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Hendricks County Professional Firefighters International Association of Fire Fighters Local 4406 6319 E. US Hwy 36, Suite 9 Avon, Indiana 46123 www.local4406.org Sean Atkinson, President president@local4406.org Danny F. Brock, Jr, Vice-President vicepresident@local4406.org Jeff Schlageter, Secretary-Treasurer treasurer@local4406.org
The
Straight Stream Hendricks County Professional Firefighters of Local 4406 A WORD FROM THE FOUNDER P. 3-4 PRESIDENT p. 5 VICE-PRESIDENT p. 5-6 DISTRICT NEWS p. 6-8
LOCAL 4406 DISTRICT LEADERS David Brock, Brownsburg District President Jon Zajicek, Brownsburg Trustee
EDITORIAL p. 9
Bryan Fleck, Danville District President -, Danville Trustee
CHIEF’S CORNER p. 12-13
Keith Ross, Pittsboro District President Steve Milstead, Pittsboro Trustee
POLITICS AND THE FIRE SERVICE p. 10-11
UPCOMING EVENTS/RUN TOTALS 2013 p. 14
ABOUT THE COVER Roberta (Bobbie) Dixon, Plainfield District President -, Plainfield Trustee Robert (Bob) Phipps, Washington Township/Avon District President -, Washington Township/Avon Trustee GENERAL COUNSEL Matthew G. Langenbacher, Esq. Attorney At Law NEWSLETTER Publisher Danny F. Brock, Jr. Creative Services, Art/Promotion Danny F. Brock, Jr. *If interested in creating the cover for the next issue, please contact Danny Brock at 317-717-0299 to discuss and submit artwork for consideration. Material must be appropriate in nature and reflect the fire service or Local 4406 in a positive manner.
The cover for this month is graphic intense and signifies “Solidarity Under Fire”. In meeting with our Districts this month, it is apparent we are growing. However, there is still a resistance to change and support from Local 4406 and its officers. We are here for each other and working towards a common goal. It is not the intent of Local 4406 or its officers to destroy a good thing by forcing our way into the districts. We merely need to implement the tools available so we are prepared when the day comes we are not happy with our leadership or political direction. It is about protecting what we have, not taking what does not exist. Stay united, stay involved, and move forwards…never backwards.
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Members, It has been asked by many members, both new and old, why we left Local 416. Given that there has been a considerable change in our departments since the choice to become Hendricks County Professional Firefighters of Local 4406 and it was in process as I was hiring on in 2006, I did not have an answer. As the founder of Local 4406 encompassing all 5 departments as it does today versus just Danville, I asked Jerry Harder to share some history. His integral part of what we are, what we are becoming, and the relationships our local has with District 5 and the PFFUI cannot be forgotten. Regardless of our opinion of Local 4406, it past leadership as well as current, everyone has added to what this union has become. Any inception will face challenges and I have asked Jerry to become a regular contributor to the ne wsletter at his discretion in order to communicate any topics of interest about our local so we don’t forget that from which we come. Danny Brock Vice-President Local 4406
A MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER
JERRY HARDER I have often heard firefighters within Hendricks County question why Avon, Brownsburg/Pttsboro, and Plainfield firefighters broke off from Indianapolis Local 416. Some have questioned whether this was a good move and if we have the same representation. I would like to provide a little background of where we were and where we are now. The initial details of this information will start when I became the District President for Brownsburg Professional Firefighters Local 416 which I believe was around the middle of 2004 (Brownsburg also represented Pittsboro Firefighters - Avon Fire and Plainfield Fire were also part of Local 416.) I had taken the position after the Brownsburg District President Troy Wymer took a new job at Wayne Township. The President of Local 416 at that time was Mike Reeves and the Indiana State Fire Fighter’s Union President was Tom Hanify. I learned a lot from these 2 guys during my time with Local 416 and I spent a great deal of time at the Union Hall. They were always available whenever I had a question about anything. Hanify was always very vocal about the rights of firefighters and protecting their benefits. Hearing Hanify fired up was always motivation to get involved within the union! I had the privilege to attended several classes held by the State Union and the IAFF. I was able to attend 3 State conventions and 1 IAFF Convention in Toronto. Being able to watch our union leadership in action was rewarding and encouraging. I had the chance to meet many other firefighters that held union positions within other state locals as well as out of state locals. Tony Murray is a Noblesville Firefighter, President of Hamilton County Firefighters Local 4416, and the 5th District VP for the State Union. Tony was a great resource on about everything. If he didn’t have the answer, he knew were to get it. Another helpful resource was Indiana State Union VP Tommy Miller (currently Secretary Treasurer for the IAFF.) For me Tommy was easy to talk to. He was level headed, calm, and was able to take a rough situation and find a