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Los Angeles County Firefighters IAFF Local 1014
Representing over 3200 Firefighters, Paramedics, Dispatchers,
Pilots, Wildland Firefighters, Forestry and Health Haz Mat personnel
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FRIDAY UPDATE
Brothers and Sisters,
Today, Local 1014 was proud to co-sponsor and attend the Quarterly Peer Training for our Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) Peer Support Program along with the Department.
Special thank you to Brendan McDonough, the lone survivor of the Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew tragically killed in 2013, for joining us as our guest speaker today. Brendan shared powerful testimony about the importance of the Peer Program in his life and for people he has met across the county as a spokesman for mental health in the fire service.
“People say time heals but that is a half-truth… time heals all with great support…You (peers) have given freedom back to people who have suffered silently,” he said to the participants today after sharing his own struggles with addiction and depression.
Growing our Peer Program is a major component of expanding our Behavioral Health Program within the LACoFD. As we look to address the growing problem of post traumatic and cumulative stress injuries, we need every tool available to us, including our most important resource, our members.
On the legislative front, your Executive Board is working hard to pass legislation that will protect our members as they access behavioral health services. President Dave Gillotte, Chair of the California State Task Force on Behavioral Health in the Fire Service, is working with members of the Task Force to move important legislation that will allow our Peer Support Teams to establish a confidential Peer Support and Crisis Referral Services pilot program for California’s Firefighters and First Responders who have suffered a post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) and are seeking support.
Last year, AB 1116 (Tim Grayson, D-Concord) which would have established a confidential Peer Support and Crisis Referral Services pilot program for California’s firefighters was vetoed. However, we are optimistic that Governor Gavin Newsom will be supportive of a new bill and we will see success.
SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR FAMILIES:
Please see attached flyer for a special interactive workshop for couples in the fire service taking place on April 6 at the Union Hall and hosted by Dr. Mynda Ohs, PhD and founder of Fully Involved Life.
Getting our members and members across the state the help and support they need for behavioral health and PTSI is a priority for Local 1014. As we push for greater protections for our members at the state level, we continue to focus on making our LACoFD Peer Program more robust. Take care of each other and please utilize the resources in your stations and www.healingourown.org.
Have a safe week and remember to take care of each other.
In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and your Executive Board
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Download:
 1014 Couples Class.pdf
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Los Angeles County Firefighters IAFF Local 1014
Representing over 3200 Firefighters, Paramedics, Dispatchers,
Pilots, Wildland Firefighters, Forestry and Health Haz Mat personnel
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FRIDAY UPDATE
Brothers and Sisters,
As we close the week, we also close out Union work that took your Executive Board from Washington DC to Sacramento to Downtown Los Angeles handling the critical issues and participating events that benefit our membership. Thank you to our Executive Board members for their above and beyond commitment this week.
Talks with the Fire Chief continue on myriad issues, but one item in particular we highlight this Friday. We have been pressuring the Department to prioritize the purchase of additional Thermal Imagers (TI) so that each rig and officer has a state-of-the-art TI that reads heat paths and flow. This item falls at the feet of the Chief Deputy of Operations to prioritize. President Gillotte has made the Fire Chief aware of the need and we are discussing ideas to fund this valuable tool for our members. The Fire Chief has committed to keeping this a priority item in our discussions. We have every confidence we will find a way to fund the purchase sooner rather than later. We will no longer allow this item to be ignored. Our members deserve the best equipment to keep them safe while on the job.
We want to highlight United Firefighters of Los Angeles City (UFLAC) Local 112 and the work of President Freddie Escobar, his Executive Board and LAFD Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas for figuring out a way to fund through their foundation the purchase of small TIs for every member of the LAFD. We are sharing this with our Fire Chief, the Chief Deputy of Operations and we will use this news from our LA City partners to help motivate our own Department on the importance of these tools.
Click here to view the NBC story on LAFD's use of Thermal Imagers
Celebrating 50 Years of EMS
Yesterday, Local 1014 celebrated 50 years of leading the nation with the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency.
Our Los Angeles County Fire Department was the first Fire Department in the nation to train Paramedics in a nationally accredited paramedic program with the passage of the Wedworth-Townsend Paramedic Act of 1970.
