CPF Fire Wire

Cancer remains the leading cause of job-related illness and death among active firefighters.

Now, a worldwide scientific panel -- the International Agency for Research on Cancer -- has said it more plainly than ever --  being a firefighter can cause cancer.

On this edition of CPF Fire Wire, CPF President Brian Rice discusses the IARC finding and what it means for firefighters who've been denied presumptive Workers' Comp support. 

Guests:

Dr. Jeff Burgess, noted firefighter cancer researcher and invited contributor to the IARC working group.

Bryan Frieders, President, Firefighter Cancer Support Network

The cause of protecting the lives and livelihoods of firefighters must be defended every day. 

Nothing is forever.

On this edition of CPF Fire Wire, CPF President Brian Rice talks with Dave Coker, president of the Professional Firefighters of Greensboro (NC) Local 947.

A longtime labor leader who cut his teeth as a lineman and CWA organizer,  Brother Coker talks about the importance and value of the union movement in a state where collective bargaining is illegal. 

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Professional Firefighters of Greensboro

Organize the South Blog

West Virginia Mine Wars Museum

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams are an indispensable part of major disaster response. California is the birthplace of USAR, and firefighters form the foundation of the state's eight USAR Task Forces.

CPF President Brian Rice talks with one of the founders of USAR, Cal-OES Director Mark Ghilarducci. 

As the behavioral health challenges faced by firefighters come out of the shadows, peer support has become an important way for firefighters to comfortably share their struggles. CPF’s sponsored legislation signed in 2019 — AB 1116 — is designed to bring peer support into every fire department, with groundbreaking confidentiality provisions.

On this edition of CPF Fire Wire, CPF President Brian Rice talks with the author of AB 1116 — Assemblymember Tim Grayson — about the new law and the importance of peer support.

CPF President Brian Rice provides an update on CPF's work in Sacramento to protect its 32,000 front line firefighter members. Among the issues CPF is working on at the Capitol include:

-- Workers' Comp Presumptions -- Firefighters are facing months, and sometimes years of needless battles fighting insurers over presumptive workers' comp claims. CPF's signature legislative effort would crack down on local governments and insurance companies aggressive and routine denials.

-- Paramedic Wait Times -- Even before the COVID crisis, firefighter-paramedics have faced ER wait times of hours, as ambulances stack up waiting for patients to be transferred. CPF has been working on ways to moderate these epic "wall times", both now and in the future.

-- Employer Vaccine Mandates -- CPF is forcefully opposing recently introduced legislation that would impose a vaccine mandate on public and private employers, including building a statewide labor coalition.

-- Private Contract Firefighters -- President Rice discusses how CPF is pushing back against the encroachment of under-trained, poorly-paid private contract firefighters whose employers are trying to capitalize on California's wildfire crisis.

President Rice speaks in conversation with CPF's Sr. Communications Advisor Carroll Wills.

Fighting side-by-side in the halls of power, CPF and the building trades have formed a united front that has won many battles for working people, from retirement security to stopping contracting out services to low-wage, undertrained workers.

This month on CPF Fire Wire, CPF President Brian Rice has a conversation with one of the toughest and most influential labor leaders in the state: Robbie Hunter, outgoing president of the State Building and Construction Trades Council.

The two men discuss the common values shared by firefighters and construction workers, the critical need to protect health and safety for workers in a dangerous job, and the importance of working people standing united together.

cpf.org

cabuildingtrades.org

This past July marked the one-year anniversary of the dramatic and devastating fire aboard the U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault ship docked in San Diego.

In this edition of CPF Fire Wire, CPF President Brian Rice talks with San Diego Federal Firefighters Local F-33 President Ian Piccolo. They discuss the incredibly difficult and dangerous firefight, and the critical efforts to ensure that the toxic exposures faced by members are recognized and appropriately treated by the Navy and DOD.

Every day, firefighters are exposed to events and scenes few can imagine, and sometimes they can push men and women to the brink ... and beyond. In 2021, firefighters are more likely to die from suicide than from traumatic line of duty death.

In this edition of CPF Fire Wire, we hear the story of one firefighter's struggle, in his own words. Anaheim Firefighter/Paramedic Matt Fiorenza's story of how he came close to ending it all, and how he came back, will resonate with many. 

If you are struggling, you don't have to struggle alone. Help is available. HealingOurOwn.org. 

The challenges facing California remain as daunting as ever, from catastrophic wildfire to housing to COVID-19. The California Legislature is at the center of these challenges.

In the latest edition of CPF Fire Wire, President Brian Rice talks with the top leader in the California State Senate -- Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins. Senator Atkins serves the 39th District, located in San Diego, and has been a staunch ally and advocate for firefighters during her time as a legislator and before, as a member of the San Diego City Council. 

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Background, information about Senator Atkins: sd39.senate.ca.gov

A January California Superior Court ruling will, if upheld, permanently strike down the most draconian pension-slashing initiative in California history: San Diego’s Proposition B. The 2012 pension grab in San Diego, which wiped out secure pensions for all city workers except police officers, has been the subject of an eight-year court fight.

In the latest edition of CPF Fire Wire, President Brian Rice talks with San Diego City Firefighters Local 145 President Jesse Conner about the long legal fight, what the court decision means for retirement security, and the impact the San Diego fight will have on the ongoing effort to provide secure retirement for firefighters.