michigan professional fire fighter

The official publication of the Michigan Professional Fire Fighters Union

MICHIGAN PROFESSIONALFIRE FIGHTER

Volume 32 Spring 2007Number 1

www.mpffu.org

In this Issue:

President ................................... 3

Secretary-Treasurer .................... 5

MPFFU Legislative Summit ..... 6

District News .......................... 14

Around the State ..................... 17

Upcoming Events:

MPFFU Legislative SummitMay 2-3, 2007

1st DistrictOctober 12, 2007Iron Mountain

2nd DistrictSeptember 24, 2007Big Rapids

3rd DistrictOctober 5, 2007Bay City

4th DistrictOctober 4, 2007Livonia

5th DistrictSeptember 25, 2007Lansing

6th DistrictOctober 3, 2007Sterling Heights

Member Orientation SeminarJuly 19, 2007Lansing Holiday Inn-South

Member Orientation SeminarOctober 18, 2007Grand Rapids Airport Hilton

MPFFU Safety & Health SeminarOctober 29-30, 2007Lansing Holiday Inn-South

District Meetings:

2 Michigan Professional Fire Fighter

Known office of publication:MPFFU1651 Kingsway Court, Suite E,Trenton, Michigan 48183.Phone : 734.675.0206Fax : 734.675.6083.

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You too can be acontributor

It’s very easy to do. Just send us astory, a picture, or both. It can beabout anything that is going on inyour local or general informationthat has something to do with union-ism or being a firefighter (unionevent or of fire, rescue or EMS inci-dents involving local members) andwe will publish it on the web and/ormagazine.

Please submit your material ASAP to:

MPFFU1651 Kingsway Court, Suite E

Trenton, MI 48183-1959

Phone: 1.800.886.7338Fax: 1.800.454.1757

Email: [email protected]

Note: I also wish to remind you thatit is the policy of the MPFF editorialstaff to not publish any information

that is sent anonymously.

Sta f fEditor .............................................................. Terrence H. Chesney

Circulation & Account Manager ........................... Michelle Chesney

Layout & Design .................................................... Mike Marinelli

Advertising Sales ..................................................... Mike Marinelli

MPFFU1651 Kingsway Court, Suite E

Trenton, MI 48183-1959(voice) 1-800-886-7338(fax) 1-800-454-1757

mpffu.org

OFFICERS

Vice Presidents

Sixth DistrictMark Docherty54465 Meadow Crest CircleChesterfield, MI 48047586-716-8264 (home)586-716-3845 (fax)586.243.9829 (cell)[email protected]

Third DistrictGreg A. Weisbarth15430 Nelson Rd.St. Charles, MI 48655-9767989-642-5730 (home)989-295-3587 (cell)989-837-3425 (work)989-642-6662 (fax)[email protected]

Fourth DistrictDaniel F. McNamara243 W. Congress, Suite 344Detroit, MI 48226313-962-7546 (office)313-962-7899 (fax)[email protected]

First DistrictKevin Pirlot603 W. Fleshiem St.Iron Mountain, MI 49801906-774-8214 (home)906-774-0623 (work)906-774-8654 (fax)[email protected]

Second DistrictShaun Abbey830 Colrain SWWyoming, MI 49509616-532-5310 (home)616.299.5474 (cell)616-532-1670 (fax)[email protected]

Secretary-TreasurerTerrence H. Chesney1651 Kingsway Court, Suite ETrenton, MI 48183-1959734-675-0206 (office)734-675-6083 (fax)[email protected]

Fifth DistrictW. James Leve10016 West J AvenueKalamazoo, MI 49009269-375-9301 (home)269-375-2551 (fax)269-720-8499 (cell)[email protected]

PresidentPaul Hufnagel1651 Kingsway Court, Suite ETrenton, MI 48183-1959734-675-0206 (office)734-675-6083 (fax)[email protected]

— FYI —

mpffu.org

Postal Info

3Spring 2007

PRESIDENT

President

Paul Hufnagel

1651 Kingsway Court, Suite E


734-675-0206 (office)

734-675-6083 (fax)

[email protected]

PRESIDENTPRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

It seems like it’s been an extraordinarily busytime for your state union. Work at the StateCapitol and providing services/training tolocal unions encompasses the greatest share ofour time. We continue to see many changesoccurring in both areas. I will begin with a leg-islative report.

LegislationBecause of the financial issues confrontingMichigan’s budget process, this legislative ses-sion at the Capitol continues to be conten-tious. With several proposals for revisingMichigan’s failing tax system floating aroundthe Capitol, budget and tax restructuring con-tinue to be at the forefront of every issue thatcomes up.

State revenue sharing is an important ele-ment of the tax system. Permanent fundingfor the Bureau of Fire Services is another pri-ority issue that is on the table during thesebudget talks. MPFFU is engaged in the bud-get process ensuring that these issues alongwith firefighter and public safety are a part ofevery discussion.

Besides being involved in budget issues,MPFFU is pursuing its own legislative agendaand monitoring other legislation that impactsus. Here are some of the priority issues wehave been working on:

• Cancer Presumption: On April 17, hear-ings were held in both Senate and Housecommittees on SB 102 and HB 4401 respec-tively. The IAFF provided an expert witness,Dr. Michael Levine, to give testimony on theconnection between certain types of cancerand firefighting. Todd Stanaway, a Westlandfirefighter for 12 years, provided testimony onhis job and his personal struggle with braincancer. Both committees listened to testi-mony only and will vote on the bills at a laterdate.

We continue to press the cancer presump-tion bills with legislators. We are seeking com-mittee votes as soon as possible so the billsmove on to the floor of both the Senate andHouse. We are asking every firefighter to con-tact their representative and senator and urgethem to support and vote for this legislation.

• Legislation was introduced, HB 4213,that would amend P.A. 312 limitingfirefighters rights in binding arbitration ofcontract disputes. This legislation would turnthe clock back 40 years and begin the destruc-

tion of a law that has been shown to effectivelyresolve contract disputes fairly.

