance, stupidityor closed-mindedness.

No one has a right toimpose his opinions on othersor to demand that he be lis-tened to until he is done. Themoral obligation of respectrequires that we learn when toback off just as we learn whento listen.


the things that leaders must dois train their replacements. Theold three-position rule of lead-ership holds the followingtruths at its heart:

1. The leader occupies theposition he/she holds.

2. The leader aspires to thenext level of leadership oraccomplishment.

3. The leader has an obliga-tion to train their replacementso that the work in the organi-zation can continue as peopleadvance through the ranks.

Favreau (1973) speaks to thiswhen he states that, “ … offi-cers at each organizationallevel must take positive actionto develop individuals undertheir command.” (Favreau, pp.102-103) It makes sense. Youmust work to become the bestleader you can be, and youneed to insure that your peopleare taught to do their currentjobs at the highest level of suc-cess possible. Then you workto bring them toward the nexthigher level in a consciousmanner.

You cannot do this if you livelife as though no one was assmart as you. Trust me ladiesand gentlemen when I state thatthere are some really smartpeople out there. I have met anumber of brilliant, highlyqualified people during myfour decades in the fire service.The most brilliant were theones who never demonstratedtheir brilliance at the expenseof making someone look stu-pid.

People that continually want

to impress you by telling youhow smart they are, really endup wasting your time andtheirs. They should spend moretime in pursuit of knowledge,because only stupid people tellyou how smart they are. Not tomention the fact that while theyare telling you how smart theyare, they are keeping you fromlearning. It is easy to deal withpeople like this. Just nod yourhead up and down a lot, like alittle bobble-head model. Don’tforget to smile a lot.

Some people are just plain stupid

How they reach positions ofauthority is still a mystery tome. I can only assume that theymarried well, or backed theright political candidate in agiven election. I can recall acertain situation where a manspent many years as anabsolutely mediocre firefighter.I would be hard put to credithim with the where-with-all tobe a boil on the butt of a realfirefighter.

Eventually this individualends up backing the right polit-ical candidate, and making firecaptain. This person dresseswell and makes a good impres-sion. Although they lack theeducation and experience to dotheir job, but they look rightand always make the boss andthe Mayor look good.

Sadly this individual is calledupon to handle ever moreimportant decisions, because intrue this person is smarter thanthe boss. The bulk of thedepartment’s members reallydo not like this person. The fact

that this person never com-manded a single firefighter atan incident sticks in the craw ofthose who have been battling inthe trenches for decades. Thefire department continues tosteam merrily along, obliviousto the latest technological inno-vations, and oblivious to theemerging trends in the widearray of fire service operationalareas.

However, this individual cutsa spiffy figure in a dress uni-form or a business suit. Thesaddest aspect of this little talethat I have shared with you isthat this person truly believesthat they have drunk at the fontof all knowledge. In this indi-vidual’s mind no one is smarterthey are. The reasoning is sim-ple. If they were smarter thanme, they would be doing myjob.

How do you work withthis kind of a boss?

Avoid them. Do what you aretold. Then study like the dick-ens and work hard to get aheadof them in the food chain. Iwould also suggest that the ear-lier techniques of smiling andnodding must be used. Thesepeople also love to whisper inthe boss’s ear.

Some people are purely vin-dictive animals. They collecthatred as you or I might collectstamps or coins. They lay themup in the treasure-trove of themind until a time arrives whenthey can pay back every onewho ever treated them badly. Itis hard to spot this type ofbehavior, as people like this arebig on making secret plans on

how to get back at the world.Just remember that they can-

not keep their plan secret forev-er. Their urge to make life mis-erable for others will never befulfilled until they can beginturning down the thumbscrewson other people. Once theybegin to show themselves, treatthem in a manner much like theabusive bosses mentioned ear-lier in this missive.