solution. Both Tommy Miller and Tony Murray were great resources to call upon. The down side to being a part of Indianapolis Professional Firefighters Local 416 was that Avon, Brownsburg, and Plainfield were in Hendricks County, not Indianapolis. Our Hendricks County politics meant nothing to Local 416. We spent our money to have a big name behind us like Indianapolis. I won’t lie but it was nice having that name on my back. We were a part of something big, just not in our County. We (Brownsburg/Pittsboro, Avon, and Plainfield) were little fish in a big pond. It was tough for our State/Local Leaders to stay up on Hendricks County politics. To add to this we were a county away and it was often difficult for those leaders to attend district meetings within Hendricks County. Over the next 3 years, Avon Fire, Brownsburg Fire, and Plainfield Fire Departments grew their locals by adding more firefighters to cover the ever increasing run load. President Mike Reeves and President Hanify approached the District
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Presidents in Hendricks County several times about becoming their own local. They had made the comment that we weren’t getting the representation from Local 416 that we needed and thought that we could survive on our own. They compared Hendricks County to Hamilton County. Hamilton County at one time was a part of Local 416 and the number of IAFF members in that county was growing so fast that Hamilton County soon broke off from Local 416 and formed Local 4416. They are a strong Local with even stronger leadership. A little side note. Danville Professional Fire Fighters were the first to start Hendricks County Firefighters Local 4406. They did this in anticipation that one day all Hendricks County Professional Firefighters would consolidate. So around January of 2006 – Joey Biekes, Jim Hieston, Becky Allen, Josh Westrich, Rich Lau, myself, and I’m sure that there were others from 4406 that started meeting on a regular basis, hammering out the details of becoming our own Local. We had several meetings with Tony Murray and Tom Hanify. Since Hamilton County was about the size of Hendricks County with membership and departments, we were able to mirror our Local after theirs. There were several items of concern that we needed to figure out. The cost was a big concern, whether or not our membership wanted to split off, who would run the local, offices, salaries, and the list goes on. Throughout the rest of the year, those of us that had been meeting began to talk with our membership about the possible change. One of the most important items we discussed was becoming one voice! One voice fighting for the right reasons. We had the numbers to fight for what is right and to support each district during their time of need. We received a lot of good feedback but also received a lot of “what if’s.” During the latter part of the year we had made several presentations to each district and each shift. This presentation outlined everything we had done - the financial aspect of the local, the potential membership totals, office location, everything! November rolled around and each member casted their vote on consolidating into one local or stay with Local 416. We had an overwhelming vote to consolidate and that next month we had nominations for the leadership of Local 4406. Local 416 did offer to take us back if Local 4406 failed. We never failed! January 1 st 2007, Hendricks County Local 4406 was officially created. So where are we today? I think that we are on our 3 rd president in 7 and half years, the office has been moved 4 different times with 3 of those times in the same building, our membership is growing, 9th largest local in the state, meet and confer has been established with a couple of departments, PAC accounts are HUGE, and a strong leadership (not as strong as Rich and I but close) within our Local. Since the inception of Local 4406, we have had some big victories representing our membership I believe that our leadership is getting stronger every day and I see our membership numbers increasing. This local can’t operate without you. Show up to the district and local meetings. Voice your ideas or concerns! Stand for what you believe in! Always do what is right and don’t ever take your job for granted. If you want change within your local government, contribute to PAC and get involved. Don’t be that person that complains under your breath and mouths off about how bad you think you have it. There are other firefighters out there that would love to have a job of a career firefighter. But don’t worry! You do have options! 1. You can always quit and find another job as a firefighter! 2. Stay positive, do your job to the best of your ability. 3. Continue to have a bad attitude, mope around the firehouse all day so that the other firefighters can see you. Bottom line – Stay positive! This is the best job in the world! Jerry “We the willing, led by the unknowing, have been doing the impossible for the ungrateful for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing" -Bill Kindrick
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A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT
SEAN ATKINSON
VICE-PRESIDENT
DANNY BROCK
Brothers and Sisters,
Members,
Thank you all so much for allowing me to represent you as President of Local 4406. I am proud to be serving you.
