Town officials have appointed Michael J. Gulino, the local fire inspector since 1998, to be the new fire marshal. Gulino is to be sworn in Thursday.
He started his career as a volunteer firefighter in 1989 and began working as a career firefighter for the town in 1995. Gulino holds many fire-service credentials, including emergency medical technician and fire instructor. He also has a master's degree in fire science administration from the University of New Haven and a bachelor's degree in science from the University of Connecticut. Gulino lives in town with his wife and three children. He's also very active in the Farmington Little League.
The public is invited to attend a reception Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in the town hall council chambers.
September 25, 2008 – IAFF Governmental Relations staff has been working with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to ensure that an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) review that began in 2007 of requirements concerning the appropriate age at which public employees may qualify for a service retirement doesn't negatively affect public safety workers.
Under the proposed regulations, normal retirement age for most workers would range from between 55-62, but a special provision for public safety officers permits a normal retirement age as low as 50. However, the newly proposed regulation from the IRS has called into question the use of years of service to determine eligibility for a full pension benefit. For example, under the new regulation, a system that allows fire fighters to retire at the completion of 25 years of service, regardless of age, could run afoul of the new IRS-proposed regulations.
The IRS first published a bulletin requesting comments from interested stakeholders on this regulation, and shortly thereafter proposed a rule establishing a clear definition of “normal retirement age.”
Since the original notice was issued, the IAFF has been working with its allies in the pension community and other stakeholders to reverse or delay the regulations, which are currently scheduled to become effective on January 1, 2009.
On behalf of all stakeholders, the National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA) submitted comments articulating the IAFF's position on December 28, 2007. A letter from 19 stakeholder organizations, including the IAFF, representing labor and management was sent to the IRS in April 2008. At this point, affiliates should be aware of this pending issue, but not be alarmed. The IAFF works on regulatory issues with the IRS and other federal rule-making bodies on a regular basis. There is reason to be concerned about the issue, but it is not at a critical stage.
Most recently, Representative Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) met with IRS officials in September to urge them to delay or rescind the regulation. If IRS does not reverse itself, the IAFF is poised to take immediate legislative action during the 111th Congress which convenes in January.
The list of allies working on this issue includes many of the IAFF’s traditional allies, including AFSCME, AFT, NEA and NAPO. The IAFF is confident it will prevail because, on its side this time, the IAFF also has organizations with which it often disagrees, such as the National Association of Counties, the International City/County Managers Association, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities and others. This coalition represents very powerful interests with significant sway on both sides of the political aisle.
The IAFF will keep affiliates abreast of developments as they unfold.
May 20, 2008 -- With the support of the IAFF and the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association (UPFFA) of Connecticut, Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell has signed a bill that will better protect the state’s fire fighters and police officers if they have a heart condition or impairment as a result of their duties.
“This is an important victory, not just for Connecticut fire fighters, but for all fire fighters,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “It is a scientific fact that fire fighters and emergency medical responders are at increased risk for heart disease, lung disease, cancer and infectious diseases. Yet, many fire fighters across the country get little or no protections and benefits when they get sick on the job.”
Schaitberger adds, “Each time fire fighters gain benefits – just as they have in Connecticut – another precedent is set. Other IAFF affiliates can use those precedents to achieve victories in their states.”
The new legislation, effective July 1, 2009, allows full-time personnel in the state’s fire and police departments to receive workers’ compensation coverage of any condition or impairment of health caused by a cardiac emergency while in training or engaged in their professional duties.
To be eligible, fire fighters and police must have been employed on or after July 1, 1996. The only way fire fighters and police can be denied coverage is if conclusive evidence can be provided to the contrary.
The IAFF worked with the UPFFA to develop comprehensive materials explaining the dangerous impact fire fighting has on cardiac health, while UPFFA members worked hard to garner the support of key state senators and representatives.
“I am very proud of the months of hard work my members have done,” says Pete Carozza, president of UPFFA. “Connecticut fire fighters have spent tireless hours lobbing, calling and sending letters to their state legislators. This legislation is going to save fire fighter lives and protect their fire fighter families.”
With this victory in hand, Connecticut fire fighters hope to soon add other presumptive protections including, all strains of hepatitis, meningitis, tuberculosis, myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
The International Association of Fire Fighters and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) encourage all IAFF affiliates and their fire departments to participate in the 2008 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week scheduled for June 22-28.
The focus for this email is the second key area: Fully Implement the IAFF/IAFC Wellness-Fitness Initiative (WFI).