• HBs 4246 – 4266 would amend currentlaws and remove the protection provided foremployees’ wages, benefits, and pensionswhen local governments join together to formAuthorities for providing services such as fireand EMS. The sponsors of these bills say thatthe current laws inhibit cities and townshipsfrom forming Authorities.

• Another bill that would produce direconsequences for unions in Michigan is HB4455, the so-called right-to-work legislation.This legislation would restrict the rights ofunions and the workers they represent, creat-ing a “right-to-work for less” state.

I have listed just a few of the billsintroduced this session that will impactfirefighters if adopted. The MPFFU web siteprovides details on all of the legislation andhow you can contact your elected representa-tives in Lansing to express your views.MPFFU will continue its work at the Capi-tol ensuring that firefighter issues are at theforefront.

IAFF – State and ProvincialAssociations ServicesLast fall, at a meeting of the Federation ofState and Provincial Professional Firefighters,a discussion took place with IAFF generalpresident Harold Schaitberger regarding thestatus of state unions within IAFF structure.Points were raised regarding the role of stateunions as affiliates of the IAFF in a numberof areas: delivery of services to local unions;coordination of political action efforts, i.e.,candidate endorsements and support; sharingof information, databases, communications,and technology; providing education andtraining to local unions; and identifying theposition and role of state and provincial asso-ciations in the IAFF structure.

Following the discussion, general presidentSchaitberger scheduled a meeting with repre-sentatives of FSPPF. I was fortunate to be se-lected as one of the five state presidents toparticipate in the meeting in Washington thispast April. Five members of the IAFF execu-tive board were also present at the meeting;including 8th district vice president TomMiller.

We discussed the history of both the IAFFand state/provincial unions and their various

roles. Some examples of IAFF services wereidentified: passing federal legislation support-ing firefighters, i.e., line-of-duty death benefit,safety and health; political action in federalelections; developing training programs on awide variety subjects that assist local unionleaders in their work; research and databasecapabilities; EMS programs; along with amultitude of services in other areas as neededby local unions.

Initially, a state union’s sole responsibilitywas to work in the legislature and pass lawscreating collective bargaining/binding arbitra-tion, health and safety protections, pensionsystems, and other state laws that would ben-efit firefighters.

Due to the successes of MPFFU in thelegislature over the past 40 years, requestsfrom local unions for assistance have increaseddramatically, expanding MPFFU’s operations.At the direction of delegates at conventions,MPFFU now provides a wide array of servicesto locals. A few examples: legislative represen-tation at the state Capitol; affordable, Michi-gan specific training programs and seminars;assistance to locals from MPFFU executiveboard members for bargaining, grievances,and most other issues locals’ face; contractdatabase accessible online; and a host of otherservices too numerous to mention here thatassist locals in their day-to-day operations.

Recognizing that the roles of both theIAFF and state unions have changed signifi-cantly over the years, there was agreement atthe meeting to look for ways to effectively usestate and provincial organizations within theIAFF structure to deliver effective, efficientservices to local unions. The goal is to coor-dinate services eliminating duplication andproviding IAFF locals with the best servicepossible for their per capita dollars. We’relooking forward to working more closely withthe IAFF in providing an even higher level ofservices and assistance to local unions.


Shaun AbbeyKenneth AbrahamDonald AlatiBrian AndersonAnn ArmstrongCharles AsherTim BadeMichael BaileyScott J. BalaRonald BalleriniMichael G BarnhardRaymond BartonRoger R Bebeau, JRRick BenedettiLee BennettPaul BiedingerKeith BoTimothy BobceanAndy BoucherWilliam BoundsBryan BrashawBrenda BrassingtonChad BronsonBernard BrosnanRobert CacciaNicholas CandelaHeidi S. CanfieldKurt CarrErik W CarringtonDavid CarrollWilliam CaseAndy CaspersonKenneth ChapmanJohn CharvatTerrence H. ChesneyMatt ChristensenRonald CicheckiAileen CieslaKeith ClancyRogers E Claussen, JRThomas R. ColomboWilliam CookeGregory CoplaiKenneth CothamDennis CottonChad A. CousinoThomas CoxDavid CumminsDarryl CurtisStefano F. DedonatisSteven DensmoreDonald C DettlingSteve DiDochaMark D Docherty

Roberto F DomenzainDoug DominickScott DouglasJohn M DroelleJoseph DubayTimothy J DuncanJames DundasGary DustPatrick J. DuVallMark EdmanCarrie Edwards-ClemonsBryan EplingJames EtzinJason EverestTimothy FalkJames FelicianoJohn J FelmleeBen FergusonTimothy FergusonRonald FinleyRobert FlinnMatthew FloodJason FrattiniApril FullerCharles M GagnierLarry GambottoJames GarlitzGregory M. GarrisonDan GazdeckiJonathan W. Gearns-HazlettTimothy GeorvassilisKevin GibsonFrederick GilstorffLawrence GoffJoshua GonzalezKenneth GrabowskiBakos GrossThomas GrossRobert B. HaaseJames S HalliganRobert M HalstonBruce HamiltonJeffrey HannaMatthew HannaMichael HarmonKevin HawkeyAnthony HedgesSteve HeimRonald HelvestonJohn M Hering, JRClement J HessJeffrey HetfieldCraig HickeyChad Hilton

Dari HinesMark HogrebeDavid W HornEdward HosmerBrian HubbertLawrence HuckPaul HufnagelPeter HughesGerald HuntScott JaroszMatthew JenkinsWalter JenuwineDonald H JuneMichael JungaWesley KasterDavid B. KaulJames KelecavaDaniel KellyLewis KempfJeffrey KitzmanFred KlotzerRobert KoberMark KoonterGerald KozlowskiKarl KussJeff LachowiczWilliam LackeyJames LadaBob LarkinsAnthony H LeloTodd LemeryJim LeveBob LloydRobert A LonerganBrian LowlerKristopher LussendenRick LuxonHurst M. Lyon, IVAndres MaldonadoKelly MalloyChristopher A ManczukDavid B ManningR Lee MayesJames McCullochRyan McMenemyDaniel F McNamaraJohnny MenifeeDouglas MetcalfChris MeyerGary MicuKevin MillerMatthew MillerJeffrey P MoorePatrick W Moore

