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Membership Milestone

IAFF membership in the United States and Canada reaches 240,000.

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Houston Fire Fighters Killed

February 14, 2001

Two Houston, Texas, fire fighters die when a roof collapses as they enter a burning McDonald’s restaurant to rescue a fellow fire fighter who reportedly suffered a heart attack. Three adults and a juvenile were arrested and charged with the murders of the two fire fighters. The suspects allegedly started the fire to cover up a burglary.

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FIRE Act Grant Program

As part of its final budget package, Congress earmarks $100 million for the first year of the FIRE Act grant program. More than 19,000 applications are submitted for funding. The FIRE Act authorizes up to $300 million for the second year. The IAFF works with Congress to ensure the FIRE Act’s full appropriation. However, President George W. Bush announces his intention to cut the FIRE Act grant program in 2002.

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Memphis Fire Fighters Killed

March 8, 2001

Two Memphis, Tennessee, fire fighters are shot and killed as they respond to a house fire. The gunman also reportedly killed his wife and wounded a bystander.

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Wildland Fires

The IAFF advises the U.S. Department of Energy on preventing and responding to wildland fires that threaten DOE facilities and properties.

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Major Election Victories

FIREPAC Canada scores major election victories. In the November 2000 elections, 53 of 60 candidates who received support from FIREPAC Canada were elected or re-elected to the House of Commons, an 88.3 percent success rate.

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Collective Bargaining Bill

Representative Dale Kildee (MI), Representative Bob Ney (OH) and 115 legislators introduce HS 1475, the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act in Congress. The bill is the national collective bargaining bill for public safety officers.

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Pension Reform Proposal

The House of Representatives adopts a comprehensive pension reform proposal to help fire fighters and paramedics with their 457 plans. Representative Tom Davis (VA) co-sponsors the pension bill.

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Bush Writes to Schaitberger

President George W. Bush writes a letter to IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger in response to the International’s letter of congratulations after the Supreme Court declared him the victor in the historic November 2000 presidential election.

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NYC Fire Fighters Killed

June 17, 2001

Three New York City fire fighters die in a store explosion in Queens, New York. The fire was almost out when an explosion occurred. Investigators said the blaze began when a 13-year-old boy accidentally knocked over a can of gasoline in the store’s backyard.

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U.S. Fire Administration

IAFF leadership supports the nomination of Jon Hansen, a 26-year veteran of the Oklahoma City Fire Department, as administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration.

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U.S. Federal Pension Rules

After a five-year campaign led by the IAFF, President George W. Bush signs U.S. federal pension rules into law. These 457 plans allow fire fighters to contribute a portion of their paycheck into a retirement account and pay no taxes on the contribution. The 457 plans are similar to the popular 401(k) plans available to private sector workers.

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Operations-Level Training Program

The IAFF finalizes an operations-level training program designed specifically to teach first responders to deal with terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. The two-day interactive program is called, “Emergency Response to Terrorism: Operations, A Safe Response for Public Safety Personnel.”

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Smoking Cessation Program

The IAFF unveils a telephone-based counseling program to help members quit smoking.

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Physical and Mental Health Concerns

Immediately following the September 11 attacks, the IAFF mobilizes its top Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) counselors to aid fire fighters and emergency medical personnel in New York. In addition, the IAFF tracks health monitoring studies in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania to ensure that first responders’ physical and mental health concerns receive the highest priority.

September 11, 2001 →

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9-11 Disaster Relief Fund

The IAFF raises more than $70 million for the New York Firefighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund. More than 60 percent of these funds are donated from affiliate efforts such as boot drives, firehouse collections, or auctions. Nearly $16 million is distributed to the families within weeks of the terrorist attack.

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Scaling Back Operations

IAFF leaders vehemently protest New York Mayor Giuliani’s decision to scale back operations to recover fire fighters from Ground Zero.

September 11, 2001 →

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Public Safety Officers Benefit

President George W. Bush signs legislation into law that raises the Public Safety Officers Benefit (PSOB) to $250,000.

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FIREPAC Exceeds Goals

FIREPAC exceeds its fundraising goals, raising a record $1.3 million in a two-year election cycle. More than 18,000 IAFF members contributed to FIREPAC during the 1998 election cycle.

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IAFF Financial Corporation

In a bold initiative the IAFF announces its intention to sponsor and market a deferred compensation/IRA product for professional fire fighters under what would become the IAFF Financial Corporation. General President Harold Schaitberger appoints an executive board committee on deferred compensation to develop a series of tax deferred investment vehicles to offer to IAFF members and other eligible public employees. The IRA component accepts transfers from existing IRAs, other qualified deferred compensation programs and deferred retirement option programs. The deferred compensation program is marketed across the country to all public employers.

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IAFC Supports NFPA 1710

The Board of Directors of the International Association of Fire Chiefs votes to support the NFPA 1710 Standard on Organization and Employment for Career Fire Departments. The IAFF begins a research project to develop performance measures to assess compliance with EMS-related standards in the proposed NFPA 1710. After 10 years of effort by the IAFF, the NFPA Standards Council ultimately votes to approve the NFPA 1710 standard.

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New Vision for Human Relations

General President Harold Schaitberger outlines a bold new vision for the union’s approach toward human relations. Harassment, minority recruitment and diversity are among his priorities. He promises to bring together a cross section of women and minority affiliate presidents and pledges to continue an eight-week mentoring program for prospective CPAT applicants to help prepare and train them, physically and mentally, for the test.

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Growing Number of Attacks

The IAFF works to stop the growing number of attacks on big city fire departments and their IAFF local adversaries. Democratic mayors are violating contract agreements, ignoring arbitration awards, closing firehouses and reducing staff. General President Harold Schaitberger sends a letter to Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, chairman of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors, to address this issue.

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Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Service

During the 15th IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Service in Colorado Springs, more than 6,000 members and family members pay their respects to fire fighters who lost their lives or are missing as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York.

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New Website Unveiled

The new IAFF website is unveiled. Features include the latest news and information from the International, the entire fire service, the labor movement and the halls of political power. In addition, members can access the new line-of-duty-death logo, calendar of events, hot issues, requests for assistance and the online library. Interactive, multimedia online courses are also available through the new website.

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District Field Service Reps

The IAFF appoints 25 district field service representatives so locals can obtain more hands-on expertise in their communities.

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Nationwide Staffing Increase

Based on IAFF advocacy, the House and Senate introduce legislation for a significant increase in professional fire fighter staffing nationwide. The legislation calls for the creation of an additional 75,000 fire fighter jobs in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

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IAFF Key to Homeland Defense

General President Harold Schaitberger meets with Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge to discuss the important role played by professional fire fighters as the first line of defense against terrorism. Director Ridge contends that the IAFF is key to homeland defense.

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