It is with great pleasure we bring back the newsletter. Given that Local 4406 consists of just over 150 Members and 5 Departments, we felt that a quarterly approach was justified in order to keep news relevant and interesting. I am quite certain we will forget something of importance for some member(s), but that is what this is about…COMMUNICATION. If a member feels something needs communicated, please forward such information to Local 4406 via e-mail and we will take it into consideration. The primary purpose of bringing back the newsletter is so everyone is kept informed around the county while fostering participation and communication among the members around Hendricks County.
This has been a very busy year for the Local as well as for the Districts. At the Local level we have been reviewing our by-laws along with the PAC by-laws. We have also looked to reduce are over head as we moved from the attic to the basement which is better suited for doing business. The Districts have been busy as they try to increase communications with their perspective administrations, politicians, and executive boards. With the economy still uncertain we still have a lot of work that needs to be done. As we grow within Hendricks County we have to educate our local governments that we, Public Safety, have to grow too. With more people and growth comes more responsibility for us. We need to strive to grow our staffing and benefits so that we can meet these new challenges. A big thank you goes out to the Golf Committee for doing an outstanding job organizing our 8th Annual Golf Outing for the Hoosier Burn Camp (June 13, 2014). The outing was a huge success as we were able to raise approximately $5000.00 dollars to go to the Hoosier Burn Camp. Please make sure if you see Keith Rinehart, Todd Miller, Jeff Corder, Mike Wolfe or Keith Ross that you congratulate them on a job well done. Great job guys! In closing please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you and please be safe.
To start off, I want to say a quick “Thank You” to Alex Brand and Beacon Sign Company for the designing of the decals that were made available at a very reasonable cost. On behalf of the Hoosier Burn Camp Golf Outing, I would also like to thank Beacon Sign Company and its ownership for the quick work on the signage for the golf outing at a very reasonable price for Local 4406 and the sponsors of the event. As far as Local 4406 District involvement outside of events and inventory, we have been much more active as a whole with the state and each district within our local. Our Local Officers will continue to be present at some of the Town Council Meetings, Township Board Meetings, Executive Board Meetings, and Local 4406 District Meetings around the county as we move forward. As far as individual District News, each elected leader of your particular District of Local 4406 should be having bimonthly meetings to keep members informed while contributing to the newsletter to inform others of the (hopefully) positive happenings within their respective departments. With our involvement, we are gaining momentum and statewide recognition as the 9th largest local in the state. District 5 VP Tony Murray recognized Brownsburg
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Professional Fire Fighters’ PAC efforts at the PFFUI State Convention so congrats to our PAC Board. I was able to consult with a couple departments in District 5 who were seeking advice on policies from L4406 to apply to their own Locals or departments during cocktail hour after Day 2. We also made many new relationships with state leadership and fostered existing ones. David Brock – Brownsburg District President, Marc Davis – Chair Brownsburg Professional Fire Fighters PAC, and myself were in attendance and heard many interesting topics and participated in District 5 Caucus over lunch at Buca Di Beppo (paid for by District 5). We will keep our members informed of legislation proposed at the convention as it becomes a reality. Our participation has also fostered a movement to further organize PAC’s in Avon, Danville, and Pittsboro while also starting to pursue Meet and Confer with some of them as well. This organization is needed for the progress of Local 4406 as a whole. We are prepared to educate our members in each department as requested by our Brothers and Sisters around Hendricks County. It is not out of the question to bring in District 5 Leadership and even Legal Counsel, if warranted, for further education as we move forward with the aforementioned steps being pursued and considered.