Thank You To All Of The MPFFU Fire PAC Contributors

Thomas MooreJames A MorrisMichael MulderBrent MullerJoseph L MunsonMichael NavettaJason NelsonChris NesbittMark A NeubacherCharles NowickiMontgomery NyePatrick O'LearMichael L. OnthankAnthony OryszczakNathan L PapinawDavid W ParishDonald G. Paterson, JRMaurice PattersonRussell PaulChristian PerkinsScott PerryCarl PetersKevin PirlotJames PodgorskiSteve PortisTimothy ProkopRobert T. QuinnGeorge Quiroz, JRJason ReevesChristopher ReynoldsBryan M RichterBrad RiggsEdward RigleyKeith RingstadMichael A RobertsRodney RobertsGerald RodabaughJason RouseTerry SaboMatt SahrMike SandersBarry SavickasGlen ScafidiDonald O. SchinskeShawn SchraderMatthew SchroederDennis SchultzJohn SchwallRobert ScottBill SedlacekStephen SellBrendt SheridanTodd ShorkeyGregory Cecil Simmons

Brian SirianiPaul SmithWilliam E. Smith, JRJames L StachlewitzRobert StankiewiczTodd StevensBrandon W StinnettRichard Stone, JREugene StoutMark SwiderTodd SzakacsJames TackEric TewsEric J ThomasWilliam ThomasTracie Thompson-DaweChris TinneyMitchell TokarskiSteven TrallTodd TrudeauMark R TuroDavid VanWallaghenGuy VilletGordon C Vogt, IISeth VukonichHeidi WachtelKurt WagnerRaymond WagonerLance WattersTodd WeaverTheodore WeberSean WeingartenGreg A WeisbarthDavid WeisenbergMatthew WellsKenneth WheatonBruce WheelerBruce WhitesideDerek J WhittakerMickey WiewiuraMatthew R. WilhideJoseph P. WilliamsBradley WilsonSteven WordenGerald W. WrightDavid WylieMatthew WyszczelskiAlbert YoungPeter ZammitPeter ZarekJohn ZinnKeith ZuccaroDavid Zurawski, JR

The following have contributed since January 1, 2007

MPFFU FIRE PAC

5Spring 2007

Secretary-Treasurer

Terrence H. Chesney

1651 Kingsway Court, Suite E


734-675-0206 (office)

734-675-6083 (fax)

[email protected]

SECRETARY-TREASURER’S REPORT

Takin’ Care of BusinessSo far, 2007 has been a very busy year formembers of the Michigan Professional FireFighters Union. The MPFFU ExecutiveBoard authorized and conducted a two-dayStrategic Planning meeting, a two-day Collec-tive Bargaining Seminar, a two-day UnionAdministration seminar, six Spring Districtmeetings, two Member Orientation Semi-nars, and the annual MPFFU LegislativeSummit. Members attending these functionswere presented with a wealth of knowledge aswell as excellent opportunities for networkingwith fellow union members. Congratulationsto those of you who attended one or more ofthese functions. Your attendance and partici-pation not only contributed to making thesefunctions a success, it confirmed your dedica-tion and desire to be a better union officer.

What a Fool BelievesEver hear someone say they hate politics?Maybe you’ve even said it yourself?Whether you like it or not, as a public em-ployee, politics affect your life even morethan it does most other people. The factthat you are even employed as a firefighter,the hours you work, your pay, your healthinsurance, your pension, your vacationtime, and all your other benefits are directlyrelated to political decisions made at thelocal, state, or federal level. Your turn-outequipment, your apparatus, whether or notyou provide EMS or Paramedic service toyour citizens and even your fire stationamenities are determined by politics. Canyou afford not to get involved?

Right Here – Right NowLike it or not, financial contributions to

candidate election campaigns are oftenwhat makes the difference between winningan election and losing an election. All ofour jobs are much easier if we elect officialsthat support firefighters and our issues.There are approximately 5,400 members ofthe Michigan Professional Fire FightersUnion and yet there are only about 300members that have ever made a contribu-tion to the MPFFU FIRE PAC. Are you acontributor to the MPFFU FIRE PAC?There are many ways to make a contribu-tion. We accept one time payments by per-sonal check, you can sign up for monthly

automatic contributions of $5 or morefrom your checking account or credit card,you can register for MPFFU events with apersonal check made out to FIRE PAC, oryou purchase a MPFFU FIRE PAC golfshirt or windbreaker. Call the MPFFU of-fice at 1.800.886.7338 to sign up today ordownload a sign-up form at mpffu.org. Helpyour brothers and sisters carry the load.

Politics 101The Michigan Professional Fire FightersUnion conducted a Legislative Summit onMay 2-3 in Lansing. The primary purposeof the summit was to educate and prepareour members to interact with their StateLegislator and State Senator on the legisla-tive issues that are currently affecting unionfirefighters. Our main issues were CancerPresumption, protecting PA 312, Fundingfor the Bureau of Fire Services, and StateRevenue Sharing. On the first day, mem-bers attended an educational workshop andon the second day, they had breakfast withlegislators and then went to the State Capi-tol to meet with them. Those that attendeddid an exceptional job lobbying theirelected officials. Unfortunately, they alsohad to represent the locals that didn’t sendanyone to the event. Although they did agreat job representing those that were ab-sent, many legislators were very disap-pointed to find out that no firefighters fromtheir district were in attendance. Politiciansare always more interested in hearing whattheir own constituents have to say. In fact,not having anyone from a legislator’s dis-trict in attendance can actually be harmfulto the MPFFU legislative agenda.

