International Association of Firefighters
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| Full name | International Association of Fire Fighters |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1918 |
| Members | 300,000 (2012) |
| Affiliation | AFL–CIO, CLC |
| Key people | Harold A. Schaitberger, president |
| Office location | Washington, D.C. |
| Country | United States, Canada |
| Website | iaff.org |
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is a labor union representing professional fire fighters and emergency medical services personnel in the United States and Canada. The IAFF was formed in 1918 and is affiliated with the AFL-CIO in the United States and the Canadian Labour Congress in Canada. The IAFF has more than 300,000 members in more than 3,200 affiliates in every U.S. state and in Canada. IAFF members protect 85 percent of the U.S. population.
The IAFF is one of the most active lobbying organizations in Washington. Its Political Action Committee, FIREPAC, is among the top 25 federal PACs among the more than 4,000 in the country.
The IAFF was formed in 1918 when fire fighters worked 24-hour shifts on continuous duty and received salaries as low 29 cents an hour. The IAFF has fought for better wages, benefits and working conditions and improved safety for its members, as well as greater public safety services for the communities they serve. The IAFF is the driving force behind nearly every advance in the fire and emergency services in the 21st century — from the introduction of shift schedules to the enactment of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program, which provided federal funding for fire departments to hire and retain fire fighters. With extremely active political and legislative programs, and with recognized experts in the fields of occupational health and safety, fire-based emergency medical services and hazardous materials training, the IAFF has established professional standards for the North American fire service.
The IAFF is a member driven organization — for fire fighters, by fire fighters.
The IAFF has announced plans to open the Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery in 2017 located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland (outside Washington, DC). The IAFF Center of Excellence is intended for IAFF members only and will offer treatment for recovery from post-traumatic stress and co-occurring addictions in hopes to help IAFF members return to the job. The center also will serve to train and educate peer support members in the treatment of post-traumatic stress and substance abuse in the fire fighter population. The ultimate goal is to develop protocols for fire departments to use to help fire fighters. .
The organization is non-partisan. It endorsed the successful gubernatorial candidacies of Rick Perry (Texas), Terry McAuliffe (Virginia), and Mitch Daniels (Indiana), and has endorsed several Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Examples of the IAFF’s endorsement of Republicans in 2010 include Senators Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Chuck Grassley (Iowa); and Representatives Sam Graves (MO/6), John Shimkus (IL/19), Geoff Davis (KY/4) and Peter King (NY/3).
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