Surrounded by “yes” menLastly, let me share one of

my favorite discredited theorieson leadership. I say thisbecause it is the one underwhich I operated for so manyyears in the City of Newark.Quite simply there are thosepeople who suffer from what Ihave come to call the “IvoryTower Syndrome.” These arethe people who reach the top oftheir organization and thengather people around them whomirror their incredibly insipidselves. They search out peoplewhose favorite word is, “yes,”and then build an ever-increas-ing circle of such peoplearound them.

In this way, a good idea hasas much chance of making it tothe boss as a doughnut has at alaw enforcement conference.All attempts at independentthought among their subordi-nates are seen as assaults on thetower.

Study hard and never forget from whence

you cameIt may be that there is only

one way to win this war. Youhave to work to become the

king in charge of the tower. Icaution you that this is not ashort-term solution to the prob-lem of poor leadership. This isa cause to which you mustcommit yourself. It will involveyears of study, struggle, andsacrifice. However, that is whatyou must do. There will also bethe landmines of easy opportu-nity along the way. Avoid sell-ing your soul to reach the pin-nacle of power. People that dothis end up hating themselves.

The danger in this theoryinvolves the potential for you toforget where you came from.You must rivet the thought intoyour brain that you want toreach the top so that you cancreate an environment whereinpeople can grow and prosper. Ican tell you this, but you mustmake it a part of your soul.

Please think long and hardbefore embarking on this life-long journey. The road to suc-cess is long. The road is hard.There are many twists andturns that can throw you offcourse. Just think of the joythat will come to you and themembers of your departmentwhen you get to experience thatmoment when you all standtogether on top of the moun-tain. Just remember that theview from the top of the moun-tain can be thrilling andrewarding, only as long as youbring the people in your depart-ment along for the ride. Other-wise, you will end up as a lone-ly and frustrated monarch,wandering around through acrumbling castle of your owncreation. The choice is yours,choose wisely.

Leadership…Continued from page 12

R-E-S-P-E-C-T


Rodolpho “Rudy” Santiago

Apparatus OperatorFS-90-B

Hi Jim,First of all I want to thank

you and all of my brother/sisterfirefighters for the support youhave given to all of us overhere. It is greatly appreciated.Also for the write-ups in “TheLos Angeles Firefighter,” it isvery heart warming.

Now for news from thefront...on the ground.

As Brother David Danielsonexpressed his view from the air,it is a little different down hereon terra firma. The scenery isvery bleak as you cross thedesert without any landmarksand just slight hills that arereally sand dunes. If you don’thave a GPS, with you forget

about ever coming back. As wetraveled the motorway leavingthe desert, it was little fastergoing even with all of the mili-tary traffic.

The roads where completelyvoid of any civilian trafficexcept for the occasionalBedouin herding his flock ofsheep or his herd of camels. Aswe passed by in our massiveconvoys going north theywould stand and watch, I’msure in wonderment of all theequipment.

Friendly CrowdsAs the days passed we would

see more and more peoplecoming out to the road to waveand smile at us. In some of thetowns that we drove through,the kids would come out run-ning to greet us as we passed.with waves, salutes and victorysigns. I would look the crowdover while my crew would bewatching the windows and rooftops. I could see the joy in theeyes of the mothers as theirchildren jumped up and down.

A few of the towns were a biteerie because the people justabout mobbed us to shake ourhands and thank us. In one lit-tle area where we were weadopted a little girl and herfamily. As we passed we would

stop and give them food andwater. The last time westopped, the mother was in thewindow of her mud hut. Thesparkle in her eyes as wedropped off the last of the sup-plies that we would be able togive them is something that Iwill remember for the rest ofmy life

Unfortunately there are stillfactions that neither what us orthe coalition here or don’t wantto change from the old regime.

I can tell you that lookinginto the eyes of those peopleand seeing the joy in theirfaces, I feel good about whatwe have done here. As BrotherDanielson stated, “it looks likeone of the Prophets will stepout of the shadows and give aprophecy at any moment.” Ipray that if they do it will be forpeace throughout the region.