We are proud to be part of the long tradition of innovation in healthcare. Responding to over 400,000 calls for service each year, our members provide world-class service to 4 million residents in unincorporated LA County and 59 contract cities.
Supporting the CA Fire Foundation
On Wednesday, the Local 1014 Executive Board was please to attend the 6th Annual California Fire Foundation Gala—celebrating Uncommon Courage.
The largest statewide organization dedicated exclusively to serving the needs of career firefighters, the California Fire Foundation’s mandate includes an array of survivor and victim assistance projects and community initiatives.
From providing Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency (SAVE) cards to victims of fire or other natural disasters throughout California to providing educational assistance to the children of fallen firefighters through the California Firefighters Endowment and Daniel A. Terry Scholarship program to the curating of The California Firefighters Memorial the Foundation is there for our members and their families.
Last year, during the Woolsey Fire, the CA Fire Foundation was there for our members who lost homes and needed assistance. It is an honor to support this organization and all the work they do for our members.
Special thank you to the entire CA Fire Foundation Executive Board for their commitment to our members and their families.
Have a safe week and remember to take care of each other.
In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and your Executive Board
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Los Angeles County Firefighters IAFF Local 1014
Representing over 3200 Firefighters, Paramedics, Dispatchers,
Pilots, Wildland Firefighters, Forestry and Health Haz Mat personnel
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FRIDAY UPDATE
Brothers and Sisters,
This week, your Local 1014 Executive Board was hard at work lobbying our federal representatives on legislation that impacts not only our LA County Firefighters but Firefighters across the nation.
The Annual Alfred K. Whitehead Legislative Conference, has long been the cornerstone of the IAFF’s legislative efforts. Firefighters have won many significant victories over the years - from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program, to defeating legislation designed to undermine our members’ defined benefit pensions - due in large measure to the work of union leaders at this conference.
Named after Alfred K. Whitehead former Local 1014 President and President Emeritus of the IAFF, this conference provides our Union the opportunity to advocate directly with our local federal legislators on key issues, including legislation impacting your jobs, health, safety, and economic security.
The legislative agenda included:
Thank you to all our local congressional representatives who met with us including: Congressman Adam Schiff, Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán, Congresswoman Katie Hill, Congressman Ted Lieu, Congresswoman Linda Sánchez and U.S. Senators Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein.
Political action is one of the most important things we do as a Union to effect change for our member’s wages, benefits and working conditions. No matter what your political views, there is no question that as a Union we need to be active with all our elected representatives at every level of government to ensure we continue to have the health and safety protections and economic security we need and deserve as we sacrifice to keep our communities safe.
We will have more next week as our Executive Board wraps up meetings today and continues to push on securing a final ratification vote for our contract at the Board of Supervisors, despite the barriers that have been put up by the CEO. As we said last week, all unions are experiencing the same difficulty with the CEO and final ratification of language.
Have a safe week and remember to take care of each other.
In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and your Executive Board
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Los Angeles County Firefighters IAFF Local 1014
Representing over 3200 Firefighters, Paramedics, Dispatchers,
Pilots, Wildland Firefighters, Forestry and Health Haz Mat personnel
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FRIDAY UPDATE
Brothers and Sisters,
Today is International Women’s Day—in celebration, we not only salute all our strong union sisters who serve our communities each day, we also look to the future to continue to push for innovation in our LACoFD recruitment and hiring system that allows us to find the best and brightest, including a movement to the FCTC written and CPAT testing administered through CAL-JAC. As week 2 wraps up at the LACoFD Women’s Fire Prep Academy, we look to see more strong women in the fire service in the near future! Only when the Department embraces these changes will women’s camps feed our hiring list and allow us to actually hire the people that we recruit and train. Local 1014 is committed to making this a priority for the Chief and the Board of Supervisors moving forward.
President Gillotte met with Chief Osby again today to address working condition items. We have reached an agreement to lift the CAP to 100 shifts, and to re-evaluate the issue again in 30 days and every 30 days until the end of the fiscal year. Local 1014 Executive Board worked tirelessly to bring not only your testimonials but also the data to justify the lifting of the CAP to help working conditions and operational needs. Thank you to all who helped with this and again thank you to the Chief for listening once we got this item past the Chief Deputy level.