Fully Implement the IAFF/IAFC Wellness-Fitness Initiative
The Wellness-Fitness Initiative, developed by the joint IAFF/IAFC Wellness-Fitness Task Force, is a comprehensive, holistic, nonpunitive program that includes fitness evaluation, medical evaluation, rehabilitation, behavioral health and data collection. Two other programs developed by the task force are also components of the WFI:
The Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) was developed as a fair and valid evaluation tool to assist in the selection of fire fighters and to ensure that all candidates possess the physical ability to complete critical tasks effectively and safely.The Peer Fitness Trainer (PFT) program was created for fire department personnel to obtain certification in fitness-program design and implementation in order to help their peers with their fitness programs on a one-on-one basis and to help with the physical training of recruits.
Dedicating a full week to focus on the 2008 key safety areas offers maximum flexibility, allowing for all duty shifts to participate in selected exercises at some point during Safety Week.
April 11, 2008 – The U.S. House of Representatives voted 412-0 last week to adopt legislation strengthening the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). H.R. 4847, the United States Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 2008, included key IAFF recommendations to expand and improve USFA’s training activities, improve fire fighter safety and better serve the needs of the modern fire service.
The vote came over the objections of the Bush administration, which sent an 11th hour letter opposing a provision crafted by the IAFF to improve delivery of USFA training programs. Under current law, USFA will pay for training offered at the U.S. Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland, or offered by a state training academy. But larger jurisdictions that have their own training facilities have been unable to take advantage of such federally funded training.
To address this concern, the IAFF drafted an amendment that will allow USFA to contract with a national training organization, such as the IAFF, to provide training in localities around the nation. The Bush administration argued that such training was unnecessary because the classes offered at Emmitsburg and state academies meet the needs of the nation’s fire service. House members swept aside such considerations, however, voting unanimously for the bill with the IAFF’s language intact.
The legislation was sponsored by Representative Harry Mitchell (D-AZ), and actively supported by Representative David Wu (D-OR), chair of the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation. Testifying on behalf of the IAFF before Wu’s Subcommittee, Bob Livingston, a captain in the Salem, Oregon Fire Department, urged lawmakers to modernize the U.S. Fire Administration. “Today’s professional fire fighter is an all-purpose emergency responder, trained in such specialized disciplines as emergency medical care, hazardous /WMD materials response and high-angle, confined space and water rescue,” Livingtson explained. “But as fire fighters have expanded their duties, responsibilities and capabilities to meet the needs of their communities, so too must the USFA evolve to meet the needs of the 21st Century fire service.”
Based on Livingston’s recommendations, H.R. 4847 directs the Fire Administration to promote compliance with NFPA safety standards and advocate for the use of fire department-based EMS delivery systems. The legislation also authorizes additional federal resources for wildland fire fighting and to improve USFA’s data collection efforts to better identify fire safety trends.
Attention now turns to the Senate where a companion bill to H.R. 4847 is being considered. S. 2606, authored by Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME), tracks the provisions of the House-passed bill and includes the provisions backed by the IAFF.
April 15, 2008 – IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger has issued a statement on the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the Federal Communications Commission’s auction to create a communications network for first responders.
“The 9/11 Commission, which issued its findings in 2004, recommended that the nation’s public safety agencies be provided a dedicated portion of the radio spectrum to improve our nation’s response to natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and terrorist attacks like the horrific event that occurred on September, 11, 2001, which killed 343 of our FDNY members.
“The initial attempt to dedicate the spectrum and provide the infrastructure needed to make it useful – the auction of the D-Block of radio spectrum that opened January 24 – failed miserably.
“Oversight of the FCC auction by the House Energy and Commerce Committee is crucial to moving this process forward. Today’s hearing should help lawmakers and the public safety communities understand why an auction of the D-Block was unsuccessful and how it can be successful in the near future.
“Questions surrounding the original proposal for the D-Block spectrum and the quagmire of rules and conditions established by the Public Safety Spectrum Trust need to be answered.
“The IAFF has remained an independent and active voice in moving this critical issue forward. We declined to endorse the Trust’s proposal because it did not adequately address current shortcomings in public safety communications. Any potential public safety network must be accessible, reliable and affordable for the agencies and taxpayers it serves.
“Even as we’re now four years removed from the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations, creation of an interoperable communications network appears far from complete. We urge quick action by the Committee to push for a strong proposal for a reliable public safety network that will truly make our homeland safer.”