Donating time and money to get firefriendly officials elected into office is only thefirst step of being politically active. Establish-ing, cultivating, and maintaining a relation-ship with elected officials is even moreimportant. If you care about your job, this isnot a task that you can just leave for someoneelse to do.

We recognize that on any given day, therewill always be some people that will not beable to attend, but this is one event that re-quires that every local be represented. Pleasemake sure someone from your local attendsnext year.

Who Are We?The MPFFU has scheduled two additionalMember Orientation seminars in 2007.These seminars were developed for ALLMPFFU members, new and old. Find outwhat the benefits are of belonging to the IAFFand the MPFFU. Understand why unions aremore important now then they have everbeen. Longtime members that have attendedstate that they wish this would have beenavailable for them when they were new. Reg-istration information can be found on theMPFFU website. (www.mpffu.org) Also, ifyou are not registered to use the membersonly section of the MPFFU website, you aremissing out on a lot of information that isavailable. Sign up today. It’s easy.

Ticket to RidePaying your union dues is like buying a ticketfor a train ride. You still have to get on thetrain after you pay for the ticket or you won’tgo anywhere. Take advantage of yourMPFFU membership. Attend our functions,register for our website, provide input, be aparticipant, not a spectator!

Safety FirstMark your calendars! The dates for the up-coming MPFFU Safety & Health Seminarare October 29-30, 2007 at the Holiday InnSouth in Lansing. The agenda for the semi-nar is almost completed and the MPFFUSafety & Health Committee has put togetheran impressive and wide variety of workshopofferings for this two day event. They havealso secured two well known speakers to givegeneral session presentations.

Due to popular demand, Dr Larry Blumis returning to Michigan again to discuss hisideas about how to keep the demands andstresses of being a firefighter from adverselyaffecting your health, your family, and your

Continued on page 17


MPFFU Legislative Summit May 2-3, 2007

7Spring 2007


9Spring 2007


11Spring 2007


13Spring 2007

1st District

1st District VP

Kevin Pirlot

603 W. Fleshiem St.

Iron Mountain, MI 49801

906.774.8214 (home)

906.774.0623 (work)

906.774.8654 (fax)

[email protected]

2nd District

HOT NEWS FROM THE DISTRICTS

2nd District VP

Shaun Abbey

830 Colrain SW

Wyoming, MI 49509

616-532-5310 (home)

616.299.5474 (cell)

616-532-1670 (fax)

[email protected]

Budget cuts have again affected the Bureauof Fire Services. The current year budgethas been reduced by ten percent and furthercuts may be needed if the State budget is-sues are not resolved soon. GovernorGranholm has proposed a rebuild of thestate tax structure based on being tax neu-tral to the taxpayers in the state. With thisnew structure revenue could grow as theeconomy improves, however some in thelegislature want to cut spending further anduntil some compromise is worked out no-body knows what is going to happen.

The direct effect of budget cuts to theMichigan Fire Fighters Training Council isthe loss of all contract training coordina-tors. Without them there will be no evalu-ations of probationary instructors ormonitoring of classes being taught. In theshort term this has been very inconvenientfor those firefighters wanting to become in-structors, if this continues long term thequality of the programs offered will be jeop-ardized.

As the Chairman of the MFFTC, I in-tend to continue to improve the trainingstandards of firefighters and fire officers. Inthe near future I hope to have the companyofficer level 3 updated. The new standardwill likely involve the intermediate (ICS-300) and advanced (ICS-400) incidentcommand training offered thru the na-tional fire academy. If you are not aware,FEMA has required this new level of train-ing to qualify for federal funding. If you’reconfused about NIMS don’t feel bad, there’sa lot of it going around. Because of the widerange of responders possible, FEMA hasprovided several avenues to achieve NIMScompliancy. The NIMS Integration Centerdeveloped the National Standard Curricu-lum. Based on those standards the NFA,NWCG, EMI, USDA, EPA, Coast Guard

and Private Vendors have developed pro-grams. To achieve just the NIMS certificateyou can attend any course of the aboveagencies.

The MFFTC has adopted the NationalFire Academy all hazard ICS that is gearedto operational responders. NIMS ICS forthe fire service, which is an updated versionof the ICS offered for many years, meetsthe NIMS 100 and 200 levels. H-465 In-termediate ICS for expanding incidents foroperational responders meets the NIMS300. H-467 Advanced ICS for commandand general staff, complex incidents andMACS for operational first respondersmeets the NIMS 400. For more informa-tion about NIMS, go to nimsonline.com.With so many requirements for ICS I’msure most of you are tired of hearing aboutit but remember that firefighter safety andeffective incident command go hand inhand.

The MPFFU and the Fire Service Coa-lition will continue to seek funding forfirefighters to receive the personnel, equip-ment, and training needed to perform thebest that we can.

It does not feel right typing this “spring”article while it is snowing. I hope by thetime you read this, its nice and warm out-side. It has been a long winter and there hasbeen a lot of union activity both at the stateand local level.

EducationOver the past few months the MPFFU hashosted many educational opportunities forlocal leaders and members all across thestate. These seminars offer a chance to getsome excellent information while also net-working with other members dealing withmany of the same issues. The three main

seminars included training in negotiations,local administration and political action.There were also three member orientationclasses. They were held in Grand Rapids,Dearborn and Flint. The member orienta-tion class is a great way to find out what theunion, MPFFU and IAFF does for you. Tryto attend this class if you have not done soin the past. There is a lot of good informa-tion, networking opportunities and a freelunch. Whether you are veteran or a rookiethere is a class offered for you. The chanceto discuss important issues with otherbrothers and sisters from across the state ispriceless in itself. Many of these classes areinteractive. If you are newer to the game, itis a great place to ask questions in a non-intimidating forum. If you are a seasonedveteran, your input can help others in theclass and make it a better experience. Every-one always picks something up either way.I hope to see you at a class in the near fu-ture.

