Member News

During the hot summer, the risks of heat exhaustion and heat stroke increase. A new CalOSHA warning about heat stress is especially important for firefighters as fire season kicks into high gear in Northern California.

As the battle continues to rage against a rash of devastating wildland fires, a 63-year-old volunteer firefighter for the Anderson Valley Fire Department has died on the lines. Robert Roland, a retired aerospace executive, collapsed while helping to lay hose line at a fire complex near Philo. He died later at an area hospital. Roland is the second California firefighter to have died after battling the blazes -- Newport Beach FF Kevin Pryor died of a brain hemorrhage less than a day after returning from the Humboldt Fire.

Nearly 1,000 people came together in San Rafael Tuesday to remember Southern Marin FD Deputy Chief Jeff Powers. The loyal member of Marin Professional Firefighters Local 1775 died June 26th of a heart attack while on duty at the firehouse.  

An ever-growing wave of  lightning-sparked wildland fires continues to consume structures and acreage from Kern County to the Oregon Border. As of June 30 (AM), nearly 1,500 separate lightning fires were burning in Northern California, consuming upwards of 400,000 acres and leaving much of the North State in a smoky haze. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes, and nearly 20,000 firefighters are on the front lines battling the blazes.

The extraordinary rash of lightning-caused wildland fires in Northern California has dramatically underscored the critical statewide natural disaster risk facing California in the 21st Century. This week, the Blue Ribbon Fire Task Force renewed its call for California’s policy makers at all levels to “get real” about the ongoing fire threat with more equipment and personnel and a serious commitment to fire-safe land-use planning.

Fallen Newport Beach Firefighter Kevin Pryor was remembered Tuesday as a "Renaissance man" whose devotion to his job was enriched by a love of history and a gift for impressions. Pryor died June 15th shortly after returning from the Humboldt Fire. He was remembered by friends and fellow firefighters at a Memorial Service in Westlake Village.

Lawyers representing the city of Vallejo have asked the courts to validate their attempt to renege on commitments made to their employees, including their firefighters. In a filing before state bankruptcy court, the city sought the unprecedented step of canceling all of its collective bargaining agreements. 

Wind, weather and tough terrain have hampered containment efforts in the massive Indians Fire in the Los Padres National Forest. The 51,000 acre blaze is 51% contained as of Saturday afternoon. Two more fires have started in the Big Sur area, forcing more firefighters to join the 2,500 firefighters already on scene, and has prompted voluntary evacuation notices for portions of southern Monterey County.

Newport Beach Firefighters Local #3734 is saddened to announce the loss of one of their brother firefighters, in the line of duty. Firefighter Kevin Patrick Pryor , 31, suffered a fatal brain aneurysm shortly after returning home from a strike team at the Humboldt Fire June 15.. Memorial services are set for Tuesday, June 24th at 12:00 noon at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Westlake Village. CLICK HERE for more info.

When LA City firefighter Harold Burba was dispatched to the Ambassador Hotel on the night of June 4, 1968, his job was to photograph possible fire code violations. He wound up as a witness to history. Just after midnight on June 5th,  documented the immediate aftermath of the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Burba's photos were published late last month by the Los Angeles Firefighter, the official newspaper of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, Local 112.

CPF affiliates report success in their local election efforts. Whether it's a city council or supervisor's race or assisting in the election of a local legislators, CPF locals find that making their voices heard at election time helps insure their voices will be heard when public safety policy is made.

In a ceremony held June 3rd at San Diego Fire Station 47, five local fire agencies took delivery of an OES Type 3 Engine to boost local firefighting capabilities and pre-position assets for fire season. The new apparatus is a “down payment” on one of the core recommendations made by the CPF co-sponsored Blue Ribbon Fire Task Force. 

As it has in the past, CPF again enjoyed an enviable success record in the June 3rd Primary Election. The CPF-endorsed candidates won more than 90% of the time, including several high-profile contests on both sides of the political aisle. In addition, voters backed the CPF position on the two statewide propositions on the ballot.

California Professional Firefighters and its non-profit California Fire Foundation have launched a statewide campaign, in Spanish and English, on the importance of having and practicing a fire escape plan. "Firefighters On Your Side/Bomberos A Tú Lado" is designed to teach families how to safely evacuate a home that is on fire.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to move away from the harsh attacks on firefighter retirement security that characterized his first two years in office.The governor this week has announced he is supporting a series of bipartisan recommendations aimed at protecting public employee pension and retiree health benefits.

Rejecting all offers of assistance -- including substantial labor concessions, help from the state and from a private financier -- the City of Vallejo filed for Chapter 9 Bankruptcy on Friday, becoming the largest city in California to declare bankruptcy. According to Reuters, city officials have acknowledged that bankruptcy is intended as a tool to give them leverage in labor talks.