feel our departmental leaders should have our best interests in mind, that is not always the case. At the end of the day, they answer to the political entities that govern public safety, our communities, and tax dollars. As with any professional position responsible for fiscal decision making, the ultimate loyalty is to those that appoint them to their positions while trying to keep the employees in mind. We have to be stern in our direction, but understanding in our approach. Ultimately, it is the citizens we serve, our co-workers we protect, and our families that count on us to provide for them. So while we negotiate budgets, participate in political campaigns, and discuss issues with our Upper Level Policy Makers, be mindful of their job and the positions we take. There is always an answer and there is always a solution so don’t be afraid to make a decision, take a side, and ask questions.
AVON DISTRICT PRESIDENT
ROBERT “Bob” PHIPPS
Plainfield has nearly doubled their membership since January 1, 2014 and continues to pursue members while Danville and Pittsboro have attained a 100% participation status. While Brownsburg has stayed at 99% for quite a few years and Avon has remained steady. Membership and participation is key to our growth and organization as a whole so keep it up.
It has been a long and interesting year at the Avon Fire Department. We lost 2 firefighters to other departments or other employment and recruited 2 replacements. One replacement quit after a few days and the other is in recruit class now. We are currently in the process of hiring a few more firefighters for appropriate staffing levels here at Avon.
Recently, Local 4406 Leadership along with the District Presidents of Local 4406 have consulted with some individual members facing the Local Disability Pension Process at a couple of our 77 Fund departments. Each member received Class 1 recommendations from both Local Pension Boards as the cases head to the state while you read this newsletter. However, with the positives come some negatives. We have some other issues developing in the county and have felt reluctance in letting Local 4406 Officers and Local 4406 District Leadership into the picture for discussions along with the employees involved in potential issues that could affect employment not related to discipline. This again reiterates the need for the previously mentioned pieces of the puzzle to be completed.
WPE has been implemented this year, SOP's are in the review process as of this writing. Also, our long awaited retirees supplement is also in effect and awaiting the first deposit. This has been a long anticipated and highly desired proposal over the last 4 years and we are excited to have it in place. This is just another tool to help our employees in the next phase in their lives of retirement. We are currently looking into to the possibility in becoming PERF and will take legislation to change some laws/rules so we can become a split department, since age is a deciding factor.
With that said, we as members need to keep in mind that it is our departmental leaders’ responsibility to lead and make hard decisions with or without our input. As the Upper Level Policy Makers of our departments, that is what they have been appointed or hired to do. Though we
As a department we are trying to move in the direction of Meet and Confer, we feel that it is time and we are going to start the process soon. I have been in talks with Local 4406 about the topic recently and resources are being pooled for an education seminar soon.
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BROWNSBURG DISTRICT PRESIDENT
encourage all of our members to stay involved even in our stable times. Our success is only possible by our brothers and sisters being involved in this local. It is still an honor to serve this district.
