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Chicago firefighters making renewed push for pension bill that could saddle city with $30M in annual costs The Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 is making a renewed push to increase retirement benefits for 2,200 of its members at a heavy cost to taxpayers: $18 million the first year and $30 million every year after that. The bill was introduced by state Rep. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, a political nemesis of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, before Martwick was appointed to the Illinois Senate to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of state Sen. John Mulroe. It would remove the "birth date restriction" that has prohibited roughly 2,200 active and retired firefighters born after Jan. 1, 1966 from receiving a simple, 3% annual cost of living increase. Instead, they get half that amount — an annual increase of 1.5% that is not compounded. On the eve of a committee hearing on the bill, Martwick noted that the "birth date restriction" has already been moved five times as a way of masking the true cost to a firefighters pension fund with roughly 25% of assets to meet its future liabilities. CHICAGO SUN-TIMES $1.287 million purchase: Rantoul board approves 100-foot fire department ladder truck Rantoul Fire Capt. Chad Smith said the fire department has been looking at the need for a larger ladder truck to replace its 75-foot one since 1993 — the year Chanute Air Force Base closed. That day has finally come. The village board last week voted to buy a 100-foot Pierce Ascendent platform ladder truck for $1.287 million from MacQueen Equipment, St. Paul, Minn. The board, meeting in special session, approved the purchase by 4-1 vote with Trustee Sherry Johnson voting "no" and Trustee Gary Wilson voting "present" because he is a member of the fire department. Trustee Terry Workman was absent. Because of the margin of the vote, Mayor Chuck Smith also voted with the majority. Chuck Smith said it was necessary to hold a special meeting to approve the purchase because at least four other departments were interested in buying the used truck. RANTOUL PRESS CPD: Ravenswood Manor Murder Connected To Shooting Of Chicago Firefighter A Chicago mother of three is murdered by a masked gunman and her killing could be linked to another shooting earlier this month. Chicago police said it was a targeted attack. CBS 2's Steven Graves has more from Ravenswood Manor. It was another unusual story about how a firefighter on a call was shot and injured not far from Monday night's incident, apparently caught in the middle of gang crossfire. Now police pledge to beef up patrols. Family members told CBS 2 that 27-year-old Stephanie Brooks was just visiting a friend when tragedy struck. The mother of three often came to the apartment in the 4400 block of North Francisco. But Monday night around 9:30, a masked gunman got into the building and knocked on the unit door. Her friend opened it, then tried to shut it as the suspect attempted to force his way in. Brooks then jumped in to help and neighbors heard the struggle. "And then I heard a pop. I knew it was a gunshot," said neighbor Marvin Nurse. CBS CHICAGO Firefighters shave heads in support of Niles colleague undergoing breast cancer treatment Michelle Aprati was working her shift with the Niles Fire Department when the call from her doctor came. Her test results were in, and they were what she had suspected they might be: She had breast cancer. "I had a hard cry, but it was a good cry," Aprati recalled. A mother of four and a Niles firefighter and paramedic for the last 16 years, Aprati said the hardest part of her diagnosis was telling her family — both at home and at the firehouse. "When you work that close together, they become your family," Aprati said of her fellow firefighters. And like family, the men of the Niles Fire Department stepped forward to offer their support. CHICAGO TRIBUNE - METERED SITE PREVIOUS STATE NEWS |
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Study: San Francisco's women firefighters face high exposure to toxic ‘forever chemicals' San Francisco's women firefighters are exposed to higher levels of certain toxic PFAS chemicals than women working in downtown San Francisco offices, shows a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, San Francisco, and Silent Spring Institute. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are used in grease- and water-resistant coatings and can be found in fabrics, furniture and food packaging, but also notably in firefighting foam and turnout gear. These "forever chemicals," which don't easily break down in the environment, have been linked to a variety of cancers and are known to interfere with immune function, endocrine function and breast development. The study, which appears online today (Wednesday, Feb. 26) in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, is one of the first published results from the Women Firefighter Biomonitoring Collaborative, a long-term investigation into the chemical exposures faced by women firefighters. UC BERKELEY Volunteer firefighters to see training tweaks in Georgia Senate bill The Georgia Senate passed legislation Tuesday aimed at loosening training requirements for volunteer fire departments in the state. Senate Bill 342 would create a council tasked with establishing training and certification rules for volunteer fire departments in Georgia that are separate from those required for full-time professional fire departments. The bill passed the Senate unanimously and heads to the Georgia House for consideration. Its sponsor, Sen. Burt Jones, said the measure's intent is to loosen training requirements for volunteer firefighters. Currently, volunteers receive the same kind of stringent training that professional firefighters are required to take. Jones, R-Jackson, said tougher training may scare off qualified people interested in volunteering particularly in rural areas where volunteer firehouses are often critical to a community's public safety readiness. THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE FDNY Urged To Look At Segways To Shorten Response Times Ambulances with flashing sirens trying to weave their way through congested city streets. Traffic poses challenges to EMTs rushing to treat patients. To improve response times, some EMTs in San Diego use scooters get around faster. City Councilman Joe Borelli wants the FDNY to test the scooter idea here in New York. "We know that minutes and seconds do matter and it's not always safe to wait for an ambulance who might be stuck in some traffic in gridlocked streets," Borelli said. Borelli says scooters would be especially useful in Manhattan where security bollards and barricades create additional obstacles for first responders. "Having these vehicles that can navigate those is just something that can make the FDNY response time to medical emergencies much quicker," Borelli noted. SPECTRUM NEWS NY1 Hunterdon firehouses are working together in a program that could be a model for others across New Jersey Not only is somebody going to respond, but they are going to respond quickly. That's how Deputy Chief of Quakertown Fire Company Brad Patkochis described the North Hunterdon Fire Alliance's Squad 51 program, through which the communities of Quakertown (Franklin Township) as well as High Bridge, Lebanon, Clinton and Annandale are each serviced by the fire companies of all five towns. Through the program, between four and six firefighters from one of the five departments volunteer from 6 p.m. on Saturday through to 6 a.m. on Sunday on a rotational basis. If there is an emergency that occurs within that timeframe in any one of the five municipalities, firefighters from that town are dispatched to the scene in addition to the Squad 51 volunteers housed at a department in one of the four other neighboring municipalities. NJ.COM A baby born, a life saved: Iowa fire department recognizes saves beyond fighting fires VIDEO: It's easy to see and hear a firetruck when it's driving past but unless you are up close you might have missed a special marking. Small stickers line the doors of Davenport Fire Department trucks symbolizing an accomplishment achieved by the crew on board. "Those calls they go on, the saves they have or bringing a child into the world it's kinda a pride thing to recognize that they did something like that," Lt. Zach Soliz with Davenport Fire said. "It was very unique at the time and it's just a tradition that carried on since then." They have been handing out these stickers for over thirty years. A lightning bolt represents a crew saving someone using a defibrillator and a stork represents when a baby is delivered in the field. WQAD-TV ABC 8 MOLINE PREVIOUS NATIONAL NEWS |
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| Rosenbauer Touts WFCA and Sourcewell Partnership Rosenbauer America congratulates the Western Fire Chief Association’s recently announced partnership with Sourcewell. The WFCA-Sourcewell partnership will provide members the ability to maximize their department budgets. Rosenbauer is the most experienced Sourcewell vendor in the fire-rescue sector |
