Marin Firefighter News

From the Los Angeles Times, February 20, 2010 - Two men from the Larkspur Fire Department in California's Marin County feel drawn to go on their own to help in quake-devastated Haiti. Their acts of kindness are random and delivered first person.

Reporting from Port-Au-Prince, Haiti — It was early morning in Port-au-Prince, about three weeks after the massive earthquake that laid waste to much of Haiti's capital, and Jim Clark and Matt Cobb -- a pair of blond-haired, easygoing firefighters from the Bay Area -- were ready to start their day. Dressed in cargo pants and T-shirts, they could have belonged to any one of the emergency aid organizations or news media groups humming around the courtyard of their hotel.  Clark and Cobb, however, belonged to nothing. And that was just fine with them.

IAFF Local 1775 and firefighters from every jurisdiction in Marin will raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association May 23, 2010 in location across the county.   Please encourage your neighbors and friends to donate, and recruit Local 1775 members to participate!

Local 1775 Firefighters Pul LeVeque, Matt Cobb and Jim Clark are profiled in this month's CPF Firevision for their self funded humanitarian mission to Haiti to provide relief to earthquake victims. Their unusual acts of generosity have garnered attention locally and inspired a front-page article in the Los Angeles Times.

These selfless Marin firefighters embarked on their own, and paid for their efforts from their own pockets without joining any organized relief effort, to help where they could. For the two-week trip, the two men, both experienced in rugged overseas travel, brought their own food, water and supplies so as to avoid draining local relief resources. For Cobb, 41, it was his first time on such a mission. The 53-year-old Clark is a frequent world traveler who often volunteers to help the less fortunate in other parts of the world and has spent time in southeast Asia, where he used his understanding of Indonesian language and emergency training in multiple aid missions since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Fighting cancer is a team effort. The impact we can make together is much greater than what any of us could do alone.

In the Firefighting Profession, we frequently encounter people battling cancer. Often times, they are friends, family and co-workers.

Firefighters have a high probability of getting job-related cancer. It is a job hazard that we must accept in order to protect the community. The Relay For Life is one way that we, as a Family, can give back and help not only the community but our very own in the fight against cancer!

Firefighters often retire earlier, and earn a higher percentage of their salary in retirement than many other professions besides law enforcement. There are many factors that contribute to the enhanced retirement benefits that firefighters have fought for over the past 50 years. Here are some facts that tend to be "overlooked" in reports on firefighter retirements, salaries and benefits: