ATTACHED YOU WILL FIND FLYERS, AND REGISTRATION FORMS FOR OUR ANNUAL GOLF OUTING. IT IS TO BE HELD JULY 13TH, 2009 AGAIN AT BRANDYWINE GOLF COURSE.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!!

Safety Information For Firefighters Who May Be Exposed To Asbestos While On The Job

You may know that exposure to asbestos can cause a number of diseases, such as asbestosis or mesothelioma, a fatal type of cancer. But did you know that these asbestos-related diseases are completely avoidable? Each day, the brave men and women who serve their community as firefighters face the risk of exposure to asbestos, and it is absolutely necessary that they understand how to protect themselves.

News stories about firefighter asbestos exposure are being published every day. Just recently, in fact, firefighters responded to a deadly fire in a Seattle, Washington apartment, where an elderly man was killed. The older apartment building had been slated for demolition, and most likely contained asbestos in the form of insulation or floor and ceiling tiles.  Another fire occurred at a 104-year-old former school building in Texas recently, and firefighters responding to the blaze may also have been exposed to asbestos here, as the building was built almost 100 years before the dangers of asbestos were finally recognized by the government.

These firefighters, along with the majority of all other firefighters, were wearing the self-contained breathing apparatus, or SCBA, during the extinguishment phase, but had they removed their SCBA during the rehab and overhaul phase, they may have inhaled errant, airborne asbestos fibers that were released from cooling debris.  It is absolutely imperative that firefighters wear their SCBA at all times while at the scene of a fire, especially in a structure that was built prior to the institution of asbestos regulations in the early eighties. In addition, firefighters should clean all outerwear and other gear, such as gloves, goggles and boots to avoid transferring asbestos fibers from the scene of a fire to another location, as the rates of asbestos cancer caused by second-hand exposure are increasing.

August 28, 2008 – The IAFF has won a major benefit for its members through the enactment of legislation expanding student loan forgiveness benefits for professional fire fighters. H.R. 4137, the Higher Education Opportunity Act, creates a new program allowing fire fighters to receive up to $10,000 in student loan forgiveness and expands Perkins loan cancellation benefits to fire fighters.

The new benefits are separate and in addition to the new student loan forgiveness program for fire fighters with Federal Direct loans established last year.

“I am proud to announce that we have achieved substantial new benefits to provide immediate relief for IAFF members with student loans,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “By cancelling up to $10,000 in student loan obligations, these new programs provide a real and measurable financial benefit for IAFF members with college debt.”

Under one program for service in areas of national need, professional fire fighters would receive up to $2,000 in loan forgiveness for each year of employment on or after August 14, 2008. Benefits will be available for up to five years, for a potential total of $10,000 in forgiveness.

The Act also expands the current Perkins loan cancellation program to include professional fire fighters, providing up to 100 percent of such loans be forgiven over five years.

Although the Perkins loan forgiveness program is fully funded, benefits under the program for service in areas of national need will require additional spending by Congress.

The new benefits were championed by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Representative John Sarbanes (D-MD). In addition, the chairs of the relevant committees in the House and Senate played key roles in navigating the new benefit through Congress. “We owe yet another debt of gratitude to Chair Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and George Miller (D-CA) for their efforts on behalf of the nation’s fire fighters” Schaitberger added.

The IAFF will provide members and local leadership with additional information about the various student loan forgiveness programs for fire fighters in the near future.