Check out the section on the left titled NM IAFF MG for important information about the NM Chapter of the IAFF-MG starting up and becoming a Charter member.

The 2012 IAFF Local 244 General Election will be held on December 4, 2012 from 7:00am-7:00pm. The poll sites will be: Union Hall - AFD Stations 8 & 17 - BCFD Stations 33 & 40. Early Voting will be held November 26, 2012 – November 30, 2012 from 9:00am-3:00pm at the Union Hall.

 

 The IAFF Local 244 Executive Board contested races are as follows:

 

City Chapter 2^nd Steward

Candidates:   Justin Staley, Christofer Wilson

 

County Chapter 1^st Trustee

Candidates:   Chris Fichtner, Virgil Romero

 

 

Elections in the United States two weeks ago produced some very positive results for our members. We initiated a new strategy this year where we invested significant FIREPAC dollars on the state level – where our members and union have seen the biggest attacks – and we worked hand in hand to complement each other’s efforts like never before.

I know you worked hard to elect governors, state senators and state representatives who have our backs, and all of us took on some very well-funded adversaries pushing ballot initiatives that would have had devastating effects on our members. We had tremendous success in Minnesota and Maine, where we helped flipped control of the state legislatures in our favor. We also had an important victory in California, where we weighed in heavily and the California Professional Firefighters worked hard to defeat Proposition 32 – shutting down the third attempt to silence our political voices in California. And there were so many other victories in state after state.

At the national level, we increased the fire fighter-friendly majority in the Senate by two votes, with our combined efforts – and our buses with our signature gold and black and the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts and Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters shouting our support – getting significant credit for the victories of Elizabeth Warren and Claire McCaskill in their respective states. And together with our state and local affiliates we weighed in heavily in the victorious efforts of Tim Kaine in Virginia, Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, Sherrod Brown in Ohio, Bill Nelson in Florida and Angus King in Maine. We also weighed in on the upset victories by our friends, Senators-elect Joe Donnelly in Indiana and Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota.

And in the House we were able to loosen the grip of those who have been using that forum to go after our members’ rights, pensions and jobs with important wins that narrow their majority.

Finally, the re-election of President Obama and Vice President Biden ensures that we have leaders in the White House who we can work with and who respect the service and sacrifice of our members.

As pleased as I am about the results, I am just as gratified by the work of this International and all of you. You put the boots on the ground, made the calls, knocked on the doors – making sure our gold-and-black brand was front and center in this election. And the results speak for themselves.

So today I want to thank each of you for your hard work. You did it on behalf of our membership and our union.

The election night results confirmed that our strategy was sound and our hard work paid off. Will it mean an end to the attacks we’ve experienced over the past two and a half years? No. But we will now have more friends in office who should stand with us to face down those who come after us. And our members will be better off for it.

God bless you and stay safe.

Harold A. Schaitberger
General President

On November 17, 2012 the IAFF Local 244 is hosting a Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament Fundraiser our brother who is undergoing chemotherapy. We are inviting 40 IAFF members to play in the Hold’em Tournament at a $50 buy in. The tournament will be held the Union Hall and will begin at 6:30pm. Winners will receive great prizes!

Retired Member Chester Fuller will be organizing the poker tournament and he can be reached at 505-615-6963 for your tournament reservations.

The Albuquerque Area Fire Fighters Christmas Party will be held on December 14, 2012 at Hotel Albuquerque. Tickets are $20.00 and can be purchased at the union hall Monday through Thursday from 10am to 4pm. For more information call Kelly @ 505-288-2313.

Please submit nominations for Fire Fighter of the Year to iafflocal244@hotmail.com or in person at the General Meeting on November 8, 2012 for the Executive Board to consider. We will honor one member from each chapter with the Fire Fighter/Paramedic of the year and one general member for the outstanding leadership award.

The Children's Christmas Party will be held on December 1, 2012 at ITZ starting at 11am please call Kelly for your family's reservation, an RSVP is required.

Brother Matt Wolf honorably represented the IAFF Local 244 discussing the significance of the Firefighter Survivors Fund in an exclusive interview on Kasa’s NM Style Show, sharing his own experiences. Since the creation of the fund we have had great success in our fundraising efforts which directly involves the people of the community we serve. Please click link below to watch the interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wra_yxlnPyw&list=UU8vGwnA9bu9y_YN4naY8JVQ&index=1&feature=plcp

With elections on the horizon, it is important to remember that the stakes will be incredibly high this November. Control of the White House, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, nine governors’ mansions and state legislatures across the country are up for grabs in this year’s elections.

On October 26, 2012 the IAFF Local 244 is hosting a Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament to kick-off the fundraising drive for our brother who is fighting cancer. Our goal is to raise enough money to send him and his children to Disneyland! Brother Pohl is a humble man and is not asking for anything, but we were informed he has always wanted to take his children to Disneyland and we would like your help to make his wish come true. We are inviting 40 Members to play in the Hold’em Tournament at a $50 buy in. The tournament will be held the Union Hall and will begin at 6:30pm. Winners will receive great prizes!

The point of contact for this fundraising effort will be Lt. Bryan Pacheco and he can be reached at 505-263-5456 or bry.bulldogs@gmail.com. Retired Member Chester Fuller will be organizing the Poker Tournament and he can be reached at 505-615-6963 for your tournament reservations. Reserve your seat now! 

Send check payable to:

IAFF L244 Firefighter Survivors Fund

c/o Gil Pohl

P.O. Box 25602

Albuquerque, NM 87125

-OR-

Please click PayPal link to contribute: 

The IAFF Local 244 Firefighters Survivors Fund received another generous donation from Live Nation from Uproar show proceeds. Live Nation Representatives John Reese, Maria Cukr, Brandon Sirochman and our brother Brian Barnes presented us with the check at the concert for $1,934.00 for the Firefighter Survivors Fund. Earlier this year they donated $6,672.50 with proceeds from the Rockstar Mayhem show in Albuquerque on July 7, 2012 and remain committed to helping again next year.  

Certificates of appreciation were presented by brothers Vince Cordova, Matt Wolf and President Arencón to Live Nation on behalf of the IAFF Local 244 for their invaluable contributions to the health and well being of our membership. A special thank you to Driver Brian Barnes for making this happen, these contributions will serve our members who suffer from life threatening injuries for years to come.