DANVILLE DISTRICT PRESIDENT
DAVID BROCK I would like to start this article off by expressing my appreciation to the local 4406 for bringing back the newsletter, I really like the new look. I was just looking through my old files and realized that my last article from Brownsburg was in January of 2011, I hope that this newsletter is here to stay. This is a great way for our districts to stay informed on the rest of the county. We have been very busy during the first half of this year in Brownsburg. At the start of the year our members received a 2% pension base raise, the first raise in about six years. In a collaborative effort between labor and the administration we were able to make this happen. We also purchased an engine last year, two new medic units this year, new Scott SCBA packs that will be delivered very soon, and there has been a committee working on purchasing new fire and EMS gear as well as a committee working on the purchase of a new ladder truck. Thanks to all of the union members for all of their hard work in making these things possible for our department. The next topic that I would like to cover is the success by our PAC Board in this year’s primary. I cannot say enough about the dedication and effort put forth by our PAC board here in Brownsburg. The board interviewed candidates for two races, one was a race for a Brownsburg Town Council seat and the other race was for the Brown Township Trustee seat. They interviewed all four candidates and made their recommendation to endorse and financially support a candidate in each of the races. The recommendation was supported by a vote of our PAC members and we were successful in both races. The candidate that we supported in the Brown Township race won with 66% of the votes and the Brownsburg Town Council candidate that we supported won with 58% of the votes. I am looking forward in working with both candidates in January. I have served the members of Brownsburg as the District President for the last five years. In that time, we have been through a lot of ups and downs. Since my last article we have pensioned a couple of members off and we lost a brother, Dave Schanz, to cancer. I would like to thank our members for sticking together through our down times and
BRYAN FLECK First, the Danville district would like to thank Local 4406 leadership for restarting this newsletter and for their renewed commitment to an active union and progressive brotherhood of professional firefighters. In April, the members elected Bryan Fleck as L4406 VicePresident of the Danville District. The position was vacant after our past president left the department to pursue a career in Indianapolis. We wish him the best in his future endeavors. In May, Danville hosted the Mayberry in the Midwest festival. The entire town worked together tirelessly and contributed to the overwhelming success of this event. We not only had over 5,000 people visit for the festivities, but DFD took first place in the soapbox derby race. We hereby challenge all Hendricks County Fire Departments to enter next year’s race and attempt to defeat us. Good luck. This summer, we will review bylaws and properly form a political action committee to appropriately interview candidates who seek our endorsement in all future elections. The timing of the May primary limited our involvement as a district; however, individual members spent their free time assisting with several campaigns. We are proud to report that we have 100% union membership of career PERF firefighters at Danville. Our solidarity is an important step toward increasing countywide membership, pride in our local, and will also lay the framework for future political involvement. We will continue to remain respectful to the rank and tradition of
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DFD while continuing to strengthen our ability to support the best interests of our firefighters. We have excellent rapport with our administration, elected officials, and the community. These relationships will aid us as we move forward with officer development, continuing education, and good civic stewardship.
Plainfield for greener fields east at Greenfield Fire Department. Ashley Strickland has applied for disability due to a back injury. Waiting on final word from state.
PITTSBORO DISTRICT PRESIDENT
Thanks to Mike Wolfe for his hard work with the Golf Outing on behalf of Plainfield with the rest of the Committee.
NO PHOTO
Adam and Catherine Hurford welcomed their baby boy into the world on February 6.
The final inspection on Plainfield’s newest ambulance was completed this week, delivery should be forthcoming. The apparatus committee has purchase of two (2) E1 Engines.
KEITH ROSS The Pittsboro FD would like to welcome Chief Zeunik and Assistant Chief Rinehart. We as a department are excited in the direction in which these two strong individuals are displaying leadership and support for our community. A nomination for the vacant trustee position took place in May with Steve Milstead taking office. A big thank you to Steel Dynamics and both Chief Zeunik and Chief Rinehart for working together to obtain a donation of new rope rescue equipment, confined space equipment, Hurst Equipment, ice suits, and a stair chair. The department is in the process of purchasing approximately thirty sets of fire gear with the help of Lt Vogel.
recommended
the
PFT has recommended to the town council the use of Tenzinga for employee reviews. NOTICE: *Next District Articles will be due September 12th, 2014 for distribution the following week to our members. The articles for our last News Letter for 2014 will be due December 12th, 2014. Members, if there is anything you would like noted by the District President of Local 4406, please let them know prior to the dates above.
The 8th annual Hoosier Burn Camp golf outing was a great success. We would like to thank the local 4406 golf outing committee, volunteers, and participants for all of their hard work and dedication.