Additionally, many other issues were addressed and a more detailed report on progress will be sent separately, but we want to highlight a major issue that is driving a lot of the negative impact items we are seeing from the Chief Deputies and down the chain. You have all heard or read news about the Department’s budget deficit and the impact on our services, tools, equipment and staffing.
Local 1014 met with the Department and analyzed the budget as we often do. We have found that some of the early proposed or actual cuts to the budget are not only unnecessary but not prioritized properly. We have proposed to the Chief to meet with both the Executive Board of Local 1014 and the Executive Staff of the Department as we did with Chief Freeman during economic downturn years to develop a comprehensive strategy to trim costs, realize economic efficiencies, shore up operations and essential tools equipment and training necessary to do our job and protect emergency staffing. The Fire Chief has agreed, and we look forward to working together on a plan.
For now, know that there is no reason to panic. We have a robust budget that needs prioritization, we have reserves over $100 million, and while a “zero based budget”, as the Department's Deputies, administrative sworn and civilian Chief’s keep touting, is a valiant and worthy goal, but not realistic in some downturn years. A plan that incorporates responsible budgeting, chasing new one-time and recurring revenues, and use of reserves to weather a downturn is a best practice for public and private entities alike.
We will be collaborating with the Department to reach an agreement on how we deal with the budget shortfall, but for now if the Chief Deputies, Administrative Chiefs or anyone commenting on budget driven cuts or proposed cuts hits your stations or emails notify the Local. We are dealing with rumors of cuts to everything from the ECMS turnout cleaning to cancellation of Paramedic training to other operational needs items. We will be dealing with these proposals directly and rest assured no working conditions items that involve safety of our members will be cut. The Fire Chief has committed to addressing these issues directly. Some of these items he had not been briefed on and has acted immediately to address.
Behavioral Health
This week, Local 1014 was proud to host IAFF Peer Support Training for our members at the Union Hall. Over 30 of our members attended and are now Peer Certified with the International Association of Fire Fighters. Growing our Peer Program is a major component of expanding our Behavioral Health Program within the LACoFD. As we look to address the growing problem of post traumatic and cumulative stress injuries, we need every tool available to us, including our most important resource, our members.
Special thank you to Captain Scott Ross, IAFF Peer Support Master Instructor and Dan Parker for teaching this class and the strong support from Assistant Chief Breshears to make this happen.
This is something that we would like to thank the Fire Chief for moving on immediately. Getting Captain Ross into a 40-hour position and seeing movement on this from the top down has made a big impact already in our ability to implement changes to the Peer Program. While we still have a lot of work to do in this area, such as the recruitment and hiring of a permanent dedicated mental health clinician who is fire centric and culturally competent for our Department, we have made significant progress over the past month on this item and more to follow in the next 30 days.
Additionally, please see attached flyer for a special interactive workshop for couples in the fire service taking place in April at the Union Hall and hosted by Dr. Mynda Ohs, PhD and founder of Fully Involved Life.
Contract Update
As we said before, while we work to settle the table at with the Coalition of County Unions (CCU) for our fringe benefits, our language for our MOU has been finalized so we can move forward with a Board of Supervisor ratification vote. We will update you once the Board of Supervisors agendizes the MOU and moves to a vote.
This is a tedious and frustrating but necessary step to ensure LACERA has language compliant with pension considerations especially for our Plan C members. We are pushing as hard on this as we can and know that all other Unions are in the same position including the Sheriff’s who are back for a second rewrite on non-LACERA approved language. We blame the CEO directly for these delays and lack of capture for the process. We will be informing the Board of Supervisors as well as possibly filing unfair labor practice charges. We will update you weekly as we work to get this done.
These are strained times and we will continue to work with the Chief and the Department when they work with us. We have indicated to them, we are not asking for permission to deal with these issues politically, legally or administratively, we are seeking collaboration on the issues. Either way we are going to ensure the issues are handled.
Again thank you to the Fire Chief for showing up to handle the issues, we will continue to monitor progress on these items and update you. Have a great weekend and be safe.
In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and your Executive Board
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Download:
1014 Couples Class.pdf
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Los Angeles County Firefighters IAFF Local 1014
Representing over 3200 Firefighters, Paramedics, Dispatchers,
Pilots, Wildland Firefighters, Forestry and Health Haz Mat personnel
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FRIDAY UPDATE
Brothers and Sisters,
Yesterday, February 28, 2019, we celebrated and recognized 101 years of the International Association of Fire Fighters-IAFF. As we recognize this IAFF Anniversary, we acknowledge that the Union movement has paved the way for the working conditions we enjoy today. In California, we are fortunate to have legislated and used political action through to achieve some of the best wages, hours and working conditions, including retirement and healthcare benefits, in the nation.
Throughout our 101 years, IAFF also has been a leader in workplace equality issues, including race and gender. One of the first things we must do, and continue to do, is to talk openly about issues affecting our members. Local 1014 is proud to be part of the long history of fighting for our members and their families as we celebrate our own 70th anniversary this year. We will not be silent and we will boldly take initiative to lead on these issues that are important to our members.
This week, we are letting the Fire Chief rest a bit as we continue to press on some hard work that has strained our relationship, but we have movement in the right direction. One of those issues is our entry level test and recruitment of the best and most capable women in California to join our Department. We are meeting with the Board of Supervisors and the Fire Chief to address our dissatisfaction with the entry level testing process. Work is in progress to move to a standard we can all be proud of and has integrity, recruitment, and seeks the best and brightest of all candidates.
This month, we celebrated African American History and Recognition Month. Local 1014 was so proud to have participated in numerous community activities with the membership and the citizens we serve.
One such event was the African American Fire Fighter Museum Open House with my good friend and our fellow LA County Fire Captain Brent Burton narrating a “Black Fire Fighter History” Lecture. Brent is an amazing speaker and historian and he was joined by retired BC Ron Lawrence as we took a look at the past, present and future of Black Firefighters.
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While we have come a long way, we can always do better in how we approach race and gender issues. We pledge to work with the Board of Supervisors, the citizens we protect and our rich and diverse membership to take a lead role as we not only open up discussions, but take action to ensure our work force is not only the best in the business, but one where every member feels welcomed and respected as we do the work we do.
I would also like to congratulate Johnny Gray III, another friend and well-respected Air Operations Paramedic who has been selected to serve as President of the Stentorians. I look forward to a renewed partnership on issues in common and the support of the Union work.
Let us all take time to remember, reflect, and personally work to make our workplace the best it can be for all. Have a safe and wonderful weekend. We will pick up with some more details on the work in progress next week and go Dodgers! The Season is about to begin—we are going back a third year in a row to win it!
In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and your Executive Board
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Los Angeles County Firefighters IAFF Local 1014
Representing over 3200 Firefighters, Paramedics, Dispatchers,
Pilots, Wildland Firefighters, Forestry and Health Haz Mat personnel
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FRIDAY UPDATE
Brothers and Sisters,
Working Condition Items Taken to the Fire Chief
As you are aware, the Union and the Department have been meeting to discuss several working condition items and issues. The talks have been serious and strained to say the least. The Local 1014 Executive Board has been meeting with the deputies and chief deputies and President Gillotte continues to meet with the Fire Chief and the Board of Supervisors in an attempt to find solutions and action plans to address these issues.
As you have seen via the recent EA’s, the Fire Chief has heard us loud and clear and is moving to address issues and hold the administrative chief officers in charge accountable for their work. We not only want to give credit where credit is due, but also thank the Fire Chief for his actions to begin to tackle the working condition items that are important to our members.
In response to Local 1014’s requests, the Fire Chief has:
- directed a survey on the exhaust evacuation systems in our stations;
- moved Fire Captain Scott Ross to a temporary Lead Peer Captain position to help us build out Behavioral Health;
- filled a Return to Work (RTW) Captain position to get our RTW Office back into full swing handling our work comp claims;
- stopped cold a few unfair disciplinary cases and directed fair discussions on mitigating circumstances and levels of discipline;
- reached an agreement with Local 1014 to reschedule the Operator 1B Class to March details to follow;
- responded back with a RTW Section draft plan and is scheduled to address RTW in a Labor- Management cooperative manner;
- moved forward the actions to test and hire a Department Chief Psychologist for our Behavioral Health Program;
- moved forward a Department-wide analysis of our computer platforms, systems and software with a directive to find a way to have one logon/one password and one screen to link to all if possible.
These are all great starts to the issues we brought to the Fire Chief and we are appreciative of the actions he took to get things moving. We will now track the progress on these subjects as we look to finalize the work product.