On a little side note, the boymay be away from the firedepartment, but the departmentisn’t out of the boy. A couple ofweeks ago we had an electricalfire in one of the tents. We onlyhave dry chemical extinguish-ers for fire protection here andthe tent was starting to go.

As I arrived on scene andtried to get the guys organized,our Marine brothers showed upwith their P-19. The wire

between our camps stoppedthem so I grabbed the hose lineand off I went. Let me tell you,that felt great! I finally gave upthe hose to the Marine firefight-er but not until the main firewas out. I went over and gavehim a UFLAC sticker for his rigand had a picture taken withhim that I will send to you.

Until then, fraternally yours,Rudy Santiago

Editor’s note:I had the pleasure of working

with Rudy and a task force of fire-fighters working in a feature filmtitled, “All Night Long” back in1980. The movie featured BarbraStreisand who played the wife ofa firefighter (actor Kevin Dob-son) and also starring academyaward winner Gene Hackman.While we were teaching Dobsonhow to tiller the truck, Streisandrode with us while we trained theversatile actor…Perry

Message from the War Front...

Rudy Santiago, Barbra Streisand and aDalmatian “Fire Dog” that rode on thetruck during the movie.

Actor Kevin Dobson learning to tiller the back end of LAFDTruck 88 with Appartus Operator Rudy Santiago driving.

Photos by Jim Perry

“Thanks for the Memories!”Bob Hope was one of our

guests when United Firefight-ers of Los Angeles City, Local112 hosted the 1972 IAFFConvention in Los Angeles.Top left photo shows IAFF

President William ‘“HowieMcLennan” presenting Hopewith an Honorary Firefighter’shelmet during the conventionbanquet. Also shown is formerFire Commissioner Johnny

Grant, also know as the “Hon-orary Mayor of Hollywood.”Union firefighters mourn theloss of both Hope and McLen-nan who passed away recently.

Photos by Jim Perry

“I’ll take it from here”

Left to right, Former Union President Bill Wheatley and his wife Libby, former Union Presi-dent Bill Shonborn and his wife Frances, and the Union Secretary Ida Goldenberg and herhusband Fred are shown at the 1972 IAFF Convention in Los Angeles.

Then UFLAC President Don Wallace greetsboxing legend Sugar Ray Robinson at the1972 IAFF Convention in Los Angeles.


In Memoriam

Bill ShonbornLAFD Fire Captian, Retired

Former President - Life Member of UFLAC Local 112IAFF, AFL-CIO - CLC

Born: September 16, 1915Appointed LAFD: May 26, 1941Service Pension: January 9, 1972

Died: June 23, 2003

The following resolution(and cake) was presented toCaptain Bill Shonborn by thecrew that worked with him atold Engine 17 - A Platoon inappreciation for all of his workin achieving the 56-hour work-week for platoon duty firefight-ers. Prior to this historic changein the workweek schedule, pla-toon duty firefighters worked a62-hour workweek. That wasaccomplished by each firefight-er needing to work six (6) extra24-hour shifts per year. Theywere called “Coded DutyDays” and appeared as lettersof the alphabet on the LAFDPlatoon Duty Calendars. Eachmember was assigned a lettersignifying the extra shifts theywere required to work.

Resolution

WHEREAS William C.Shonborn of the Los AngelesCity Fire Department, and amember in good standing ofLocal 112 of the ProfessionalFirefighters Union; and

WHEREAS William C.Shonborn did devote his timeand energies in an uncommonand unprecedented effort forthe benefit and good morale ofhis fellow firefighters; and

WHEREAS He was a mostpowerful influence upon theLos Angeles City Council forthe favorable passing of themuch desired fifty-six hourworkweek for City firefight-ers; now therefore, be it

RESOLVED That the entiremembership of the Los Ange-les City Fire Department, andin particular, the members of

Fire Station Number Seven-teen on the “A” Platoon dohereby extend their heartfeltgratitude and sincere appreci-ation to Captain William C.Shonborn.