At an emotional memorial held in his fire service hometown of Downey this past Tuesday, CPF Secretary-Treasurer Dallas Jones was remembered as a man who, in his modest but firm way, changed the face of the California fire service and the fire labor movement. Brother Jones, who served sixteen years as president of Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014 as well as five years as state OES Director, died May 10th after battling lung cancer. 

It is with the greatest sadness that California Professional Firefighters announces the passing of one of the giants of the firefighter labor movement -- CPF Secretary-Treasurer Dallas Jones. Brother Jones, who served 32 years with Los Angeles County Fire Department and Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014, died Saturday after a valiant battle with lung cancer. Brother Jones served firefighters as president of Local 1014 and CPF Secretary Treasurer, and all Californians as Director of the Office of Emergency Services. 

In anticipation of another blistering fire season, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has issued an Executive Order to allocate additional resources to protect the state. The governor's order authorizes additional staffing "as warranted, based on fire threat conditions" and urges expanded enforcement of defensible space and fireworks laws. 

Want to win some cool cash for those hot-shot fire line photos? Then enter CPF's 2008 Photo Contest. Whether you're a serious photographer or a weekend shutterbug, you can win up to $1,500 for your best shots of fires and firefighters, whether they're in the hot zone or working at the station. Deadline for submitting photos is June 15th. CLICK HERE FOR RULES AND DETAILS

At a time when budgets are tight, a new national study has revealed a "miracle" at work in state capitals and city halls: Fully funded pension systems. The report, conducted by the Center for State and Local Government Excellence, indicates that overall, pension systems in the U.S. are doing better than private systems, and are 90% funded.

Would-be California firefighters converged on the CPAT testing centers in Orange and Dublin for the second California Firefighter Recruitment Fairs. Presented by CPF co-sponsored California Fire Fighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee (CFFJAC), the fairs gave candidates an “up close and personal” look at what it takes to be a first responder. Nearly 600 people attended the two sessions -- April 12th in Orange, and April 19th in Dublin.

State lawmakers proposing opening up the CalPERS retirement system to private sector employees have won the support of Governor Schwarzenegger. The plan would let private employees have retirement accounts managed through CalPERS. CPF is watching the proposal, but has no position to this point.
 

Thousands paused Friday in Los Angeles to pay respect to a fallen hero -- Los Angeles City Firefighter Brent Lovrien. A member of  UFLAC Local 112, Lovrien died March 26th in an explosion. A walking procession through downtown Los Angeles brought a sea of blue from the fire service and a line of ordinary citizens paying their respects.
 

Los Angeles City Firefighter Brent A. Lovrien. Lovrien died Wednesday from injuries sustained in an explosion that occurred during a response near LA Airport. Engineer Anthony J. Guzman was also injured in the explosion. Memorial services are scheduled for Friday, April 4, 2008, at 9:30am at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. A candlelight vigil will be held Thursday evening. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered state flags lowered to half-mast.  CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST DETAILS.

A new audit at the U.S. Justice Dept. has confirmed what many grieving families already know -- the Department has improperly denied and delayed death benefits owed to the families of fallen first responders under the 2003 Hometown Heroes Act.

As part of the statewide Californians for Health Care and Retirement Security (CHCRS) coalition, CPF is planning to join the legal defense of Orange County employees retirement benefits. The Orange County Board of Supervisors is suing to take away existing pension benefits from retirees. Though it doesn't affect firefighters, CPF plans to join legal efforts to fight the take-away.
 

For the third year in a row, CPF joined in partnership with California’s teachers, to participate in the 11th Annual Read Across America Day on March 3rd. Elementary schools across California invited celebrities and community leaders to come into the classroom and read to help get kids excited about books.

California firefighters and fire departments can now obtain the latest in online EMS training from the National Paramedic Institute (NPI) at a discount, thanks to a new partnership agreement between IAFF, NPI, and California Professional Firefighters.

The unprecedented natural disaster risk facing California has prompted the California Blue Ribbon Task Force to recommend  increases in permanent state and local emergency services, building additional response to meet catastrophic needs, and a new commitment to fire-safe construction and land-use planning.

The needs of California firefighters were a major focus of attention for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at a community meeting in San Diego on Jan. 17th where he strongly defended his proposal to significantly improve the ability of firefighters to respond to devastating wildland fires like last fall's southern California firestorm.

Even though his latest attack on pensions has failed to qualify for the ballot, former assemblyman and failed statewide candidate Keith Richman has promised to renew  his bid to qualify an initiative that would dramatically roll back retirement security for firefighters, law enforcement and other hard-working Californians.

California Professional Firefighters is backing Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal to improve our state's fire response capability. The governor's budget includes a plan to add more than 100 new mutual aid fire engines, all pre-positioned with local governments and immediately available for response to major fires, as well as stable, permanent funding to fully staff CALFIRE engine companies.

More than two years after the defeat of statewide efforts to take away the retirement security of public workers, San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre has continued a rogue legal assault against public employee retirement. This week, more than 100 firefighters, city employees, teachers and other public workers gathered Tuesday at the state building to urge the San Diego County Democratic Party to withhold their endorsement for Aguirre.