PLAINFIELD DISTRICT PRESIDENT
BOBBIE DIXON Plainfield District now has 20 members and continues to aggressively recruit new members. Justin Holliday left
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EDITORIAL DANNY BROCK VICE-PRESIDENT LOCAL 4406 As I was planning the newsletter considering topics to discuss, I was sent a video about relationships by Bishop Thomas Dexter Jakes, Sr. This video really made me think about the relationships I have going on around me as one of the elected leaders of our organization. Then I began to think about how we, in the fire service, use the terms ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ almost daily. So I would like to compare this sermon about relationships to us as union members, firefighters, and EMS providers. For the sake of space, I will use the term “brotherhood” or “he” universally in reference to all relationships both male and female. This is not a religious article, merely food for thought.
Bishop Jakes defined friends as Confidants, Constituents, and Comrades. Each of them has a different level of feeling towards the individual, their cause they support, and what they oppose. This is where it gets interesting in trying to evaluate the definition of “brother or sister’. Ultimately, we are each of these things as he defines them, but we need to work towards the most involved level of all friendships to truly function as we are meant. Confidants are those people in your life who support you, support what you are for, and support what you are against. They are the friend that can keep your deepest secrets and will be with you through the good and bad to the most extreme. This person will not visit you in jail, they will likely be there with you. They will not save you from danger, they will die with you if that is what it takes. The confidant is truly a friend at the highest level. They are happy when you are happy, sad when you are sad, and mad when you are mad. Your confidant will have your back, PERIOD! So if you have good news and your friend is not happy for you, they are not your confidant. If you have bad news and they turn their back…well you do the math. A Confidant is your Brother or Sister’s keeper. Next is the Constituent. This person is not for you, they are not against what you are against, they are for what you support. They support your cause and are probably the most common friend we find. They don’t truly care about you, they care about what you can offer the causes they support. Once you can’t help their cause or don’t support what they support, they will be gone. This is a good person to have around and these friends are most common as it is rare to have more than a few true Confidants in a lifetime. Here we see Professional Brotherhood as we experience it daily. Lastly is the Comrade. Comrades are against what you are against, but do not support you or what you support. In short, the Comrade is against everything the individual or group is against so they join causes on a “for now” basis. They come and go based on how you can help them stop actions or defeat their opposition. More often than not, they show themselves in political fights. Many will come out to support a group, in the form of a Comrade, against a politician who has thwarted efforts of advancement for the individual and sometimes the organization. A Comrade can be a powerful friend in defeating the defined enemy, but once the fight is over they can be your worst enemy. Putting too much faith in a Comrade can lead to your own downfall. Again, this type is most likely found in Political Brotherhood. Each of these friendships exists in our lives and is ultimately a type of Brotherhood, so to speak. Confidants define Brotherhood at its most faithful level. Then there is Professional Brotherhood described under Constituents, which is seen in the unionizing of some professions or jobs with a common interest. Technically this is a brotherhood, but only due to the simple fact the members have become brothers because of their mutual interest in the organization or cause. Anyone against their cause is either educated and converted or possibly cast aside for the next person who may be able to help the groups cause. Constituents support the cause, not the person. Rounding out the friendships described is the Comrade. The Comrade speaks for himself. They are not positive, but necessary at times in defeating what we are against. Ultimately, we should try to be Confidants. However, we will likely fall short and end up a mixture of all three categories at different times allowing relationships to come and go at different levels as is naturally found in all of our lives. The elected leadership of Local 4406 should always strive to be Confidants while representing our members regardless of how we define any particular employee. On the other hand, the members who have chosen to come together should use the union leadership wisely to protect their interests and defeat those who oppose them even if you did not elect the Local or District leader as they should always strive to have the members’ interests at hand though you may not always perceive it as such. We are in Local 4406 by choice and should operate as such at all times in order to preserve the integrity of our organization as we move forward.
