IAFF Local F116

Our members often ask what has the IAFF or the 16th District done for us. Well here is a great example of what your IAFF and 16th District have accomplished in ...the second half of the 116th Congress. The IAFF Government Affairs Team, 16th District Legislative Committee and DVP Johnson have worked hard to get these things into the NDAA but, also not without the help of a bunch of our members as well. While this still needs to be voted on it is likely to pass. The Armed Service Conferees have reconciled the differences between the House and Senate versions of the NDAA. The final Bill will be voted on next week, I want to share the provisions where we achieved success. Despite the hurdle of getting Congressional Members from both sides of the aisle to work with us, we had great success. Fantastic work by Team 16 and our District Legislative Committee! PFAS 1. Directs to NIST to carry out a three-year study of PFAS in firefighter turnout gear which identifies the presence of PFAS in new gear and then tracks the amount of PFAS shed by the gear during normal wear and use by fire fighters. Further, identify the harmful PFAS-related health effects attributed to the use of fire gear. 2. Establishes an incentive prize of up to $5M to incentivize private-industry to deliver an acceptable PFAS-free fire fighting foam ahead of the congressionally mandated deadline to deliver new foams to the field in 2024 3. Directs the SecDef to survey facilities to determine technologies and upgrades needed to fixed fire suppression systems in aircraft hangars and high risk facilities in order to transition to PFAS-free fire fighting foams without delay. 4. Requires DOD to further disclose the presence of PFAS found in groundwater, specifically notifying agricultural operations occurring on or in proximity to DOD installations. 5. Prohibits DOD from purchasing upholstered furniture, carpets, and rugs that have been treated with stain-resistant coatings containing PFAS. Further, restrict the purchase of non-stick (PFAS) treated cookware for use in dining facilities. 6. Increases funding to $15M for the CDC to study the harmful health effects associated the consumption and contact with PFAS contaminated water. Commissary & Exchanges 1. Authorizes civilian emergency responders employed at a military installation to make purchases of food and hygiene items at brick and mortar commissary and exchanges including the convenience and mini-mart stores. (BRENDA Act) 2. Authorizes all emergency responders, including state and municipally employed members, deployed and operating within a Presidentially declared natural disaster zone to shop at DOD’s mobile commissary and exchange services deployed to the disaster zone. (FRAME Act) Fire Fighters’ Alternative Work Schedules 1. Directs the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Fire and Emergency Services to transition to an AWS, using either the 48/48 or 48/72 format, within 180 days for a period of not less than 5 years. Emergency Response Training 1.Directs DOD installation commanders to conduct live emergency response training with civilian agencies likely to respond to emergencies occurring on the military installation further advancing partnerships between organic DOD and local emergency services. Fire Apparatus Purchases 1. Authorizes the DOD to spend nearly $27.8M to procure new fire apparatus not including EMS and fire officer vehicles Blood Testing Fire Fighters for PFAS 1. Congress retained the Blood Testing of Fire Fighters provision passed last year but declined to expand the program to other groups or category of personnel present on military installations. Congress is monitoring the trends coming out of firefighter testing to determine if expansion is appropriate. Emergency Medical Treatment Cost 1. Waives fees associated with the emergency medical care from civilians receiving emergency care at a military treatment center. Note the civilian’s health insurance will still be billed by the military medical treatment facility but DOD will not seek further payments from individuals Again, great work by everyone involved!

Welcome to SMART -------------------------------------------------- Brother and Sisters, Welcome to SMART!... v/r Travis Asmus Secretary/Treasurer IAFF local F-116, Vandenberg Professional Firefighters

Latest version (if signed into law) will allow up to 25% of use or lose annual leave into 2021. We are anticipating the 2021 NDAA to be signed this week. https://federalnewsnetwork.com//congress-will-let-federal/

This is why we Fight!!! Today we revisit a post from June 26th 2020 when we highlighted numerous folks suffering from Occupational Cancer. On November 30th, 202...0 Chris Carneal, a Captain with the Fort Carson Fire Department, lost his battle with Occupational Cancer. We post today to remember a fellow federal fire fighter and the struggle his family went through trying to get him benefits. It is a struggle because his wife Dana had to fight with the Office of Workers Compensation Program provided by the Department of Labor. She had to fight for coverage because Occupational Cancer is not an automatically covered illness in the federal government like it is in most of the United States. Instead federal firefighters must prove the cancer and trace it all they way back to a specific incident, otherwise you are out on your ass. Nobody should have to fight to prove something was work related, especially since there are numerous studies out there showing firefighters are at a higher risk than the rest of American for certain cancers cause by the job. HR 1174 or the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2019, if passed, would have provided coverage through OWCP under the presumption that certain cancers (renal being one of them) are covered as a job-related illness. Federal Firefighters have been struggling to pass HR 1174 for several years and due to the potential costs, are unable to convince Congress to pass this is a much-needed coverage. You can read more about HR 1174 at this link on our page. https://www.facebook.com/257622698739/posts/10157738380803740/ Our fight for Presumptive Legislation will not stop with the 116th Congress or the passing of Captain Chris Carneal. We will power through and get someone, likely Rep Salud Carbajal (CA) author of HR 1174, to write another bill outlining presumptive coverage and we will lobby until our shoes fall off for what is the right thing to do. We will continue to fight so others in Chris’ situation do not have to worry. We will prevail! Stand with us as we fight for cancer coverage. Stand with us so families can spend time together instead of having to fight organizations like OWCP for benefits.

Meeting -------------------------------------------------- Meeting December 5th

Vandenberg Professional Firefighters wish each and everyone of your a happy and SAFE Thanksgiving! Please keep in your hearts those who cannot be with their families, as they serve down range.