The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) have partnered for more than 25 years through the Wellness Fitness Initiative (WFI) to keep firefighters healthy and to collect data that helps combat health issues that harm and claim the lives of firefighters.

This week, IAFF and IAFC task force members and committees are traveling through Los Angeles County to learn about our Fit for Life Program and the tools and equipment we provide to support our members and their families. The IAFF and IAFC are preparing the fifth edition rewrite of the Wellness Fitness Initiative. To inform this work, the task force is visiting participating cities to evaluate what’s working well, what challenges remain, and how lessons learned can strengthen the upcoming edition.

The initiative focuses on the overall well-being of firefighters, addressing both physical and mental health. It incorporates the elements of Move, Eat, Breathe, Sleep, and Connect to support the unique demands of the fire service.

During the two-day meetings, the IAFF and IAFC covered a wide-ranging agenda, including:

• Policies and practices
• Equipment and tools for wellness
• Fitness equipment standards (Cal/OSHA and NFPA compliance)
• Records management and data collection
• Ergonomics and injury prevention
• Diet, nutrition, and exercise regimens
• Behavioral health, including peer support and clinician resources
• Workers’ compensation issues
• Bio-Care mobile clinics
• Wellness unit organization and recruit training initiatives
• Retiree health concerns
• Cancer risk reduction tools and decontamination practices
• Suicide prevention and awareness
• Cardiac health, calcium scans, and physical assessments (VOâ‚‚, functional strength, bloodwork)
• K9 therapy program

The Los Angeles County Fire Department and Local 1014 were part of the original 10 departments in the IAFF/IAFC initiative. Today, that group has grown to include 17 departments, representing small, mid-sized, and large agencies—all united in their commitment to improving firefighter health.

To learn more about the Wellness Fitness Initiative and its mission to Ignite the Change, visit: https://www.iaff.org/wfi/.

President Gillotte and Chief Kristin Thomson of Newport Beach Fire are Co-Chairs of the California Fire Service Task Force on Behavioral Health. Together with California Professional Firefighters, Cal Chiefs, Cal OES, and CAL-JAC, they met this week to work on the following agenda items for healingourown.org and the task force’s ongoing work.

The group discussed issues affecting confidentiality with PEER training programs in compliance with AB1116. This CPF-led assembly bill grants privilege and confidentiality protections for our PEERs. The task force focused on ensuring that training programs, including IAFF Peer Support training, meet the requirements for compliance. They also emphasized that departments and unions using third-party providers must meet these criteria to guarantee the safety and confidentiality of our work.

LA County is taking the lead on retiree PEER support. Other agencies, now recognizing its importance, have begun including retirees in their programs as well. Clinician coverage is also being extended into retirement, helping address behavioral health issues that may arise after members’ service has ended.

The task force is also developing an anger management policy. This policy will allow for the removal of individuals from service and placement into support programs, similar to reasonable suspicion policies for being under the influence at work. The goal is to identify and temporarily remove from service members who commit physical or verbal abuse or other harmful actions. This is not meant as a job threat but as a compliance measure to ensure members receive the help they need.

Another discussion centered on updating, curating, and sharing lists of culturally competent clinicians. The task force is working on tools to update the resources on healingourown.org and also on cultivating the next generation of clinicians to support members with behavioral health needs.

The group also reviewed and updated the Suicide Stand Down. This includes a renewed commitment to suicide prevention and awareness, along with a frank annual moment of reflection.

We look forward to the continued growth of Healing Our Own and the work of the task force. The focus remains on proactive support, in addition to the strong PEER and clinician response resources already in place.

INFORMATIONAL VIDEO: Fair Social Security Benefits for Fire Fighters and Public Servants

Earlier this year, President Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act, officially repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). This long-awaited victory ensures that retired fire fighters and millions of other public employees will finally receive the full Social Security benefits they’ve earned and paid into throughout their careers.

This achievement was decades in the making. Local 1014, alongside our union brothers and sisters in the IAFF and partner unions across the country, worked tirelessly to advocate for repeal. Together, through years of lobbying and solidarity with more than 300,000 members nationwide, we secured one of the most significant retirement protections in recent history.

To help members and their families understand how this change impacts them, the IAFF 10th District has released an informational video, breaking down the details of the repeal, how to check your eligibility, and what to expect moving forward. We encourage all members and retirees to watch and share this resource with their families.

The WEP and GPO had long penalized public servants by unfairly reducing or offsetting earned Social Security benefits. With their repeal, retirees can now access the full benefits they paid into—without cuts.