Marin Firefighter News

California is looking for a few good women (and men) to serve on public safety's front lines. That's the message offered today by lawmakers and fire professionals as they renew efforts to build the next generation of first responders.

This May 19th, California voters will be asked to decide on a number of propositions required to insure that the state doesn’t fall back into massive deficits. California Professional Firefighters is urging a YES vote on the core measures needed to protect our state’s fiscal health –Yes on Propositions 1A through 1E. “The proposals outlined in Props. 1A through 1E represent a step toward a more stable and predictable budget process and will keep our state from standing forever at the edge of the fiscal cliff,” said CPF President Lou Paulson.

There have already been twice as many wildland fires in the first three months of 2009 as there had been during the same period in 2008. And that's the good news. According to two reports -- one federal and one state -- California and the rest of the nation should brace for another bad fire year in 2009, and that, down the road, the state could see fire losses average $2 billion a year. 

California’s new Emergency Management Agency (Cal-EMA) has joined with labor and management to reject efforts to impose an inadequate physical ability test on both incoming and incumbent firefighters. In a joint statement, Cal-EMA, CPF and CalChiefs conclude that the National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s “Pack Test” can’t and shouldn’t be used as a “fit for duty” test.