Around the SecondNegotiations seem to be the main issue thisspring for many of the locals in the seconddistrict. Seven locals will be sitting down atthe table over the next few months. CadillacL-704 and Egelston Township L-3901 bothsettled their contracts over the winter.Plainfield Township L-2559 had 312 briefsdue in April. Manistee L-645 is dealing withthe police trying to take over EMS, whichcould lead to public safety. They are in theprocess of fighting this on several fronts.Norton Shores L-2559 and Muskegon Town-ship L-4132 are both in the process ofimplementing health and wellness pro-grams. Wyoming L-2758 has all of theirmembers back from lay-off. This happenedthrough retirements while they continue tofight for better staffing. The Grand Rapidsmetropolitan area locals are starting to dealwith automatic aid and/or consolidationrumors. They have all met and are in theprocess of collecting additional informationand preparing arguments. On a side note,I would like to thank the leaders and mem-bers of Grand Rapids L-366 and KentwoodL-3174 for taking care of our own. KenHowe, a past member of Jackson L-1306,

Continued on next page…


3rd District3rd District VP

Greg A. Weisbarth

15430 Nelson Rd.

St. Charles, MI 48655-9767

989-642-5730 (home)

989-295-3587 (cell)

989-837-3425 (work)

989-642-6662 (fax)

[email protected]


To all members of the 3rd District and theMPFFU wishing all you a welcomedspringtime hello.

At the time of this article, members ofthe MPFFU are locked in battle once againwith governmental units over the lack ofrevenue. Our locals are being attacked onmany different fronts, reduced staffing,threats of PSO or volunteer supplements,reductions in pension benefits, and in-creased employee health care costs.

How are our members going to combatthese attacks? The answer is simple, PO-LITICAL ACTION! Each member musttake ownership in this battle. Our republi-can legislators are still convinced that wecan cut our way out of revenue shortfall. Inturn, local units are following their lead.This way of thinking is nothing but smokeand mirrors to believe that reduction inservices will lead to funding solutions andbalanced budgets.

The effort that is needed to educate ourlegislators on the impact this is having onour service delivery, firefighter safety, andcivilian safety cannot be accomplished atthe state level alone. Nor can this battle bewon by just the local executive boards; eachone of us must take part. How often haveyou individually contacted your local com-missioners, city managers or township of-ficials or state legislators?

If we continue to wait to be reactionarywe will lose this battle. Local executiveboards should be developing business rela-tionships with local officials before a crisisdevelops. Educating these officials as towhat we do as firefighters is critical forthem to know our mission and services weprovide. Further delays will only result in acontinued reduction in our benefits andstaffing levels.

4th District VP

Daniel F. McNamara

243 W. Congress, Suite 344

Detroit, MI 48226

313-962-7546 (office)

313-962-7899 (fax)

[email protected]

4th District

The Ever Changing / EverChallenged 4thMany new issues have hit the 4th Districtrecently. Some can have an impact on thewhole MPFFU. These changes directly af-fect careers, benefits, wages and life styles.With the economy problems facing Michi-gan, it was certain that groups would try tosqueeze money in our field. The only prob-lem is that we have been stretched too thinalready, causing challenges to our abilitiesto provide life saving skills and fire suppres-sion timeliness.

Plymouth Township Firefighters are fac-ing a difficult situation. The City of Ply-mouth, which is aligned with them, arepromising to pull out from their allianceand possibly going PSO. This has been,until now, a well put together relationshipthat benefits the taxpayers and guaranteespublic safety. Unfortunately, money talks.

There has also been aligned withthis discussions of consolidations withNorthville Township, Westland, Cantonand others. Fortunately, smart people have,for the moment, stepped back to think itout.

Together we can make a difference, thestruggles will not be easy, but to ignore theissues may result in the loss of your job.Many of you are making a difference, nowit is up to the rest of you to assist yourbrother or sister in securing our future asprofessional firefighters.

As the IAFF said, A Bold Union, AProud Profession, A Brighter Future!Let’s take a stand and make our collectivevoices heard from the local level to the StateCapitol.

Stay safe, see you in the future.

was caught in a fire in his own house.Members of these two locals helped takecare of his family while he was in the hos-pital in Grand Rapids. This is what sets usapart—thanks for making us all proud tobe union firefighters.

Your RightsThis is just a quick note to remind youto get representation if you are in a meet-ing and may be disciplined. Use yourWeingarten rights. This protects you, thelocal, and the process. This could be ameeting with your chief, supervisor, or evenif you are asked to write a letter. Get theunion involved if you suspect discipline.The union representative is an active par-ticipant and it has been ruled again latelythat management cannot choose your rep-resentative for you. This is much too big ofa topic to cover in a short paragraph. If youhave questions, talk to your local leadershipor attend a class. The point here is just toremind you to get a representative and donot let them tell you otherwise—it’s yourright!

Remember that this local, state, and in-ternational union is yours. Stay active andinvolved to make it the best it can be. Haveyou ever wondered what would happen toyour local and your contract if the leader-ship in your local did not dedicate the timeto defend and improve them? I hear mem-bers say they do not have time to attendmeetings. Meanwhile, the local leadershipdedicates hours daily to run the local. Nexttime you see them say thanks, because itcan be a time consuming thankless job.

Have a great summer, go Tigers, andmost of all stay safe.


Get More

Up-to-Date

Info @

mpffu.org

15Spring 2007


5th District

5th District VP

W. James Leve

10016 West J Avenue

Kalamazoo, MI 49009

269-375-9301 (home)

269-375-2551 (fax)

269-720-8499 (cell)

[email protected]

How ready are you for retirement? Probablymost of you are a long way from retirementand think very little about if you are going tohave enough to retire on. Unfortunately, bythe time you get close to your actual retire-ment date it may be too late. An article acouple years ago stated you should have 70%of your final wage amount toretire on. So if your final wage isaround $60,000 annually you would need$42,000 to retire on. This assumes that youare debt free including your house being paidoff. How many of you are going to be debtfree including your mortgage by the time youretire? Many of our members are buying newhouses and with it new mortgages in their 40sand 50s. Along with that are those who arestarting families in their late 30s and 40s.