We are far from the finish line on these items, and we will continue to press on the recruit entry level exam, the purchase of thermal imagers and the overtime cap. President Gillotte will be meeting at least every two weeks with the Fire Chief to continue the top down management of these critical working condition items and the Executive Board will be working from the Executive Staff level to continue to demand accountability for the results. Stay tuned as we continue to have the difficult conversations and meetings that produce the action we all deserve.
603/604 Negotiations
Following our discussions with the 603/604 bargaining members last week, our Local 1014 Executive Board is working on drafting a proposal and will be scheduling negotiations meetings with the County over the next few weeks.
601/602 Contract
As we said last week, while we work to settle the table at with the County Coalition of Unions (CCU) for our fringe benefits, we are also finalizing the language for our MOU so we can move forward with a Board of Supervisor ratification vote. The language has to be precise and accurate in every modified article of the MOU. It is a lengthy process but one that must be done carefully and thoroughly. We will update you once the Board of Supervisors agendizes the MOU and moves to a vote.
In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and your Executive Board
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Los Angeles County Firefighters IAFF Local 1014
Representing over 3200 Firefighters, Paramedics, Dispatchers,
Pilots, Wildland Firefighters, Forestry and Health Haz Mat personnel
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FRIDAY UPDATE
Brothers & Sisters,
Working Conditions Issues Taken to the Fire Chief
As many of you know, the latest management debacle was the cancellation of our Operator 1B Class just two days before the class started. Spots were filled, time was burnt, instructors were set to teach and everyone’s schedule was cleared of family obligations to either teach or attend this important practical engineer skills class until the rug was pulled out from under us.
Members were backed out of spots in cases where members were allowed to withdrawal their benefit time posting—multiple spots for each of the 5 days of class. This of course caused a chain reaction of backouts and refilling of spots. Members lost money and time. Perhaps those in charge have forgotten what it is like to work for a living and balance work and life schedules. They have shown a complete lack of respect for our members.
This incident further solidifies our belief that there is a disconnect between administrative managers and the members and even a disconnect between the managers and the Fire Chief. It is simply unconscionable that the Department would cancel the class knowing full well we are coming out of a recall heavy period. We are working solution to reschedule the class and correct the time and money lost.
We have taken this matter to the Fire Chief as well as a number of other items including: Thermal Imagers, Engine Exhaust Evacuation System Disrepair, Entry Level Testing Standards, Return to Work Issues, Behavioral Health Issues, Organized PT with Sports and Technology Deficits.
Our members work hard for our communities every day and they deserve to have up-to-date technology, competent operations leadership, and the proper tools and equipment to serve our residents efficiently. Some of the top-level administrative managers in our Department are set in pre-1960 mentality with regard to technology and are averse to simple policies that can create efficiencies within our workforce. This is not acceptable and we will not allow them to disregard important working condition items.
We have the eyes and the ears of the Board of Supervisors and the public we serve and we will use those relationships to help motivate the Department to address these issues to the satisfaction of not only the Chief and his Staff, but also Union and the members we represent. Partnership can be achieved but only when both sides are respectful of each other’s’ position and needs.
Our recent meetings with the Department have been strained to say the least, and we will continue to address these issues with a strength and solidarity to get it done for our members. We will be holding the Fire Chief, the Chief Deputies of Operations and Business Operations accountable. We will achieve results using all the tools at our disposal including: negotiations, administrative filings with Civil Service and the Employee Relations Commission, legal challenge and of course political action and legislative advocacy. Enough is enough. Stay tuned for updates as the work begins.
601/602 Negotiations
Local 1014 continues to court a Board of Supervisors (BOS) vote to approve the Tentative Agreement along with other County Unions. As soon as this BOS ratification vote takes place we can begin retro calculations and checks. Also we continue to try and conclude our fringe benefits negotiation as we meet again on 2/20/19. There will be additional salary from the fringe side as well. Stay tuned as we get it done and get the numbers.
603/604 Negotiations
Local 1014 Executive Board Members continued to meet with 603/604 Bargaining Unit members including Dispatchers and Forestry personnel. We met with our Forestry members and discussed their growing needs over the next two years. Our Forestry personnel are responsible for managing our natural resources, brush clearance, and GIS mapping during wildland fires among other responsibilities. As our environment and community needs change, our Forestry personnel must have the resources to meet those changes.