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Hendricks County Professional Firefighters Of Local 4406 And District Politics Brownsburg Professional Firefighters PAC of Local 4406 The Brownsburg Professional Firefighters PAC of Local 4406 interviewed candidates and conferred regarding their answers over a list of general questions asked to each candidate equally. Prior to the May 6th Primary Election, they communicated their Endorsements of Tom Kmetz for Brown Township Trustee and Glenn Nulty for Brownsburg Town Council. The other seats were unopposed and were either already occupied by a Public Safety Friendly individual or the new Electee has appeared to be Public Safety Friendly. Those unopposed seats were Donovan Peoples, Lincoln Township Trustee, and Dennis Dawes, Brownsburg Town Council. After the Endorsements, the PAC sent out a vote to all members regarding financial contributions to each candidate and the vote passed 38-3 in support of the now Brown Township Elect, Tom Kmetz, and 39-2 in support of now Brownsburg Town Council Elect, Glenn Nulty. Many PAC members volunteered their time designing signage, printing banners, and knocking on doors for the respective candidates as well as physically working the Voting Sites around Brownsburg. The results were convincing and the candidates victories were 66%-34% in favor of Elect Kmetz and 55%-45% in favor of Elect Nulty. This is two elections straight where the Brownsburg PAC Members have either helped with an election or both endorsed and helped where the candidates were victorious. Great job to the Brownsburg Professional Firefighters PAC of Local 4406 and continue to support those who support Public Safety. It has been stated by the District Leadership and PAC Board that their loyalty is not to the individual, but to the actions of the individual in the respective positions of leadership.
*Above are copies of the billboard signs paid for by the BPFF PAC of L4406. Both candidates received great feedback regarding their signs placed on I-74 West Bound as commuters reached Brownsburg.
Danville Professional Firefighters PAC of Local 4406 Under the new leadership of District President Bryan Fleck, Danville had their first District meeting just prior to the elections and had a strong vocal support for a candidate in the race for Center Township Trustee. The VP of Local 4406 attended the meeting and, upon investigation for Danville, found that they had nobody participating in PAC and they could not vote to support or use PAC funds to support the candidate on short notice. However, the individuals of Danville Fire did take it upon themselves to physically assist at the Polls in a positive effort for the incumbent. Each member acted independent of the Local and their Department allowing them to support whomever they wanted for the races in their town as individuals. They are in the process of organizing their PAC, PAC contributions, and By-Laws. Their voice will be heard in future elections should they decide their endorsement and support is needed for any of the respective seats concerning their department. Washington Township Avon Fire Professional Firefighters PAC of Local 4406 Avon Fire’s District President, Robert Phipps, did not have any seat running opposed that warranted PAC involvement. During the elections, he was working on Avon’s Retirement package and other matters for the department. However, after seeing the political happenings around Hendricks County, he has taken on the task of organizing their PAC and putting together a PAC Board for future elections in Washington Township and Avon. He is also working on their by-laws concurrently. *Pittsboro and Plainfield have PAC’s and are working on participation and education for their respective members. They were not recently involved in the political races of their respective Districts.
