LA County Firefighters begin the Fill-the-Boot campaign this week
This year marks the 60th Anniversary of the IAFF/MDA partnership. We are proud to acknowledge this milestone and hold the 11th Annual Los Angeles County Local 1014 Fill-the-Boot on Thursday June 12th, Friday June 13th and Saturday June 14th. With your help, there is no doubt we can exceed our goal of $500,000.
Because of you, Los Angeles County Firefighters have raised almost $3,000,000 in the last ten years to provide health care and support services to the families served by MDA. With your support of this Fill-the-Boot, MDA will continue to fund comprehensive health care clinics at renowned facilities like Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and UCLA. In addition, MDA will fund lifesaving research at UCLA. Last but not least, your support sends children with neuromuscular disease to MDA summer camp. Each and every one of your efforts will not go unnoticed. As the IAFF’s charity of choice, you are a part of the tradition and commitment to the families who live with muscle disease. Your character and dedication to help those in need is what our profession is about.
Thanks in advance for your participation and support of our Fill-the-Boot to help raise funds in the fight against muscle disease. This is OUR event and one that is very important to Local 1014 and Firefighters across the country. Let’s work together to make this 60th Anniversary year a successful event.
Local 1014 hosting retirement classes for 1014 members
In June, Local 1014 will again be hosting one day retirement classes for those within 5 years of retirement. LACERA, Great West and Local 1014 will be presenting all the details you need to prepare for retirement!
Tuesday June 17 (A Shift)
Wednesday June 18 (B Shift)
Thursday June 19 (C-Shift)
0900 to 1400
Space is limited. Couples are encouraged to attend. Please select only ONE DAY.
Address: 3460 Fletcher Ave. El Monte, 91731. In the large meeting room. Parking is best to the rear of the building in the back parking lot. There is a few spaces in the front of the building.
To reserve your spot please click here to email Will Pryor, 1014 Director and let us know what day you would like to attend and how many will be attending.
Local 1014 has had quite a busy May to say the least. Many long hours worked and a myriad of issues affecting our profession including important legislation, local issues, hosting our state convention and political action at the County and State Level. We will be taking a moment next week to say more on these items as we recover and reset from the grueling work this month to make it all happen.
But as we reset over this weekend, we must take time to remember those who have sacrificed so much to protect our way of life as Americans. Please join the entire Local 1014 Executive Board as we pause this weekend and reflect and remember all of the military personnel who have served or are serving our great Country. In all branches of service Americans have proudly sacrificed so much to make America the Greatest Country in the World. We proudly protect and serve the citizens within our great Country and there are those who protect us and those who have given all so that we may prosper and have the freedoms we enjoy.
Those individuals come from all walks of life, and as we set out to enjoy this long 3 day weekend, take time to watch the tributes, take time to look at a waving American Flag as you roll down the road, and not let the sacrifices that are represented pass through you easily this weekend. Let the history of this Country and the memories of those who have served and given all cause you to slow down and deeply reflect and pay your respects, pay our respects.
We would also like to once again take a moment to remind our membership to Drink Responsiblythis weekend and travel responsibly also. This weekend traditionally sees a lot of travel and with that a high level of alcohol related accidents. Don’t let yourself be one of those individuals that finds themselves in trouble or worse yet because of poor planning or decision-making. Limit your drinking and keep it cool. If you make a mistake and have too much or even think you might have impairment from drinking, or if you know you will be having a few and be over the limit a bit, then plan to not drive a vehicle. Plan to get a room, get a cab, get a driver.
Please also make the effort to put that phone away and food and any other distractions that impair your driving and keep you and your family safe and sound through the whole weekend. Thank you to all members who will be on the line this weekend protecting and serving and be safe and do a great job for our citizens in Los Angeles County who we serve so well.
Local 1014 Salutes all those who have served and we remember your sacrifice.
“We shall never forget”… words we have come to use far too frequently in our line of work. We have known that this job takes its toll on our membership, and the membership who serves in our line of work throughout our State and of course the Nation, but it sure seems as though we have had our limits tested with more than our share lately.
I will take a moment today at about 1130, to “Remember”… please stop what you are doing today and also take a moment, and give your thoughts and your prayers to Brother Darrell Rice, his wife Phyllis and daughter Candace. Take a moment to “Remember” Darrell, and then to “Remember” any and all other Brothers or Sisters you can think of that have passed in the line of duty, and “Never Forget”.