Signed this day: August 2, 1968

Bruce SmithMike ZiemannWilliam Plotkin

Gene MillerForrest ShrodeElwyn Moore

James AtkinsonGary Salyer

John VerdoneFrank Brainard

Alfred RaineWoodrow Kastner

Ralph Wheeler (Battalion Chief)

Robert Knipscheer “In deepest appreciation”

Bill Shonborn was my earlyfire department union mentor,inspiration and very dear friend.I joined the union while I was arookie in the Fire Academy inApril 1961. Bill Wheatley wasthe President and Bill Shonbornwas Secretary-Treasurer andeditor of our union newspaper.

Shonborn later became ourunion president and was notonly instrumental in severalmajor historical achievements,but he unselfishly and skillfullytrained several firefighters tocontinue a very difficult unionbattle for the benefits we enjoy

today. I was most fortunate tocomplete my apprenticeship asa union newspaper editor over32 years ago under the verycapable tutelage of Bill Shon-born. He was one of the pillars,if not the foundation that builtour very successful and highlyrespected Union.

This page is dedicated to thememory of Brother Bill Shon-born and should serve as a littlereminder to those who knewBill and also as a history lessonfor our membership who cameon the job long after heretired…Jim Perry, Editor by Don Wallace, Captain II

LAFD RetiredFormer President, UFLAC Local 112

Bill Shonborn was the Secre-tary-Treasurer of Local 748 in1967 when I approached himabout helping defeat SamYorty’s attempt to pay PoliceOfficers 5 1/2% more thanFirefighters. Bill welcomed myoffer to help and mapped out astrategy of visiting editorialdirectors of the major newspa-pers and television stations tolay out our case for retaining“pay parity”. Bill’s planworked. Later, he told me thatthe Local had a Director’svacancy on the Board andencouraged me to run for theopen slot. I won the spot andbegan a wonderful 15-yearcareer of advocating for L.A.City firefighters.

Bill Shonborn was myteacher, mentor and fun friend.His grasp of social and politicalhistory matched my interestsexactly. He was generous withhis time and his talents. He

spent untold and unknowablehours crafting plans and writingreports which justified firefight-er salaries and benefits. He wasequally strong in advocating forand producing documents tojustify individual rights andimplement policies and process-es to protect firefighters from,too often, uncaring and arbitrarymanagement decisions.

As Secretary-Treasurer andPresident of Local 748, BillShonborn laid the groundworkfor what became first Profes-sional Firefighters, Inc, Local112, which then absorbed the“Fire Side” of the Fire andPolice Protective League andbecame United Firefighters ofLos Angeles City (UFLAC).Without Bill Shonborn this con-solidation of the Union and theLeague into one strong voicewould not have occurred. Fire-fighter’s current benefit pack-ages would be vastly different(lower). Bill would be the firstto caution me about giving himthese credits. He would pointout the many fine union menwho had preceded him and the

amazing strengths of his Boardmembers. I heartily acknowl-edge others contributions, butBill Shonborn has died and Iwill miss his husky warm laughand his wise counsel. Hedeserves all the credit today.

Bill Shonborn was thesmartest man I ever met. Hehad the best memory for factsand dates of anyone and couldrecite CAO reports from theday before to twenty years pre-vious. I learned how to lobbythe Council and run a meetingfrom watching Bill. He wassmart, kind, funny and inform-ative to a fault. His wry senseof humor generated smiles andbelly-laughs. His presentationsat Council Committees and inthe City Council Chamberwere masterpieces of historicaldata coupled with policy initia-tives that inevitably led to con-vincing the Council to supportour issues. His work is the rea-son we moved from the 62-hour workweek to our current56 hours, one of the greatestbenefits L.A. City firefightersever won.

My Dad:Bill Shonborn was born

William Albert CharlesSchoenborn on September 16,1915 in Marytown, Wisconsin.He was born in a room abovethe Marytown Tavern that hisfather owned at the time. Billspent most of his early yearsworking on the dairy farm hisparents purchased after sellingthe tavern. In high school Billwas a basketball and track starat Kiel High School in Kiel,Wisconsin. He was on the All-Eastern Wisconsin basketballteam and went to the WisconsinState finals in the intermediatehurdles.

