Labor and Union Issues
At least 180 IAFF members live in the affected areas, with nine confirmed to have lost their homes
Delray’s vice mayor is questioning if firefighters might have had issues with their licenses after the chief sent out a memo on driver’s license requirements after the crash
Union officials said the toll could delay getting firefighters to firehouses and create an estimated $1.8M in overtime pay
Debts include $35,066 owed to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry for unemployment compensation taxes and $18,743 owed to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue for withholding taxes
Fire Chief Luis Santiago and at least one other high-ranking fire official used smoke-detector trust fund to pay for hotel rooms, conference costs and dinners
The new partnership will improve efficiency and response times
A San Diego auditor’s report says that due to benefit reductions, it now costs about the same to add staff as it does to pay firefighters overtime
Not allowing firefighters to buy commemorative badges is a fight not worth having and distracts focus from event preparation
A review of city hiring practices led to the conclusion that the hiring process violated the municipal merit system
The Board of Public Safety took action after the fire chief purchased a fire truck without proper authorization
They claim there’s still racism within the department and that it won’t change unless Commissioner Jose Santiago leaves
Despite the council’s fight over its rebranding, the fire department is moving ahead with a new department patch
Michael Mullane, 68, was a firefighter for more than four decades; he also represented the IAFF for more than 30 years as vice president
About 100 firefighters earned enough overtime to push their total pay past or near $100,000
Sixty retired since July with 40 in December alone; the department began restocking its ranks three years ago in anticipation of the mass retirement
Crews cited frustration with the fire district that oversaw the department and the demands of training and department upkeep
Officials said Kyle Kutzke became the ringleader of impromptu frat party type shenanigans; they said his behavior could have jeopardized future funding and certification
The San Bernardino firefighters’ union lost its appeal of a previous ruling allowing the city to hire an outside fire service as part of its bankruptcy restructuring
They allegedly cheated on the final EMT exam; a firefighter who administered the test is also facing termination
Toledo’s new union president wants to resolve a long-running battle with the fire chief and move on to issues like short staffing and call volumes
The committee recommended creating three new EMS division chief positions that would not be shared with the fire department
A private company will deliver a computerized test to reduce the burden on city workers who have struggled to manage the massive pool of applicants
The firefighter, who has an Arabic-sounding name, said the image didn’t offend him and thought it was a joke; the chief thinks otherwise
Hundreds of residents signed a petition urging council members not to outsource its fire protection
The department and city were embroiled in a $230K misappropriation scandal; the city will make all nonemergency decisions for the department
Two engines and two ladders were not staffed over the weekend because there were not enough firefighters available
Three firefighters and an officer were hired to be stationed at the 45,000-square-foot facility
The settlement, which avoided a third trial, requires the city to pay $1.04 million in back pay and pre-judgment interest to the firefighters
They found they didn’t have the statutory authority to use county funds to buy and donate items to a non-government entity
Officials say the low numbers of black firefighters who advance in rank suggest biased testing; out of 404 promotions, African-Americans received about 5 percent of the total
The 65-year-old Orono fire chief said the city manager fired him without cause in 2012
Joseph Tomizzi was criticized for allegedly using official powers to conduct unauthorized criminal background checks
Officials say the number of injury claims have increased since the mayor tried to reorganize firefighters’ schedules
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