As members of the International Association of Fire Fighters we take an oath to serve and protect one another as well as the public. Brothers Jed Hyland, Steve Keffer, Paul McClure, Clinton Anderson and Si Do are leading by example and reminding us all that loyalty among Firefighters is paramount. The selfless act of giving their lottery winnings to the Firefighter Survivors Fund to benefit Vincent Cordova will endow this union with inspiration for years to come. Captain Jed Hyland submitted this letter to the membership:
Dear IAFF Members,
IAFF local 244 members at AFD station 8 won a sliver of the widely publicized "Mega Millions" lottery on Friday. We hit five out of six numbers and are to be awarded a cash prize. In an effort to continue in the charitable work begun by our generous and selfless brothers and sisters, the prize winning crew have pledged an equal share of their winnings to the IAFF Local 244 Firefighter Survivor's Fund. Our contribution was inspired by the bold advocacy and selfless generosity exhibited by so many in our membership, and by our sincere desire to help our Brother Vince Cordova and his family, OUR family, in this time of crisis.
On March 31, 2012, we held the inaugural ‘Swing for Survivors Golf Tournament’ at Desert Greens Golf Course and it was a great success! We had over 70 IAFF members in attendance including Firefighters and Retirees from around the state. Brothers Martin Salazar and Sean Bergen were instrumental in organizing this event and it could not have been done without them. Members from the AFD Academy and Stations 1, 5 and 21 sponsored holes with significant contributions. We raised over $5000 for the IAFF Local 244 Firefighter Survivors Fund. A special thank-you to our corporate sponsors: 1-800 Board-up, Motorola Solutions, Roadrunner Apparel, 24-7 Haul, Minuteman Press, American Income Life and Dr. James Barber Chiropractic. This was a great event, thanks to all who participated!
On March 28, 2012, the IAFF Local 244 Executive Board honored Lt. Michael Galindro for his 26 years of dedicated service to the citizens of Albuquerque. Lt. Galindro has served 19 years of his carrer in the Albuquerque Fire Department Alarm Room with exemplary professionalism. His leadership has been a critical component in keeping our membership safe, year after year. His contribution to our department and union is invaluable.
We have created a website for you to order your authorized duty t-shirts from the comfort of your own home. You will have a choice to pick-up your t-shirt order from the retail location or have it delivered to your District Headquarter Station. If you choose to pick up at the store, you will be contacted when your order is ready for pick-up. Please allow a maximum of two weeks for your order to be processed.
The delivery schedule to the AFD/BCFD District Headquarter Stations will be every 1st and 3rd Monday of each month between the hours of 9:00am to 11:00am. Please note that the order cut-off for the next Monday delivery is at noon on the previous Wednesday. (Example: If you place your order on the second Tuesday of the month, it will be delivered on the third Monday). Duty apparel will only be sold to sworn Fire Department personnel.
February 21, 2012– A national communications network dedicated to public safety took a giant step forward today as President Obama signed a bill that transfers 10 megahertz of broadband spectrum – or D Block – to be used solely by first responders in emergencies.
Please click PDF link below to view Firehouse Subs flyer for the FF Vince Cordova fundraiser on Wednesday 7, 2012. Firehouse Subs is located at 8050 Academy Rd NE.
On Saturday, March 31, 2012 the IAFF Local 244 will host the ‘Swing for Survivors’ Benefit Golf Tournament at the Desert Greens Golf Course located at 10035 Country Club Ln NW, Albuquerque, NM.Due to the tremendous generosity of our membership and supporters, the IAFF Local 244 will be able to create the Firefighter Survivors Fund that will provide financial assistance to Firefighters who have been stricken with life threatening conditions. Please click on the PDF link below and print our the registration form to participate in the tournament.
This past month has brought our families tragedies on many levels, from retiree deaths to firefighters and their children stricken with life threatening conditions. It has been a truly humbling experience to witness firefighter brothers and sisters from both chapters pulling resources together to provide as much support as possible. For decades this Union has established different funds to help families in time of need and we are now organizing to broaden our means to provide help to our own members and their families. Many of us take for granted that life’s tragedies hit us just as hard as the public we serve, if not even harder. Our profession has evolved significantly through the years along with rising call volume that directly contributes to very high stress levels. Firefighters historically put themselves last in prioritizing the well being of their families. This Union will remain committed to providing assistance in every way possible. For these reasons we have created the Firefighter Survivors Fund. The first contribution to this fund is from Jason Valles who was overwhelmed with the amount of support he received from his house fire and felt compelled to give back to his membership and their families. Although his contribution is a modest one the principle alone is invaluable! Thank you Brother Valles for your compassion. The Executive Board will discuss forming a Committee for purposes of funding and regulating the Firefighter Survivors Fund at the next meeting.