  
We also toured the Dispatch Center to see firsthand the difficult and stressful work our Dispatchers do for our residents. They handle an incredible amount of pressure each day as they help our families through life and death situations and ensure they receive the assistance they need. Our service to the community begins with them and we need to ensure they have the tools they need to continue to provide world-class service to our communities.
Behavioral Health
On Wednesday, Local 1014 President Dave Gillotte, Chair of the California State Task Force on Behavioral Health in the Fire Service, was in Sacramento working with members of the Task Force to move important legislation forward this legislative session that will allow our Peer Support Teams to establish a confidential Peer Support and Crisis Referral Services pilot program for California’s Firefighters and First Responders who have suffered a post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) and are seeking support.
 
Getting our members and members across the state the help and support they need for behavioral health and PTSI is a priority for Local 1014. As we push for greater protections for our members at the state level, we continue to focus on making our LACoFD Peer Program more robust. Take care of each other and please utilize the resources in your stations and www.healingourown.org.
In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and your Executive Board
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Los Angeles County Firefighters IAFF Local 1014
Representing over 3200 Firefighters, Paramedics, Dispatchers,
Pilots, Wildland Firefighters, Forestry and Health Haz Mat personnel
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FRIDAY UPDATE
Brothers & Sisters,
Today we said farewell to Brother Michael Shepard who was tragically killed on January 23, 2019.
 
   
President Dave Gillotte and members of the Local 1014 Executive Board were humbled to present the traditional engraved Bible to Michael Shepard’s family at the service. Thank you to all who attended the memorial service today and showed solidarity and support for his family and friends. He will be greatly missed by his wife, four sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren. Rest in peace Brother. We shall never forget.
603/604 Negotiations
This week, Local 1014 Executive Board Members met with 603/604 Bargaining Unit members to discuss their unique needs. As we fight for a fair and rich contract for our non-safety members, we are reminded of all the hard work they do each and every day for the benefit of our community. As we move forward in the process we will be looking for a deal that reflects the value and the services they provide to the 4 million residents we serve throughout the County of Los Angeles.
Contract Update
As we said last week, while we work to settle the table with the County Coalition of Unions (CCU) for our fringe benefits, we have been temporarily postponed at the Board of Supervisors for the ratification of our 601/602 tentative agreement. We are pushing to settle the fringe bargaining table with added monies to our MOU. We are working as quickly as possible to get the details settled with our ten union partners in the CCU and the County’s Chief Executive Officer.
In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and your Executive Board
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Los Angeles County Firefighters IAFF Local 1014
Representing over 3200 Firefighters, Paramedics, Dispatchers,
Pilots, Wildland Firefighters, Forestry and Health Haz Mat personnel
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FRIDAY UPDATE
Brothers & Sisters,
Last week, your Executive Board attended the IAFF’s Vincent Bollon Affiliate Leadership Training Summit (ALTS) in Los Angeles. At this conference our Board members trained on critically important issues including: collective bargaining, grievances, leadership, communications strategies, crisis communications, social media, behavioral health, political action and more. We would like to thank IAFF 10th District VP Frank Lima for setting up this programming for our members.
Local 1014 Executive Board with IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger
At the conference, Local 1014 was proud to have stood in solidarity with our United Teacher Los Angeles (UTLA) brothers and sisters to bring attention to their cause and set the tone for teachers and school districts across the nation. We marched in Downtown LA with 1,600 of our IAFF brothers and sisters and it was no coincidence that same morning a deal was struck for UTLA.
  
Thermal Imagers: Why don’t we have Thermal Imager in every officer’s hand, if not every Firefighter’s hand on the job?
In the last decade, Thermal Imagers (TI) have become one of the most effective tools in the fight to save Firefighter lives. Though modern tactics and equipment have evolved, the most effective method to prevent or reduce the loss of life and property is to extinguish fires quickly. Thermal Imagers may be the single most effective tool to achieve this result. By enhancing our ability to locate victims and the ‘seat of the fire’ quickly, we can dramatically reduce the impact of fire.
Some of the additional benefits of equipping all front-line engines with Thermal Imagers are:
- TIs allow us to mitigate the risk to firefighters prior to entering an IDLH environment. By providing the ability to immediately assess the fire conditions during size-up and during the first minutes of initial attack.