Fire AuthorityLocals from Allen Park, Lincoln Park,Melvindale, Southgate and Wyandotte havebeen involved in discussions with their cit-ies over a full blown development of a FireAuthority.

A Fire Authority is developed under P.A.57. It essentially is politically and legallyformed. It takes possessions of these cities’physical possessions, stations, vehicles, man-power, taxes the communities for funding andbecomes one big Local. One big Local be-cause that is what is legally required.

This new fire department covers thephysical areas of these cities. However, thedevil is in the details. A new contract has tobe created while incorporating the benefitsin the original five. Seniority has to be de-fined. New work rules have to be promul-gated. Titles and job descriptions writtenand awarded. Who goes where every day?

Most importantly, a large discussion hastaken place over the use of Act 312 in theAuthority. There are differing opinions onwhether or not it is allowed in an Author-ity or not. Without it, our members partici-pate in a management dominated form ofright to work. Any bargaining impassewould go to the Authority until grieved.

As great an idea as some think it to be,our members stand to lose a lot if not doneright. Working with these Locals, I can as-sure everyone that all stones are being over-turned and lights are put into all the darkcorners. No decisions have been made otherthan to participate in the process. Theseleaders are doing a great job.

EcorseWhat can be said? If it can get worse, itdoes. Recently, one of the ambulances hasbeen mothballed and a private ambulancebrought in. Cameras and real time videohas been placed in all open areas of the sta-tion and at least one member has been dis-ciplined for a statement that was heard.Cameras and microphones have also beenput in the one ambulance in all areas.

Grievances, injunctions, circuit courtare all in play. A new rule was put into placethat no one could leave the station for anyreason. One member was threatened withdiscipline because he took the garbage outand it was witnessed via camera.

Scott Douglas and the Executive Boardwere recently asked what amount theywould accept as a buy out because theMayor wants to get rid of the fire depart-ment. His answer was that no amountwould be acceptable because his member-ship loved their jobs! This is on top of hav-ing part-timers come in and be in charge offull-timers in order to get overtime costsdown. This is in addition to constant dailyintimidation of members so bad that, ex-cept for their incredible dedication to theresidents of Ecorse and themselves, many orall would leave this environment.

The membership of Ecorse is truly a re-silient and dedicated group. The attacks onthem have been long and merciless. Manyof you remember the physical fitness de-bacle of a few years ago where they at-tempted to fire many members until theIAFF stepped in with money and power.

Even in their toughest of times theystand tall. Better times have to be ahead.

Detroit Continues The BattleTwo years after a massive restructuring planhit Local 344, it continues to hold off asecond wave. In July 2005, five companieswere closed, 63 firefighters laid off, FireInspectors demoted and a Battalion closedwith three Battalion Chiefs.

Building on that the City broke the lawby proposing the second wave which wouldclose 5-7 more companies, lay off 190 morefirefighters, close four more Battalions, vio-late the staffing award of four persons perrig and change the duties of the BattalionChiefs so that they would not respond tofires until after 4:00 p.m. and other draco-nian measures.

Fortunately, Detroit is in Act 312 arbi-tration and these changes violated the Act.A circuit Court and Appeals Court later,the city has dragged them into the Michi-gan Supreme Court where it was argued onApril 10. The answer should be out in 2-9months. In the meantime, the injunctionagainst their proposed actions stays inplace.

Thanks to all the members from otherLocals who came in solidarity. A specialthanks to the Lansing Local who surpriseda bus load of firefighters with hot coffee anddoughnuts. True Solidarity.

Good News!Congratulations to Monroe Local 326.They recently celebrated their 75th straightyear of membership in the IAFF. They arethe oldest affiliated Local in Michigan.Their celebration was well attended. A lotof retired members as well as spouses, fami-lies and friends were there to help honor theevent.

Other Items of NoteIt was great to see so many members par-ticipate in the Local Union and New Mem-ber Seminars as well as the 4th DistrictMeeting. All the programs and presentersdid a good job. It was nice to see new pro-grams and fresh approaches.

New faces, new ideas and new represen-tatives for the next few decades. I don’tknow how they make them look so youngthese days.

See you around the District.




6th District

6th District VP

Mark Docherty

54465 Meadow Crest Circle

Chesterfield, MI 48047

586-716-8264 (home)

586-716-3845 (fax)

586.243.9829 (cell)

[email protected]

We have heard it said many times, the mostdifficult and demanding position in theunion is that of the local president. Thathas never been truer then what your localpresidents and executive boards are facingin these new trying times. Of the 29 localsin the Sixth District, approx half are with-out a current contract and are in variousstages of Act 312 and half of the remaininglocals are beginning negotiations with acontract expiration date looming. Employ-ers demanding unreasonable concessions inpensions, heath care and manning beingsome of the key issues they are facing. Iwant to thank all the local presidents and e-board members for keeping up the difficultfight to protect our wages, hours and work-ing conditions. All unions, public and pri-vate, are embattled in a fight to survive.With “Right to Work” lobbyist fighting toerode our rights, we as union members,brothers and sisters, need to promoteunionism to anyone who will listen. Weneed to fully understand, that complacencyis not how we will win this fight. It’s

These figures also assumed that alongwith that 80% you will be receiving socialsecurity. Many of our brothers and sistersare not in the social security system due totheir defined benefit retirement system.

More current experts say you need 80%or more of your final wage to retire. Howare you going to achieve that? Even if youhave a 3.2% multiplier you would have towork 25 years to achieve that 80%. Howmany of you have a 3.2 multiplier? Evenwith a 3.2 multiplier what is that 80%amount going to be worth if you retire, liveanother 30 years and have no C.O.L.A. todeal with inflation? Any public pension sys-tem is not designed to be a complete answerto meet all your retirement needs.