We are in the process of scheduling the inaugural ‘Swing for Survivors Golf Tournament’ with proceeds going to Firefighters who have been stricken by life threaten conditions. Also, we are planning an annual ‘Swing for Survivors Softball Tournament’ to assist children of Firefighters who suffer from severe medical conditions. We will post the dates and information as soon as it is available. We would like to acknowledge Brothers Martin Salazar and Jeremy Polk for helping us organize these events to help the Firefighter Survivor Fund.
Below are two links where you can contribute today to these Brothers’ causes:
February 15, 2012 The San Francisco Fire Department has released the results of its internal safety investigation related to the line-of-duty deaths of Lieutenant Vincent Perez and fire fighter/paramedic Anthony Valerio at a fire on June 2, 2011.
Fire investigators determined that the fire was accidental, and that the ignition source was a nonspecific electrical sequence, likely caused by either a failure in a ground outlet or in the appliance connected to the outlet.
The results of the safety investigation determined that the two fire fighters, who died as a result of internal and external thermal injuries, were conducting fire operations in a stairwell of the home above the fire room. The stairwell acted as a chimney when a large window failed in an oxygen deprived room that was below them, causing them exposure to a rapid high heat event at temperatures that no fire fighter would have been able to survive.
Inspection of the fire fighters personal protective clothing indicated that they performed according to their specifications. although the department has concerns related to the handheld radios that all fire fighters carry. Both radio microphones appear to have failed from exposure to extreme heat conditions.
Upon receiving the findings related to the radios, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White has requested that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) research and develop a standard for fire fighter handheld radios.
The Safety Investigation Team identified three factors that contributed to the tragic outcome of this event, including an excessive live fuel load which contributed to the growth of the fire, the layout of the building with the origin of the fire being in a room below grade, and extreme heat conditions accelerated by the failure of a window on the fire floor.
Chief Hayes-White indicated that this safety investigation was internal and was initiated immediately following the rescue of the two fire fighters. Additionally, she stated that an independent safety investigation had also been conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH). The NIOSH report is pending.
Twenty-five recommendations have been made as a result of information gathered from the safety investigation and the department is in the process of implementing all recommendations and has initiated research and development where required.
President of San Francisco, CA Local 798 Tom O'Connor says, While there is nothing that we can do to change the outcome of that fateful day, we can learn lessons from this tragedy and make every effort to ensure that this does not happen again.
The fire department has forwarded the report to NIOSH, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Cal-OSHA, the State Fire Marshal and the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) for review.
Full Report: http://www.iaff.org/12News/Media/SafetySF_Investigation_Report.pdf
On February 16, 2012, the IAFF Local 244 honored the crew of AFD Station 21, C for saving the life of Lieutenant Ron Herrera. This was the most emotional Honoring Our Own ceremony to date. Lt. Herrera attended the ceremony with his wife, Martha. We all celebrated his life and the exemplary service performed by his crew.
On February 10, 2012, Lt. Herrera suffered a heart attack while returning to Station 21 after successful completion of the Pac Test. Firefighter Aaron Sandoval contacted Rescue 21 crew by phone notifying them of the situation which at the time everyone thought was minor. Upon arrival to the station, passed-out suspended by his seatbelt, Lt. Herrera was cared for by his entire crew. Firefighter Sandoval lifted him from Engine 21 and placed him on the bay floor. Captain Dax Martinez, Lt. Robert LaPrise and Driver Tim Woodard aggressively assessed and managed the situation. Driver Phil Preciado drove the rescue and in the back providing care were Capt. Martinez, Lt. LaPrise, Driver Woodard, and Firefighter Sandoval. They were able to start an IV and administer the proper drugs improving Lt. Herrera’s condition, his vitals stabilized and he began talking to the crew. They contacted Presbyterian ER from Coors and Paseo to tell them we had one of our own who was having an AMI and to please activate the cath lab. On arrival to Pres ER, Lt. Herrera went to a room for less than 10 minutes where he met Dr. Allen who is an Interventional Cardiologist and she explained to him the angioplasty procedure before being taken upstairs for the procedure. There was a huge outpouring of support at the hospital including Union Leadership, Fire Chief and Deputies, Chaplains and field crews from all agencies were assembled consoling Lt. Herrera’s family and standing by for our brother’s recovery. Dr. Allen came out of the cath lab and said the procedure was successful in opening the blocked coronary artery leaving zero damage to his heart.
This was a moving experience for all involved and a testament to the strength of our love and respect for each other. A special thank you to Brother Chester Fuller for helping us in organizing this event.
SFS Golf Tournament 3-31-12 2.JPG
SFS Golf Tournament 3-31-12 3.JPG
SFS Golf Tournament 3-21-12 4.JPG
SFS Golf Tournament 3-31-12.JPG
Firehouse Subs - V. Cordova Flyer.pdf