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District Politics Con’t… A few photos from the Brownsburg District Endorsed Elections
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CHIEF’S CORNER ASSISTANT CHIEF, JOEL THACKER BROWNSBURG FIRE TERRITORY As we draw close to official “summertime” we will experience days in which the temperature and humidity will be high. This increase in temperature and humidity will decrease our ability to perform at a high level for an extended period of time. Take some time to review heat stress and hydration. Let’s do all we can before the incident to ensure that we can perform at our highest level. What is heat stress? When a person is exposed to high environmental temperatures, which can cause the body’s temperature to rise above normal (with the exception of fever), heat stress can occur. The less the difference between a person’s core body temperature and the environmental temperature (thermal gradient), the greater the chances of heat stress. Firefighting, by its nature, is strenuous and often exposes the firefighter to extremely high temperatures with little opportunity or capacity for the body to cool. The use of protective bunker gear actually worsens the situation because it traps both heat and humidity next to the skin, which adversely impacts cooling. How is heat stress prevented? Heat stress can be prevented by ensuring appropriate fluid and electrolyte intake, rotating personnel to ensure an equal distribution of strenuous work, the use of active cooling techniques, and appropriate rest intervals. Fluid and Electrolyte Intake It is essential to drink water before thirst develops whether on the fire ground or the training ground (ideally every 20 minutes). On days when heat stress is likely, it is ideal to pre-hydrate the day before your shift begins, if possible. Beverages with alcohol and caffeine should not be used as these can exacerbate heat stress. Fluid loss has to be replaced to avoid impairment of body functions. Make sure that daily apparatus checks include filling the water cooler with fresh ice and water. Set up the water cooler early in an incident with plenty of cups and ensure personnel are drinking regularly. This is particularly important for personnel working inside a fire structure. It is important to note that the thirst mechanism is a delayed response. By the time you feel thirsty, you are dehydrated by approximately one liter. It is very difficult to catch up and replace this lost liter during vigorous exercise. This is why the firefighter should pre-hydrate, hydrate, and rehydrate whenever possible. If the firefighter is involved in intense physical activities for more than one hour, the supervisor should consider fluid replacements that contain a carbohydrate solution such as sports drinks, and 6 oz. to 8 oz. (175 mL to 235ml) should be consumed every 15 minutes during the activity. It is recommended that the drinks be cool and flavored, as the firefighter will tend to consume more. It is essential to drink water before thirst develops whether on the fire ground or the training ground (ideally every 20minutes). Percent of Body Weight (lost) Signs and Symptoms 1% Thirst 3% Elevated heart rate 4-5% Decrease in work capacity by up to 30% Rest and Work Rotation Some environments are too hot to allow continuous exposure. Heat stress can be diminished and effective work performance can be maintained through rehabilitation during rest periods .This is often linked to SCBA air cylinder time (approximately 20 minutes).Rest periods will limit accumulation of metabolic heat and when combined with rehydration and active cooling will also allow the release of body heat and the lowering of core body temperature before the fire-fighter returns to the task. Crews can be assigned from other stations to avoid committing first responding crews to a long-duration incident. Activate extra alarms if it is likely that you will need to rotate crews more frequently due to the heat. This allows for staging and crew rotation. Studies have shown that during intense workloads, core temperatures continue to increase even when the work has discontinued. Firefighters might feel that adequate cooling has taken place; however, their core temperature can
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continue to rise. Active Cooling Firefighters should “dress down,” removing their bunker coats, helmets, gloves, and so forth, and open their bunker pants to release trapped heat. The use of active cooling through wet towels, forearm immersion, misting fans, and/or air-conditioning can significantly lower core body temperature during normal rehabilitation periods between cylinder changes. Percent of Body Weight (Lost) by dehydration Signs and Symptoms 1% Thirst 3% Elevated heart rate (pulse) 4–5% Decrease in work capacity by up to 30% Managing heat stress and hydration prior to and during your shift can help prevent injury and illness on the fireground. Do your part to ensure efficient and effective emergency scene operations this summer.
HYDRATION CHARTS FOR REFERENCE
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Hendricks County Professional Fire Fighters IAFF Local 4406 6319 E. US Hwy 36, Suite 9 Avon, Indiana 46123 www.local4406.org JUNE – Hoosier Burn Camp Golf Outing (Done), Local 4406 Decal Orders Submitted and Inventory Ordered, New Local 4406 T-Shirt Design Pre-Orders forthcoming (Kids sizes will be included) JULY – July 14-18 IAFF Convention in Cincinnati (Jeff Schlageter and Sean Atkinson to attend), Local 4406 Quarterly Meeting (TBD Due to IAFF Convention) AUGUST – Football Season Is Back!!!, School resumes for the kids SEPTEMBER – Local 4406 Quarterly Newsletter, 9-11 Memorial at Williams Park Car Show & Festival September 13th - 8am to 3pm at Williams Park in Brownsburg
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