General President Schaitberger of the International Association of Fire Fighters is proud to report the formation of a new IAFF Alumni web site.  IAFF Alumni membership will help you stay connected with your Brother and Sister Firefighters within the IAFF Community.

The IAFF Alumni program offers valuable benefits, including access to the IAFF Financial Corporation and the Union Sportsmen's Alliance (USA).   As members of the Alumni, you will also receive IAFF email communications and have access to information on issues that directly affect you.

Please click on this link for more information:  IAFF_ALUMNI

Congratulations to Robert Quinn for earning a 2008 Jennings Scholarship.  The John J. and Nora Jennings Memorial Scholarship is administered by the Jennings Scholarship Committee.  Each year they provide eight $2,500 scholarships to the children of active, retired or deceased members of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts who are or will be attending any college, university or post graduate studies next fall.

IAFF priority legislation to enhance fire fighter safety and health has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. On April 2, Representative Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) joined with 17 original cosponsors from both parties to introduce H.R. 5686, the Firefighter Fatality Reduction Act of 2008.

The legislation promotes the adoption of national consensus standards for safe fire department operations by fire departments to safeguard the lives and health of their members. H.R. 5686 would require the Department of Homeland Security to determine the level of compliance with such standards among fire departments nationwide, and establish a task force to explore ways that governments can promote the adoption of such standards by fire departments.

“The continued prevalence of avoidable fire fighter fatalities is the most serious problem facing the fire service today,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “I applaud Representative Perlmutter for tackling this problem head-on, and am proud to join with him to ensure that fire fighters nationwide have the tools and resources they need to ensure their safety and the safety of those they protect.”

The IAFF featured the Firefighter Fatality Reduction Act as one of its key legislative priorities at the 2008 Alfred K. Whitehead Legislative Conference in March. More than 800 IAFF leaders lobbied their senators and representatives to support fire fighter safety standards and solicited congressional support for H.R. 5686.

Click here to learn more about the Firefighter Fatality Reduction Act.

Please click on the following link about how quickly events almost turned deadly for a member of Watertown Firefighters, Local 1724  IAFF:   PFFSD

In November 2007, Senators Jim Webb (Democrat) and Chuck Hagel (Republican) wrote an op-ed piece in the New York Times advocating a reformed G.I. Bill that would provide Iraq War Veterans with greater educational opportunities.  "We must put together the right formula that will demonstrate our respect for those who have stepped forward to serve in these difficult times," wrote Webb and Hagel, both Veterans having served in the United States Armed Forces,  "First-class service to country deserves first-class appreciation."

Flash-forward several months and Webb and Hagel's vision is on the cusp of codification.  More than 50 Senators -- including many Republicans and both Democratic candidates vying for the Presidency, Senator Clinton and Obama-- have already signed on as co-sponsors.  And yet, surprisingly, one of those Senators who has not yet offered his support is John McCain.  How could a Vietnam Veteran including his time spent as a Prisoner of War not sign on to a largely bipartisan, uncontroversial measure?  

Click on the following link for the full story:  McCain_AWOL_on_Veteran_Benefits