From Woodworker to Fireman

A woodworker by trade, Billmoved to California in the1930’s and eventually settled inLos Angeles. Bill was appointeda fireman on May 26, 1941 andpromoted to captain on March30, 1949. During his time as afirefighter, Bill fought in somemajor, well-publicized fires inBel-Air and Watts, but his per-sonal career highlight wassupervising the laying of thefirst foam blanket during theemergency landing of a com-

mercial airliner. On October 30,1957, United Airlines Flight101 safely landed “wheels up”at Los Angeles InternationalAirport.

Following his retirement,Bill tried lawn bowling and aswith most things he tried, heexcelled at his new sport. Hewas the Southwest DivisionChamp several times andbecame involved in the Amer-ican Lawn Bowling Associa-tion rising as far as NationalSecretary.

Bill met and married FrancesAnita Kingston on September25, 1938. The very next yeartheir daughter Carol was bornfollowed by his son’s, Bill Jr.,Bob and Mike. Frances passedaway in 1998 after a long battlewith cancer. Bill is survived byall four children and theirspouses, seven grandchildren,four great-grandchildren andone great-great-granddaughter.

Chased Down a BurglerMy most vivid memory of

my Dad (and I have the news-paper article to prove it actu-ally occurred) was the day myDad caught two burglars inour home. Upon being sur-prised by our return, the first

man jumped from a secondstory window. The secondman tried to follow, but myDad grabbed him by the armas he jumped. My Dad heldthe burglar out the window forwhat seemed like an eternity,but was only five minutes,before the man managed towiggle free and finish his

decent to the ground. Imaginemy utter astonishment whenmy Dad jumped from the win-dow and proceeded to chasethe burglar through the back-yard, over the wall, down thealley, through a neighbor’syard, across the street, untilmy Dad finally cornered theburglar in another yard.

Wrong Move by the Burgler

I didn’t see the next partmyself, but I understand that atthis point the poor fellow tooka swing at my Dad…big mis-take. When my Dad was fin-ished with him, the policearrived to take the burglar intocustody.

Memories of Bill Shonborn byhis son Robert…

Tribute to Bill


CommissionerJay H. Grodin

Jay Grodin is a ManagingPartner in the WKM Group andserves as counsel for White andCase in Los Angeles. Prior topracticing law, Grodin servedas a Special Agent for the Fed-eral Bureau of Investigation,and as a Deputy Sheriff in LosAngeles County’s Sheriff’sDepartment. Jay Grodin grad-uated from the University ofSouthern California, andreceived his Juris Doctoratefrom Boalt Hall Law School atthe University at Berkeley.

CommissionerCorina Alarcon

Corina Alarcon serves as thePresident of the LarkspurHomeowners Association, andis the founder and President ofWomen Advancing the ValleyThrough Education, Econom-ics and Empowerment, thelargest transitional home forbattered women in California.Alracon lives in Sylmar.

The Fire Commission meet-ing of August 5th marked theend of one of the most produc-tive terms ever served by a FireCommission President. At thatmeeting President Jay Grodinstepped aside and then nomi-nated new President CorinaAlarcon. Immediately after Ms.Alarcon’s unanimous election,Mr. Grodin was nominated andelected to replace her as theCommission Vice President. Ineffect, these two very capable

public servants swapped posi-tions on the Fire Commission.

UFLAC wishes to thankMr. Grodin for the manner inwhich he has led the depart-ment for the past two years.His leadership style has beenone of inclusion and coopera-tion. During his term Mr.Grodin consistently addressedthe concerns of rank and filefirefighters to an extent thatwe at UFLAC had not seenbefore.

