Marin Professional Firefighters hosted a successful FireOps 101 event for public officials in Marin County October 2009. Several local elected officials, media personalities and one tall Scottish labor attorney attended, with the goal of getting a better understanding of the job firefighters do in our community.
Marin Professional Firefighters Local 1775 conducted a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) April 2009, raising $30,000 in six hours through a "Fill The Boot" campaign.
Local 1775 kicked off the fund drive at the end of April and 65 members canvassed seven locations in Marin County to raise money for MDA.
Led by MDA representatives Leslie Uptain and Odette Lepe along with Local 1775's MDA Chairperson and Coordinator Breanna Buchanan, firefighters hit the streets, waiting at stoplights to collect donations from passersby.
In Marin county, most fire engines are staffed with only two firefighters, half of the NFPA recommended minimum staffing, and measurably less effective that the three person standard that is considered the absolute minimum in most of the country. This inadequate staffing places the public and firefighters at risk. Of the 35 engines staffed daily in Marin county, NONE meet the minimum recommended staffing level of four firefighters, and only a handful have three firefighters at any given time. Odds are, the closest fire engine to your home has only two firefighters right now - in many emergencies, this is simply inadequate to conduct a safe rescue or quickly extinguish a fire...
Local 1775 sent 6 members to the 49th biannual convention of the IAFF August 10-15, 2008. Representing Marin Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 1775 were Delegates Stephen Warner, Robert Briare, and Douglas Wriston, and Alternates Ken Martin, Jamie Byrnes and Todd Lando.
A complete report on convention resolutions, per-capita increases, and political endorsements is available at the IAFF Convention Website.