IAFF Local 1014

Friday Update 4-19-24

Posted On: May 21, 2024

Brothers & Sisters,

Today, Local 1014 President Gillotte and Director Duhamell were honored to attend the legislative bill signing event with Assemblymember Mike Gipson for Assembly Bill 767 (Gpson)- The Community Paramedicine Bill, which extends the sunset date for Assembly Bill 1544 (Gipson, 2019) authorizing local emergency medical service agencies to approve programs for paramedic triage services in the field.

The programs authorized by these bills allow firefighters and emergency medical response personnel to connect patients with the right care at the right time, particularly when members of our community are in need of behavioral health or substance use services. The California Professional Firefighters was proud to join the ER Physicians in co-sponsoring Assemblymember Gipson’s important work on this issue. We stood shoulder to shoulder working to ensure firefighters and EMS professionals can support their community.

Earlier this year, Los Angeles County EMS Agency received approval to operate a triage to alternate destination program pursuant to AB 767 and AB 1544. As we all know, the system needs improvement, and we think these programs are critical to giving our firefighters the tools to help our community in need. We also have a high prevalence of those suffering from acute behavioral health and substance use challenges with a significant unhoused population. We need to provide enhanced support and wraparound services for those in the most acute mental health crises to provide space for us to serve other residents in need. In addition to these programs, LA County Fire is proud to run Advanced Provider Response Units which puts Registered Nurses, Physician Assistants and Doctors in the field to support our firefighters in providing care to our community.

Thank you to Assemblymember Gipson for listening to our members and creating a partnership to extend this critical legislation that provides support to both firefighters and the communities we serve.

REMINDER: CHECK OUT THE NEW LOCAL 1014 HEALTH TRUST NEW CLAIMS PORTAL!

Over the last few months, the Local 1014 Health Trust has been making many improvements to process the high volume of calls and claims for the plan. We are retooling to meet the demand with a new phone system and a new portal for claims submission to expedite the process. We have already seen improvements to the phone system, with wait time decreasing and a more efficient call-back system in place. Also, we have been hiring many new claims processors and phone representatives for member services. The Local 1014 Health Trust is committed to continually improving and providing the best medical care available to our members.

Our new user-friendly portal, Claims.Local1014.org, provides a secure platform for you to submit all your medical documents directly—no more emailing important documents or worrying about sensitive information getting into the wrong hands. Sign up at Claims.Local1014.org today!

Click below to watch the video on how to use the new Local 1014 Health Trust Claims Portal!

Click here to start using the Claims Portal today!

LA County Fire Safety Measure

Visit www.lacountyfiresafety.com to learn more.

For the past several months, Local 1014 has been aggressively moving forward on the signature gathering for our ballot initiative to secure more funding for our Department, including staffing, infrastructure, apparatus, and equipment. We are currently gathering signatures in locations throughout the district.

We have over 120,000 signatures gathered from voters throughout the Fire Protection District. But now we need our members' help to push us over the line and get the final petition signatures. We need to put this on the ballot in November.

We are looking to do a signature-gathering campaign the weekend of April 27-30th at the following locations: Santa Clarita, Inglewood, and West Hollywood. We will be educating voters in the District about the need for more resources for their local Fire Department and asking them to sign petitions to put the LA County Fire Safety Measure on the ballot.

We cannot stress enough that political action is the most important thing we do as a union to safeguard our members. This measure is critical tothe future of the Department and the future security of our members and their families.

We have the best Department in the world, and we enjoy some of the best wages and benefits in the nation, but that can all change rapidly if we do not secure our future now.

Click the link below to sign up to volunteer at one of these locations. More details will follow in the coming weeks. We will gather at 9 am for a brief training session and then hit the streets to secure signatures.

West Hollywood - â€‹Saturday, April 27th from 9am to â€‹2pm
Santa Clarita- Sunday, April 28th from 9am to 2pm
Inglewood - â€‹Tuesday, April 30th from 9am to â€‹2pm

Click here to sign up to volunteer now

NOTE: We are simultaneously continuing to run the signature-gathering campaign with our professional firm during this time. If you get questions while in the field working or calls at the station, you can confirm there is a citizen's initiative for additional funding for the LA County Fire District. You can also direct them to the website above or any Local 1014 Executive Board member.

All our efforts for this measure must be conducted off-duty. If someone approaches you in the station asking for firefighters to gather signatures or sign petitions, do not accept. Get their name and ask them to leave the station.

In Solidarity,

President Dave Gillotte and the Local 1014 Executive Board