- TIs allow Company Officers to constantly assess changing fire conditions and to understand if interior conditions have become untenable.
- Under certain conditions, TIs will allow Company Officers to assess flow path and modify tactics accordingly.
- TIs provide the absolute quickest, most effective means of locating downed firefighters or civilian victims.
- When employed by a Truck Company during ventilation operations, Thermal Imagers can allow Company Officers to identify structural members as well as identifying the surface temperatures of roofing. This will allow the Ventilation crew to quickly and accurately ventilate.
- TIs are an invaluable tool during overhaul and lessen the chance of ‘re-kindle’.
As part of our ongoing effort to ensure that our members have the best equipment and technology available to do their job and remain safe, Local 1014 will be asking key questions to hold the Chief Deputy of Operations, the Chief Deputy of Business Operations, and ultimately, the Fire Chief accountable for not securing this equipment for our members in a timely manner. Every engine truck and squad should have a TI in their hands.
Contract Update
As you may know, after our members ratify our 601/602 Tentative Agreement, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (LACBOS) must also ratify the deal. While we were hopeful this would happen next Tuesday, we had to postpone one week due to the fringe benefit bargaining with the County Coalition of Unions (CCU) which is still ongoing. We are pushing to settle the fringe bargaining table with more salary added to our MOU. This is taking more time but it will be worth the extra wait. After ratification by the LACBOS we will see retroactive pay and audits process begin. All unions are working day and night together lobbying LACBOS and the County’s Chief Executive Officer to get fair terms for our members on the CCU bargaining side. Stay tuned we expect to have detailed information in the next two weeks for conclusion to our CCU contract.
Bargaining Unit 603/604 negotiations are in full swing with membership meetings scheduled over the next few weeks. We are pushing for a swift process with the County and a fair and generous resolution for our non-safety members. More information will be available as the table formally moves forward over the next two weeks.
Vacation Day Grievance
As many of you know, we garnered extra vacation days/hours after you have served 20+ years in the last fringe benefit negotiations. Local 1014 Safety Members have been denied the ability to accrue these hours/days if they haven’t “used” hours below the max accrual and payout hours. We have combatted the unilateral position of the County regarding their administration method for these extra days. We had an agreement to allow members to use these extra days outside of the normal vacation hour bank and if not used, then to be paid out in termination pay. The County did not move to implement this simple language but rather opted for the “use it or don’t accrue it” and have even removed hours from the bank when already accrued.
We have filed a Grievance General in Character and we now move forward to an arbitration with the Employee Relations Commission (ERCOM). We are now selecting hearing dates and have agreed upon a hearing officer. We will continue to update you on this very important matter. If you have been harmed or are coming up 20+ years, please contact the Union and place your name on our list - we may need witnesses to testify in the hearing.
In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and your Executive Board
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Los Angeles County Firefighters IAFF Local 1014
Representing over 3200 Firefighters, Paramedics, Dispatchers,
Pilots, Wildland Firefighters, Forestry and Health Haz Mat personnel
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FRIDAY UPDATE
Brothers & Sisters,
This past week has been difficult with the loss of two of our Brothers.
On Thursday, the memorial service for Brother Randy Duarte was held. President Dave Gillotte and the Local 1014 Executive Board were humbled to present the IAFF Medal of Honor and traditional engraved Bible to Randy Duarte's family at the service. He was the quintessential Firefighter and a friend to all who knew him. He will be greatly missed.
  
 
As we lay to rest Brother Duarte, we learned that we lost yet another Local 1014 member too soon—Brother Michael Shepard passed away Wednesday as the result of a tragic car accident. Captain Shepard leaves behind his wife, four sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. We will be sending out memorial information as soon as it is available.
This week, perhaps more than most we are reminded that life is precious and that our jobs are dangerous. That is why it is critically important to remind all our members to take care of each other. If you or one of your fellow brothers and sisters need help, please reach out and utilize the resources in your stations (the Mental Health Resources Poster). The peers and support teams are always there to help. Take care of each other.
We will be updating you on the IAFF ALTS 2019 Conference and other matters next week. Please take this week to remember these two fine Brothers and their service to the community. WE SHALL NEVER FORGET.
In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and your Executive Board
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