If you can make it to the services as many of you are planning, thank you for getting there and from the Local and from me personally to Brother Rice in Heaven, and to Phyllis and Candace and every other Brother and Sister who worked with and or knew Darrell….may he rest in peace and may his eternal soul be in Heaven and may his family find peace and comfort in knowing of this and knowing his second family of LA County Fire Fighters, Local 1014 Brothers and Sisters “Shall Never Forget” and we are with them…
It is with a great deal of sorrow that I am informing you that Fire Fighter Specialist Darrell Rice, Fire Prevention Division, Petroleum Chemical Unit passed away Tuesday April 22nd, 2014.
The Board of Supervisors, together with Fire Chief Daryl Osby and I pass along our deepest condolences and sympathies to Brother Rice's Family.
To ensure the proper care and support of the family and fire family of Fire Fighter Specialist Rice during this extremely difficult time, the Department has activated our Department’s Memorial Management Team (MMT) (which 1014 is a member of).
Darrell has been a memebr of this Local and our Depatrment since 1991.
Please keep Brother Rice, his Wife Phyllis and Daughter Candace in your thoughts and prayers as they work through these difficult times.
If you should have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Local 1014.
This is a last reminder to take time this Wednesday and “Never Forget” our very own Los Angeles County Firefighter Brothers and Sisters who gave all and are forever remembered on our beautiful Granite Memorial Wall at LAO.
On this Wednesday break out your Class A or Department Long Sleeve Uniform and make time to get to LAO to create a sea of blue along with the LAO Uniformed and Non-Uniformed Staff to support the family members who will be in attendance to remember.
We have seen many tragedies and triumphs in our Department’s History and our Unions History, and we have traveled far and wide throughout the Country to Honor FDNY’s fallen, Boston, Chicago, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Canada, Kansas, Arizona and more. We have formed up and marched and paid our respects and with pride as if the fallen Brothers and Sisters were our very own.
Well, this Wednesday is our very own; our Brothers and Sisters from Engines and Trucks and Air Squads and PM Squads and Hospital Beds who have given. While all have given some, some have given all. Those are the folks on the Memorial Wall.
Please join Fire Chief Daryl Osby and Union President Dave Gillotte representing Management and Labor along with members of our great Department to shore up and let the families of our own fallen know that “We shall never forget”. Local 1014 will be hosting an after ceremony BBQ for camaraderie and fellowship and all are invited.
Thank you advance for your attendance and helping to do the right thing….take a day to remember,
As we take time to celebrate the Easter Week and give thanks for so many things and why we have hope and a future, let us also take a moment to give thanks and say a prayer for all of our Brothers who were involved in the unfortunate collision between our Monterey Park Engine and the Alhambra Truck, who were responding to a working structure fire in Monterey Park.
This send is a Firefighter internal send with a little more than would normally go out to others, but we wanted to let you know a few things to be extremely proud of and we feel exemplifies who we are and what we do each and every day without hesitation and why you are Professional Craft Trade Unionist’ who are the best of the best in our organizations serving the Public.
This is a bit of a personal account of the day when two responding companies collided and change lives forever in the City of Monterey Park. As we received the news of the accident with involvement of our members (Monterey Park Firefighters) and our partners from Alhambra, Pat Dolan was on engine 5 and was one of the move-up companies responding to the stations that would be out of service for a bit. Pat called me to let me know in advance of what was happening so we could begin to prepare for what would need to be done to support and represent our members. I received that call as I had just exited a very important All Unions Meeting of the Coalition of County Unions, and we held it in Monterey Park at ALADS (Our sheriff Unions building) and I was Northbound on Garfield approaching Emerson. I had just finished talking with Will Pryor about taking streets to get to the 210 instead of the crowded freeways and Will was still at the meeting. I saw the helicopters starting to appear overhead and realized I was going to be on scene in a few blocks by coincidence. I told Pat I would call him back and we began to lay out a plan for our members.
Pat and Dave Lopez and the Executive Board immediately worked to start putting together the various items that would be needed to support the members in the areas of ensuring medical treatment, post-traumatic stress first aid, family support, co-worker support, and Legal Representation were all in place. Lew Currier was on the road already and headed directly over to the area hospital where our members were being treated. The Executive Board coordinated a criminal attorney and administrative attorney to represent the members in the emergency room prior to CHP interrogating them about the accident. This is a critical need for all things going forward with lawsuits and allegations and so forth; all a possibility as we have so painfully learned with a number of incidents in the past. The members and their families were extremely appreciative and relieved for coordination of these items.