Virtually all municipalities offer 457plans to assist their employees with theirretirement needs. The 457 is the equivalentto the private sector 401 plans. Our variouspension committees (assuming your localhas one) need to educate our members andparticularly our newer members on theneed for additional savings along withtheir pension so they may retire withoutworrying if they can meet their retirementneeds. How difficult would it be as a newfirefighter to put aside 1%, or more, oftheir salary in a pretax account at the begin-ning of their career and then as their wagesincrease, either by step raises or annualwage increase, to increase that amount eachyear? It may seem difficult when raising afamily and buying a house but by taking aPORTION of their raise and adding it tothe 457, by the end of their career and withfinancial planning, which is availablethrough any 457 plan, a member shouldhave enough money available to retire with-out worry.

As far as Defined Comp. plans go, hereis an example. If a member starts out mak-ing $35,000 per year and assuming a 3%increase in wages throughout their career,by the end of their 25th year of service theywill be making $60,984. If their definedcontribution put into their account by theiremployer is 10% and assuming an AVER-AGE return of 9% over the entire 25 years,the employee would have $366,522 in theiraccount. Sound like a lot? If you are mak-ing almost $61,000 and have a balance of$366,000 how long do you think that fund

will last for retirement? Again assuming10% gains on your final account balanceand withdrawing 80% of your FAC, theaccount would be depleted in 15 years.Then what?

This shows the real need for our mem-bers not to rely solely on their pensionplans, whatever it may be, as a completepackage for retirement. Everyone needs tosupplement their pension with other sav-ings devices so they may retire with enoughmoney to meet their needs. We haveworked hard and long at one of the best butmost dangerous jobs there is and deserve toretire with dignity and enough money toenjoy retirement. Start now before it’s toolate.

through political activism and public rela-tions/education that we need to concen-trate our fight and which will provide uswith the best chance at success. Rememberpolitical activism doesn’t just mean PACmoney, it also includes all the non-eco-nomical methods of supporting candidatessuch as: screening of candidates for en-dorsement, placements of political signs,working polls on Election Day, literaturedrops, phone banks, photo ops, petitiondrives, fundraisers and many more. In whatother job do you have the ability to havesome effect on who your boss will be?

ConsolidationConsolidation seems to be developing asthe new fix-all put forth by many as the wayto save municipalities from their economicissues they are facing today. Consolidation,if done right, could be a good thing for all.The problem comes when elected officialsbelieve that through consolidation, theywill see an immediate savings and relieffrom labor contracts that they feel are bur-dening their communities. The reality is theconsolidation does save money. Although itis a long term savings, in which, initially themunicipality may actually see a temporarycost increase before the savings are felt. Thismakes it difficult for an elected official toaccept, since many of them only look as farforward as their next election. We havemany locals in the state currently facing thisissue. In the Sixth District, the cities ofRoyal Oak, Madison Heights, Ferndale andHazel Park have a committee formed andare attempting to make consolidation intoa fire authority a reality. Small fire authori-ties have been formed in the past, althoughit has yet to happen with any larger citieshaving fire departments represented by la-bor groups. In the event they are successful,many other municipalities are in the wingsawaiting the outcome and will attempt todo the same. Understand that when form-ing a fire authority, we ultimately need toinsure that all our rights as public employ-ees are maintained and a fair and equitablecontract for all is negotiated. This takes alot of patience and cooperation from every-one involved.


17Spring 2007

New PresidentsTwo locals in the Sixth District elected newPresidents this year. Bruce Whiteside waselected president of Waterford Local 1335and Pat Sheehan elected president ofFerndale Local 812. I would like to thankGene Butcher and Brian Batten for theirservice as local presidents and hope theyenjoy their newly found free time.

Arbitration AwardsPontiac Local 376 recently received a veryunfavorable arbitration award in referenceto their 4 man engines. The City of Pontiacreduced engine manning from 4 to 3 whichresulted in a grievance and ultimately arbi-tration. In what was believed to be a fairlysafe arbitration with a historically favorablearbitrator, the arbitrator overturned 30years of past practice and a previousarbitrator’s award maintaining 4 man en-gine companies. The arbitrator awarded theCity the right to set the staffing levels of theengine companies. The arbitrator’s defini-tion of a past practice is deplorable andmakes it almost impossible to prove that apast practice exists. He also overturned theprevious arbitrator’s award, citing the factthat the fire department does not respondto as many fires as they did at the time ofthe previous arbitration. The completeaward is posted on the MPFFU web site;please take some time and read it. This isthe reality of what we face today.

Take care, be safe and have a great sum-mer.

AROUND THE STATE

By Aileen Ciesla (Saginaw Local 102)According to the March 2007 issue of theNew England Journal of Medicine, aHarvard study revealed that the chances offirefighters dying from heart problemswhile battling a house fire were 100 timesgreater than during routine downtime!!Another frightening statistic reveals thatapproximately 100 firefighters die in theline of duty each year, with nearly half ofthese deaths attributed directly to heart dis-ease!!

These types of dismal statisticsprompted the IAFF and the IAFC to joinforces and form the Wellness-Fitness Initia-tive; ultimately to improve firefighterhealth, wellness, and fitness. To successfullyimplement this program, firefighters wereneeded to take the lead and the IAFF PeerFitness Trainer program was born. ThesePeer Fitness Trainers would contribute totheir perspective fire departments in severalways: by educating fellow members aboutthe benefits of wellness and fitness, by per-forming annual fitness assessments, byevaluating and selecting fitness equipment,and by designing individual fitness pro-grams for fellow firefighters.

Currently, there are over 3,000 IAFFPeer Fitness Trainers nationwide. The trendis slowly growing in Michigan with PeerFitness Trainers found in the following lo-cals:

Clinton Township, Grand Rapids,Kentwood, Midland, Saginaw, WestBloomfield Township, IndependenceTownship, Port Huron, and SterlingHeights.