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L-O-D-D California - Patrick Jones, Firefighter, Porterville Fire Department, Porterville, CA L-O-D-D California - Ramon "Ray" Figueroa, Captain, Porterville Fire Department, Porterville, CA L-O-D-D Texas - Manuel Galindo, Jr., Fire Chief, Fort Hancock Volunteer Fire Department, Fort Hancock, TX WUI fire evacuations: how national address point data helps New report breaks down career and volunteer firefighters by gender; provides industry insight - NFPA FEMA Funded Opportunity - Get Your Safety Culture Data North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs' PSA Emmy Win - Two Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards Nominations Open for IAFC Fire Chief of the Year - Apply by May 17, 2020 Nominations Open for IAFC Ben Franklin Award for Valor - Apply by May 17, 2020 City of Elgin announces two organizational leadership changes - Cagann appointed as Fire Chief If You Don't Feel Well, Don't Make it Your Farewell - Cardiac Awareness Toolkit FDSOA Posts Successful Gains - For Both Apparatus and Health/Safety Conferences AFSA Webinar Discusses Building Management Skills - March 17, 11:00 a.m. Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response Grants - Check for Awards Assistance to Firefighters Grant Awards - Check for Awards The Daily Dispatch Is Now On Facebook Find us on Facebook - www.facebook.com/dailydispatch POST ANNOUNCEMENTS MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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| FireRescue GPO - is now partnering with Sourcewell, one of the largest cooperative purchasing organizations in North America. Sourcewell (formerly NJPA) - is a government organization providing cooperative purchasing solutions across the United States and Canada to over 50,000 public-agency members. Membership is free with no obligation to purchase. With over 400 competitively awarded vendors - members have access to contracts for fire apparatus, ambulances, fleet vehicles and products, facilities (MRO), furniture, office supplies, leasing services, and more. Learn more about the new partnership. |
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3M Eastern Zone-Field Service Specialist - MD, NJ, PA, DE or New York Fire Marshal - Weber State University - Ogden, UT Deputy Fire Marshal - Pierce County - Tacoma, WA Fire Chief - Sni Valley Fire Protection District - Oak Grove, MO Firefighter - South Metro Fire Rescue - Centennial, CO Fire Chief - Village of Menomonee Falls - Menomonee Falls, WI (closes: Feb 26, 2020) Fire Chief - City of Menomonie - Menomonie, WI (closes: Feb 28, 2020) Deputy Chief - Hoodland Fire District #74 - Welches, OR (closes: Feb 28, 2020) Fire Chief - City of Mattoon - Mattoon, IL (closes: Mar 01, 2020) Deputy Fire Chief - City of Redmond - Redmond, WA (closes: Mar 01, 2020) Firefighter - Entry Level - City of Hillsboro - Hillsboro, OR (closes: Mar 01, 2020) Training / Health & Safety Officer - City of Harrisonburg - Harrisonburg, VA (closes: Mar 05, 2020) Fire Chief / EMS Director - City of Monona - Monona, WI (closes: Mar 09, 2020) Deputy Fire Chief of Operations - City of Medford - Medford, OR (closes: Mar 09, 2020) Fire Chief - Town of Middletown - Middletown, RI (closes: Mar 12, 2020) Deputy Chief - Duvall-King County Fire District 45 - Duvall, WA (closes: Mar 15, 2020) Firefighter - Village of Skokie - Skokie, IL (closes: Apr 01, 2020) EMS Director - Meeker Volunteer Fire & Rescue - Meeker, CO (closes: Apr 05, 2020) POST JOB MORE JOBS |
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International Lifeline Type 1 Ambulance - Asking $12,000 - West Chicago, IL Surplus MSA SCBAs - Asking $20,000 - Chelan, WA 2000 E-One Cyclone Pumper - Asking $19,500 - Carol Stream, IL 2000 Pierce Engine - Asking $150,000 - Cody, WY 1994 Pierce Ladder Truck - Auction ends March 4, 2020 - Yuma, AZ POST EQUIPMENT MORE EQUIPMENT |
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TEEX Spring Fire School - College Station, TX - March 1-6, 2020 Annual CPSE Excellence Conference - Impact–Inspire–Influence - Orlando, FL - March 3-6, 2020 Northwest Leadership Seminar - Portland, OR - March 4-6, 2020 Huntley Fire Protection District Winter Lecture 2020 - The Functional Fire Company - Huntley, IL - March 13, 2020 Annual Fire & Life Safety Conference - Illinois Fire Inspectors Association - East Peoria, IL - March 17-20, 2020 Data Analysis and Presentation for Fire and EMS Classes - Several Locations - March 18 - May 18, 2020 Wildland-Urban Interface Conference - IAFC - Reno, NV - March 21-26, 2020 Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs Conference and Expo - Novi, MI - April 6-8, 2020 2020 IFE-USA AGM And Educational Conference - Indianapolis, IN - April 20, 2020 VCOS Symposium in the Spring - IAFC - Minneapolis, MN - April 30 - May 2, 2020 Water Rescue Instructor Academy - Lifesaving Resources, LLC - Portland, ME - May 14-17, 2020 International Hazardous Materials Response Teams Conference - IAFC - Baltimore, MD - June 4-7, 2020 TEEX Municipal Fire School - College Station, TX - July 19-24, 2020 FFABCs Diversity Workshop - 50th Convention IABPFF - Hartford, CT - August 2-7, 2020 Fire-Rescue Med Conference - IAFC - Phoenix, AZ - August 17-18, 2020 Fire-Rescue International Conference and Expo - IAFC - Phoenix, AZ - August 19-21, 2020 VCOS Symposium in the Sun - IAFC - Clearwater, FL - November 12-15, 2020 POST EVENT MORE EVENTS |
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