There are many exampleslarge and small of former Pres-ident Grodin’s positive contri-butions to the LAFD. Secondto none is the return of InsideFirefighter staffing on LAFDTrucks that occurred during hiswatch as President. As muchas anyone, Jay Grodin madethat happen. Without FireCommission support an LAFDstaffing increase would havebeen nearly impossible. Withit, we were able to begin put-

ting firefighters back in placeto save lives and property incommunities all across LosAngeles.

Thank you CommissionerGrodin. We look forward toyour continued dedicated serv-ice to the people of L.A. At thesame time we welcome newCommission President Alarconto her role with complete confi-dence that the people’s FireDepartment remains very much“in good hands”.

Kudos to the Fire Commission

Firefighters friend…Alex Padilla Re-elected City Council President

On July 1st, longtime UFLACfriend Alex Padilla was re-elect-ed by his colleagues on the CityCouncil to serve another term astheir Council President. Theirrecognition of Mr. Padilla’s tal-ent is an honor that holds muchmore than symbolic significance.As the Council President, Alexserves on the Executive Employ-ee Relations Committee with theMayor, makes the Council com-mittee assignments, creates theagendas for Council meetings,and to a large extent controls thedebate and action of the CityCouncil at those meetings.

Our union’s candidatefrom the start

UFLAC is especially proudof and pleased with Council-man Padilla’s re-election. Sixyears ago we endorsed Alex inhis successful bid for the 7thCouncil District. That race wasthe first attempt at public officefor the then 24 year old,unknown, recent M.I.T. gradu-ate. Normally speaking, a

candidate that young anduntested would not have beengiven the endorsement of fire-fighters. Alex’s situation wasnot normal. His interview wasone of the best ever given toyour Executive Board. He wasand is exceptionally bright,articulate and sincere. His con-nection with his communitywas impeccable, and his com-mitment to working people wasunquestionable. We saw him assomeone who was clearly“going places”.

Making us look goodCouncilman Padilla has made

your Executive Board looksmarter than we are ever since.For six years he has been fair,honest and supportive of fire-fighters and public safety, andhe has been a great leader forthe people of the 7th CouncilDistrict. We look forward to thefinal two years of his term at thehelm of the City Council. Con-gratulations Alex, and here’s toyour very bright future.

City Council President Alex Padilla addressed the member-ship at the July Union meeting. Photo by Pat McOsker

For the first time in almost20 years a Los Angeles CityCouncil Member has givenbirth to a baby while inoffice. Wendy and her hus-band Dean Schramm are theproud parents of ThomasWeston Schramm who cameinto this world on the Fourthof July, weighing 7 pounds,2 ounces. All are doing welland Wendy is still able toattend her regular CityCouncil Meetings.

A new baby boy for…

CouncilmemberWendy Greuel

Councilman Dennis Zine washonored by the American Dia-betes Association at their recent2nd Tribute Dinner and Roast.

In addition to being a boardmember of the San FernandoValley Chapter, CouncilmanZine has been actively involvedin the American Diabetes Asso-ciation’s organizing committeeand helping to raise funds forthem.

Chris Schauble, co-anchor of“Today in L.A.” on NBC Chan-nel 4 was the Master ofCeremonies at this fun-filleddinner. Many elected officials,community leaders and friendsjoined in on the roast.

With the sale of tables for thedinner and ads for the tributebook, Councilman Zine helpedraise $80,000 for the event.

Photos by Jim Perry

All in the name of charity…

Councilman Dennis Zine“Roasted”

Councilman Dennis Zine on his “Throne.”

UFLAC President Pat McOsker, Councilman Dennis Zine,Carla McOsker and Los Angeles Firefighter newspaper editorJim Perry.

Standing left to right, Andy Fox, President of theChief Officers Assn. (and former President ofUFLAC) and Los Angeles City Council PresidentAlex Padilla. Sitting is UFLAC President PatMcOsker and his lovely wife Carla.

Santos Luna and Fire CommissionPresident Corina Alarcon.

The Los Angeles Firefighter - uflac.orguflac.org/files/FF_Sep_Oct_2003.pdf · September/October...

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