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Brothers and Sisters,
This week, as we do every May, the LA County Fire Family joined together in solidarity and strength as we remembered our own LA County Fire fallen. This year, the ceremony was warm and uplifting as we added Brother Arn Tretsven's name to the wall. Arn’s family, in particular, along with many other family members of our fallen, were surrounded by love as we paid heartfelt tribute to those who have given all. Chief Marrone, Chaplain Vince Roldan and President Gillotte delivered remarks to the sea of blue, and our families on a beautiful day at LAO.
Special thanks to the Chaplains, Honor Guard, Pipes and Drums, Association of Chiefs, Explorers, and the other LA County Fire Family who framed this day of honor. “We shall never forget”. |
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Sierra Incident Anniversary
Tomorrow, we will mark the three-year anniversary of the Sierra Incident at Fire Station 81. Our Department, our membership, and our families were forever changed that day. “We Shall Never Forget” - Engineer Tory Carlon.
While we can never erase the feeling of that day, we can use this anniversary as a reminder that we must continue that legacy of family and faith left by our Brother Tory Carlon. We continue to fight for lasting changes in the Department to ensure we never forget and that we continue to foster resilience and strength in our LA County Fire Family.
It is also a difficult day for those most impacted by this incident, first and foremost Brother Arnie Sandoval and his family. Tomorrow, please take a moment to remember Brother Tory and his wife, Heidi, and his girls. Please also keep in your thoughts Brother Arnie Sandoval and his family.
As always, we would like to thank all our Peers, Peer Team Leads, and our Chaplains for all you have done and continue to do each day for our Fire Family. |
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One year ago, Local 1014 called for local artists and those in our fire family to submit proposals for a permanent art installation at Station 81. This art installation was meant to not only provide a remembrance site for our Brother Tory Carlon, but also provide a place of healing for those most impacted by this incident and a reminder of the importance of our Fire Family and behavioral health in the fire service.
We are pleased to announce that we have chosen a project submitted by our own Local 1014 Brother Bryan Andrews. The project provides a memorial and remembrance for Brother Tory Carlon and a reflective space that emphasizes the importance of behavioral health in the fire service.
Thank you to everyone who submitted proposals, especially members of our Fire Family. This installation will be constructed shortly, and we hope to have it installed by the Fall of 2024. |
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WAVE OF LETTERS OF REPRIMAND FOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS
Here we are again with a Department management team and PPS out of touch with the rise in incidents of vehicle accidents and what to do about it. While we know in rare instances, there may be repeat offenders or negligence in a vehicle, most vehicle accidents are just that, accidents with an occupation that requires negotiating drivers and traffic in Code 3 conditions, working long and extra shifts, without training and education formally in a dedicated and specific manner both proactively and reactively when ACCIDENTS happen.
We had a good run with “Driver Enrichment,” where members involved in vehicle accidents received a day of training, manipulative work, and NO DISCIPLINE. We saw a reduction in the number of accidents as a result. This has all but disappeared, and the only driver training left is the ridiculous and nonreal education with dated online EVOC training that is the laughing stock of all online training.
The Union has met with Chief Marrone to bring this to his attention. He indicated he knew nothing about the rise in disciplinary cases, and to be clear, this is a waterfall of “Letters of Reprimand" that PPS had been handling. We are sending him a formal letter demanding him to cease and desist.
Furthermore, we are setting to meet to discuss all of the accidents and how we as a department are dealing with them and with driver training, an obligation of the department for our members in this high-hazard line of work. We will advocate for real driver training for PMs and Engineers in particular annually and for all as well in general, as all members are called upon to drive at times. Additionally, we are calling for a restoration of the “VARB”… the Vehicle Accident Review Board.
The Labor and Management team will meet to review accidents and make recommendations to help improve the status of the drivers involved through education and facts that are nondisciplinary and positive in nature. In the rare instances where the Department thinks negligence or gross violations of driving standards have occurred like all disciplinary issues stand-alone and case by case, they can bring those forward for due process and handling.
If you have received a “LOR” for an accident, ensure you have contacted the Union for not only representation but also to ensure you are not lost in our members as a whole group. We will be asking for all letters sent as a part of what we do. We are looking for a professional world-class department commitment and program to make sure our members have all the tools they need to effectively keep safe, respond to emergencies and keep our apparatus in good rolling condition as well.
Chief Marrone now has this on his desk and can work to make this right and to make it not only better but best in industry standard on how we treat and care for our people and the apparatus they respond on. We look forward to the work to get this done.
CPF STATE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY INTERVIEWS CONTINUE
We continue to work to keep our voice and our votes in strong suit in Sacramento for issues affecting our members and our profession, we joined the Unions for LA City Fire, Long Beach Fire, Compton Fire and Glendale Fire for our latest round of candidate interviews for Senate and Assembly seats. Pensions, Healthcare, State Funding, Alternative Transport Destinations, PTSI and PEER Support, Cancer and Presumption protection, and more affect our members. We asked hard questions and educated the candidates on the issues to see if their support aligns with ours.
We thank UFLAC Local 112 for hosting the interviews this week and we now go into deliberation and collaboration with the Unions in the Districts involved and also with CAL FIRE 2881 to set our course. Political Action is how our profession gets the support it needs to fund, sustain, and advance our work protections and benefits for our families.
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SENATE AND ASSEMBLY HELP FOR STATE BUDGET CUTS FOR INMATE CAMPS
The State budget had $2.8 million in cuts this year and $4.8 million in cuts next year, and cuts permanently to inmate camps through CDCR budget reductions. We have known the move to eliminate inmate camps has been afoot for some time. We are repositioning to open paid FSA Crews and perhaps even AR Crews with Probation Funding or County or State Funding, but in the meantime closing our inmate camps abruptly would eliminate 9 crews. This would create a hole in coverage for wildfire in not only LA County but also our surrounding wildland areas in LA City and Orange, Ventura, and San Bernardino County, Riverside and more. Also our Department provides coverage for SRA area for the state and this would ultimately reduce crews for state land with no plan to replace them.
We have successfully lobbied the Assembly and Senate to “REJECT” the cuts to CDCR for the camps for this year. We now must move to work in the Governor’s office in cooperation with the Legislature to uphold those rejected positions and restore the money. We will need to work to move to non-inmate camps next year and the years after, but this program is key for the next season or two as we retool.
We want to thank especially Senator Maria Elena Durazo for her strong advocacy and actions to drive our support on both sides of the legislature with regard to the budget. Chief Marrone and President GIllotte have both communicated the urgency of this matter to the Legislature and to the Governor and will continue to join forces in the upcoming two weeks to try and ensure keep this program for the time being. |
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POTENCHIN FAMILY FUND
Mike Potechin, a man who was a friend to many who worked in our SCBA shops and maintained our hose and small engine shops, passed away this week. An absolute unsung hero to us all in keeping our main equipment and tools of our trade-in play for us. Mike was a solid family man and kind to all; his work was amazing on our behalf. He always had an amazing positive attitude and good nature. Now, his family will need our help.
Please send thoughts and prayers and consider a meaningful donation to the GoFundMe set up to help his wife and kids. "We Shall Not Forget” |
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In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and the Local 1014 Executive Board |
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