The enactment of the landmark Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights gives California firefighters the fairest, most extensive privacy protection enjoyed by any public employee in the state. Its approval in 2007 caps a 20-year legislative effort by California Professional Firefighters and ranks as one of the cornerstone accomplishments of CPF history. But as grueling as the struggle has been, the legislative fight is only the beginning. CPF is following through by insuring you know your rights, and your advocates are equipped to protect them for you. BOOKMARK THIS PAGE FOR THE LATEST ON HOW THIS LAW CAN WORK FOR YOU!

The fires of 2007 exposed a key deficiency that has made the battle for resources difficult: There are no standards of coverage for firefighting in the urban-wildland interface. California Professional Firefighters is on the front lines to bring such groundbreaking standards to California. In conjunction with CalChiefs, CPF has formed a Standards of Coverage Committee to fully explore critical tasks needed for effective fire management in wildland-urban interface. The concept behind the Standards of Coverage Committee is to create an NFPA 1710 equivalent for wildland firefighting.

For 25 years, the California Fire Fighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee (CFFJAC) has remained steadfast in its mission to ensure that California’s first responders receive the highest quality of education and training. Sponsored by the Office of the State Fire Marshal and California Professional Firefighters, the mounting success of the CFFJAC and its firefighter training and education programs is due in large part to the collaborative effort of fire department management and local union labor representatives. The CFFJAC's unparalleled legacy was celebrated this past month at the CFFJAC's Biennial Conference in Palm Springs.

California's first responders will be better prepared to meet the challenges of domestic terrorism thanks to CPF-backed legislation signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The CPF-backed legislation, AB 587, authored by Assemblywoman Betty Karnette (D-Long Beach), earmarks $2.5 million for firefighter anti-terrorism training -- half of the $5 million allocation made out of proceeds from a special 9/11 license plate fund.

In a solemn ceremony featuring a procession of uniformed firefighters and presentations to family members, 29 firefighters who fell in the line of duty were added to the California Firefighters Memorial. Located in historic Capitol Park, adjoining the California State Capitol in Sacramento, the Memorial carries the names of nearly 1,000 firefighters who died in service since California became a state in 1850. This year, the Memorial marks its fifth anniversary by honoring, among others, two Contra Costa firefighters killed in a San Pablo house fire in July and five U.S. Forest Service firefighters who died in the deadly Esperanza Fire last fall in Riverside Co.

Giving all federal firefighters and their families the respect they deserve is at the heart of legislation that has been signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The California Fallen Firefighter Survivor Assistance Act of 2007 -- Assembly Bill 384 -- guarantees that survivors of California's fallen federal firefighters have access to the same survivor health benefits program available to survivors of state and local firefighters. The measure, sponsored by California Professional Firefighters, was approved unanimously by both houses of the Legislature, with more than 40 members signing on as co-authors.

This year, Governor Schwarzenegger's Post Employment Benefits Commission will be meeting around the state, discussing ways to reform the benefits we rely on to protect our families' health and security. CPF has been asked to submit a statement of principles on retirement security -- "Toward a Secure Retirement." At the center of these principles is a simple concept: the real challenge for the future is not finding ways to cut back retirement security for some, but finding ways to bring true retirement security to all.

After an outpouring of anger from firefighters and the citizens they serve, Palo Alto city officials have apologized for the insult leveled at the memories of two fallen Contra Costa County firefighters. In a letter to California Professional Firefighters President Lou Paulson, Palo Alto Fire Chief Nicolas Marinaro offered personal apologies for "the controversy and consternation" surrounding City Manager Frank Benest's refusal to honor the sacrifices of firefighters Matt Burton and Scott Desmond. Benest refused to permit Palo Alto fire station flags to be lowered for the two because, in his words, "you can't lower the flags willy-nilly." Benest -- while saying he "doesn't recall" making the widely-quoted statement, has also offered an apology.

In the classic holiday movie “It’s A Wonderful Life,” Jimmy Stewart’s guardian angel showed him that he was the “richest man in town.” Ventura County Firefighter Greg Chavez’ “Guardian Angel” has made him a rich man, too. Chavez, a member of Ventura County Firefighters Local 1364, has won the nationally broadcast American Inventor contest – and a $1 million prize – for his holiday fire safety device disguised as a Christmas tree ornament. His “Guardian Angel” design beat out five other finalists and literally thousands of entries to with the contest, which aired on ABC television on Wednesday nights.

Former Assemblyman Keith Richman -- a termed-out politician and failed statewide candidate -- has introduced a new and even more mean-spirited version of the pension destruction plan that tanked in 2005. Richman who put forth the idea of privatizing the entire retirement  system for new employees, threatening to eliminate death and disability benefits for  firefighters and law enforcement. Unlike the previous proposal, Richman's proposed initiative doesn't couch its plan in a desire to "help" new employees. It just punishes them ... and punishes them  ... and punishes them some more.