The story of property loss to major fires in the United States begins and ends in California. In its annual report on Large Loss Fires in the United States, NFPA says that California wildland fires caused a collective property loss of nearly $950 million in 2008. That means 40 cents of every dollar of major fire loss in the US in 2008 occurred in the California wildlands.
When Vincent J. Bollon became a New York firefighter and IAFF member, Ike was in the White House, Elvis was in the army and Barack Obama hadn't been born. Today, General President Harold Schaitberger announced that Bollon was retiring from his post as IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer, effective January 15. Bollon served more than two decades as IAFF's chief financial officer, and nearly 35 years as an active IAFF leader.
On the front lines, firefighters and police are trained to work as a team. This past weekend, however, Ventura County’s firefighters and law enforcement officers were mixing it up … for a good cause … in their first-ever “Battle of the Badges” boxing match.
United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 is joined by CPF and the entire fire labor community in mourning the loss of one of UFLAC's "founding fathers." Brother Jim Perry served the citizens of Los Angeles and the members of Local 112 for close to half a century, as a front line firefighter, founding UFLAC member and longtime board member, and as an award-winning photographer and editor of UFLAC's newsletter.
Santa Barbara County Firefighters Local 2046 and the Santa Barbara County Fire Department mourn the loss of Fire Heavy Equipment Operator Dean Moore. Brother Moore passed away on Sunday, November 29, 2009 at 51 years old. His active duty death was a result of a hard fought battle with cancer.