What will not be told is the back-story we should all be very proud of and I witnessed some of first hand, having been on scene. All members of both the Alhambra Truck and the our Monterey Park engine, who had just collided and sent one engine half way into a building narrowly missing a light pole, and unfortunately landing in an occupied restaurant. There were numerous patrons who were injured, one critically. The brothers had to recover in an instant from the shock and horror of what had just happened, and despite their own injuries…went straight to work to care for the injured and run a multi-victim incident with limited resources for a while because other units were battling a working structure fire at the same time.
Captain Durosa, Engineer Lima and FF Ayala along with the Alhambra Brothers went to work to save one patrons life…literally, and tend to the injuries of the affected in the most seasoned and professional manner, despite having their own physical injuries and the mental aspect of what had just happened. True Professional Craft Trade Unionists’ who delivered their formal training and expertise to the injured as if master carpenters. They delivered care and handled this incident in a way that we should all take pride in. They did this in the most adverse of imaginable conditions for any of us, and they did it selflessly. A job very well done and not to be taken lightly and I believe to be a shining example of the dedication and commitment that all of us display in our chosen career.
Special thanks to the other responding Fire Fighters and Paramedics from San Marino, LA County (Our Big House of 1014), San Gabriel, Pasadena and LA City. These units responded and helped run the multi-victim incident and in fact took care of treatment and transport of the Firefighters also. LA County USAR even remained on scene to help remove the engine form the structure while stabilizing and minimizing any further damage to the building. While LA City Fire did not respond to the incident, they set up support for the families and coworkers who visited the hospitals where the firefighters were taken for treatment. What an outstanding outpouring of responders and supporters to take care of the incident and the needs afterwards, thank you to all of the Unions and Departments associated with efforts.
Also thank you to Fire Chief Jim Burrell and Fire Chief Osby for doing such a good job in handling the incident, the members, working with the Union to ensure all procedural steps and literal steps to care for our members were put in to place with ease, and also resourced well so we could take care of business in a time of emotional turmoil. There will be many legal and administrative issues to deal with going forward, but we had representation at the hospital in place before the first CHP questions were allowed in what will be an ongoing investigation into the incident. It is hard to think ahead to what may be needed when we are in the instant of an accident like this and of the magnitude of this incident, however it must be considered and dealt with immediately and we accomplished that.
While there will be many things to deal with in the future regarding this incident, I am reminded by these pros; our members and their actions both before the incident and after to remind us all to follow a few simple tasks as if it was religion. Filling out logbooks, morning equipment checkout, maintenance of the rigs, training and education, drilling, wearing of seatbelts and safety gear become critical in situations like this. Also, if you find yourself in a situation like this or any vehicle related incident remember to not make any statements to anyone regarding the accident until you have legal representation at the time of questioning. Just let the CHP officers or Chief Officers know you will make all statements and answer questions once you have representation. This is important because incidents like these will have associated lawsuits that may be civil and potentially could be criminal, but certainly all have potential to be harmful to your job.
In closing, and as we head into the Easter Weekend….take a moment and give thanks for all we have, give thanks for the safety and health of the brothers who were involved in this incident, and reflect on how well these members performed in the heat of battle and chaos and remind ourselves to strive to always be that pro…the Craft Trade Unionist who is expert in his/her field, even in the harshest of conditions.
I am sorry I had to miss the Camps retirement dinner and I will take time to say a few remarks via an e-mail send a little later, but fate took me North on Garfield and landed Local 1014 on scene where the rest of the evening will never be forgotten.
Boston Firefighters Local 718 regrets to announce the Line of Duty deaths of
Brothers Edward J. Walsh Engine 33
Michael R. Kennedy Ladder 15
May they rest in peace.
FFPM Paul Cooke
Fire Station 92, "B" Platoon, Battalion 17
Fire Fighter Paul Cooke, Fire Station 92, "B" Platoon, Battalion 17, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, at the age of 37. Brother Cooke was a dedicated and respected member who faithfully and honorably served the Citizens of Los Angeles County and his Department.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, March 31, 2014, beginning at 10:00 a.m. at:
FFPM Paul Cooke
Fire Station 92, "B" Platoon, Battalion 17
Fire Fighter Paul Cooke, Fire Station 92, "B" Platoon, Battalion 17, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, at the age of 37.
We Shall Never Forget Brother Rice.docx