Most of these departments follow theIAFF guidelines for the Peer Fitness Trainerprogram, providing mandatory, non-puni-

tive programs. Several locals have receivedfitness programs via grants or by sellingolder, out-dated equipment. Many localshave taught classes in a variety of subjectsincluding: injury prevention, dehydration,basic nutrition, and strength conditioning.

Peer Fitness Trainers have been creativein motivating their members; providing fit-ness competitions (with incentives) amongshifts, etc. In Saginaw, Peer Fitness Trainersheld a holiday competition modeled afterthe popular tv show “The Biggest Loser”.Prior to Thanksgiving, each participant wasweighed, measured, and had their body fattested. After New Year’s Day, each partici-pant was measured once again. Whichevershift and individual lost the most (com-bined) weight/body fat won the title of“The Biggest Losers”. The winning shiftwon workout t-shirts and lunch providedby the Chief. The winning individual over-all won a “Biggest Loser” t-shirt and $25.00cash. It was a great way to maintain or loseweight over the holidays while promotingcamaraderie and friendly competitionamong the shifts.

The Michigan Professional Fire FightersUnion already has a powerful networkingprogram established. MPFFU Peer FitnessTrainers would like to extend this network-ing potential as a means of assistingmembers further, both on and off thefireground.

Many firefighters have lofty dreams ofretirement. MPFFU Peer Fitness Trainerswant them to maintain their health and fit-ness during their careers so they are able tofulfill these dreams of retirement. We oweit to ourselves, to our families, and to ourcommunities to maintain a healthy lifestyleand enjoy life both on and off the job!!

Safety & Health

Secretary-Treasurer…from page 5outlook on life. If you haven’t heard Dr. Blumspeak before you can’t afford not to attend thisseminar. If you have already heard his presen-tation, I am certain you will want to attendagain!

In addition, one of the most popularspeakers in the fire service today, Chief Billy

Goldfeder will attend. Chief Goldfeder willspeak about Firefighter Safety and Survival andGetting Everyone Home! He has served on sev-eral NFPA and IAFC Committees. He is theVice Chairman of the IAFC Safety, Health,and Survival Section, is a member of the Na-tional Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting TaskForce (IAFC), and has been an Instructor at

the Fire Department Instructors Conference(FDIC) for the past 24 years as well as a mem-ber of the FDIC Advisory Board for the past14 years.

This seminar is open to all MPFFU mem-bers and their guests. Complete registrationinformation will be posted on the MPFFUwebsite (www.mpffu.org) in the very near fu-ture.

5750 Opal Lake Rd.Gaylord, MI 49735

989.731.1300

Regular RatesMemorial Day-Labor DayOpen-12:00 12:00-4:00 After 4:00$45.00 $35.00 $25.00

Spring & FallApril & October $25.00May & September $35.00Replay $20.00

Mountain Lake Golf Course


AROUND THE STATE

One of the most widely practiced and emotionally healing firefightertraditions is the firefighter funeral. When we are called upon to burya brother or sister that has made the supreme sacrifice the ceremonyis not so much for the fallen as it is for the living.

Picture if you can, a young wife, proud of her husband thefirefighter, but also a bit apprehensive about his love of the job. He hasalready stopped giving her the details about runs. She only gets upsetwith him for foolish bravado, later she might relate the story to friendswith pride. It goes without saying that the department will always bea part of their marriage. At best she will have to deal with a multitudeof job-related injuries. No swimming in the lake during a camping tripbecause the burns on the neck might get infected.

The worst case scenario is hearing the news about a critically in-jured firefighter with the name being withheld. She may call thefirehouse immediately or wait in front of the TV for any additionalinfo. She begins to pray that the phone doesn’t ring. When it does, sheanswers only after taking a deep breath. This call’s a salesperson; ormaybe a friend calling looking for the scoop after hearing the news onthe radio. The phone rings again, she answers ready for another salespitch. Instead she drops the phone…

“Why won’t the baby stop crying? Why was he working today anyway?He wasn’t even supposed to be there. Why won’t the phone stop ringing?Stop it! Stop it! My God – Stop it!”

Suddenly, she is surrounded by the well-meaning. Funeral arrange-ments must be made and the baby needs a diaper. Fear gives way toanger.

“Why did he go in there? Mr. Bigshot the invincible fireman. I hatethat he was a firefighter. What about us, Mr. Fireman?”

Of course, she keeps all of these things inside. On the outside sheis polite and tries desperately to maintain her composure, underneathshe is seething.

Then on the day of the funeral she understands. After seeing herhusband make the final run on the back of a fire engine, surroundedby a sea of blue, she understands. And the anger is replaced with pride.

If you have read this far there is nothing more for me to say as Iwould be preaching to the choir. The use of a pumper as a caisson willcontinue for years with the completion of the Memorial Rig. If youwould like to help or want more information contact Sgt. Arn Nowickiof the Detroit Firemen’s Fund at [email protected].

Pump test At R & R in Northville Twp.

The new aluminum skeleton

We can fix this!

Memorial Rig

New Freightliner Chassis

Progress!!!

19Spring 2007

2007 Federation of Stateand Provincial Firefighters Meeting

Portsmouth, NHMay 10-11, 2007

Several 2008 Presidential candidates visited and spoke to a smallgathering of IAFF State Presidents and Secretary-Treasurers in Ports-mouth, New Hampshire on May 10-11, 2007. In attendance were:US Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT), US Senator Hillary Clinton(D-NY), Former US Senator John Edwards (D-NC), US Senator JoeBiden (D-DE), and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Al-though he was unable to attend, US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)spoke to the crowd via a conference call. Each candidate explainedwhy they wanted to be President of the United States and why theywant the support of union firefighters. MPFFU President PaulHufnagel and others directed several questions to each of the candi-dates. Visit the IAFF website (www.iaff.org) to see videos of severalPresidential candidates addressing IAFF members at the IAFF Leg-islative Conference in March.


MPFFU1651 Kingsway Ct., Suite ETrenton, MI 48183800-886-7338 (voice)800-454-1757 (fax)

michigan professional fire fighter

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