Hendricks County Professional Firefighters International Association of Fire Fighters Local 4406 6319 E. US Hwy 36, Suite 9 Avon, Indiana 46123 www.local4406.org David Brock, President president@local4406.org Danny F. Brock, Jr, Vice-President vicepresident@local4406.org Jeff Schlageter, Secretary-Treasurer treasurer@local4406.org LOCAL 4406 DISTRICT LEADERS Jan Tate, Brownsburg District President Marc Davis, Brownsburg Trustee Bryan Fleck, Danville District President Eric Rollings, Danville Trustee
The
Straight Stream Hendricks County Professional Firefighters of Local 4406 PRESIDENT p. 3 VICE-PRESIDENT p. 3-4 DISTRICT NEWS p. 4-6 POLITICS AND THE FIRE SERVICE p. 7 UPCOMING EVENTS/RUN TOTALS 2014 p. 8
ABOUT THE COVER
Keith Ross, Pittsboro District President Steve Milstead, Pittsboro Trustee 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.
Simply made in the spirit of the Super Bowl given the timing of the publication and the portrayal of how the status of a Champion relates to much more than just sports. Our line of work and each person we serve often sees us as a Champion for them personally. We need to recognize that, embrace it, and live it each day. The negativity that often takes over daily conversations and brings down moral does not exist in a Championship environment. Being a Champion is more than just words.
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“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
A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT
DAVID BROCK
Members, This has been a very busy start to the year preparing the budget and gathering ideas with the executive board on how to better serve the members of our local. I would first like to congratulate District President Bryan Fleck and the members of Danville on getting Meet and Confer in place. I want to thank President Fleck for inviting me to Danville’s district meeting late last year to witness their process. I will educate the district leaders throughout this year on the benefits our members receive by bei being officially recognized in having Meet and Confer. With over 160 members in this local we need to unite our district leadership and make a more streamline operation in this county. It’s time that we truly lookout for our membership regardless of what district istrict the member or group of members that need support are in. If there is a need brought to my attention that requires a call to action, I will be calling on members from all of the districts to come together and stand united with the union leadership until our voices are heard and the issue at hand is resolved. There is strength in numbers, and it is time that our membership gets the proper recognition that we have always deserved. Recognition and respect isn’t just going to be given out by us
demanding ing it. I will be working hard to earn the recognition and respect on behalf of this membership with the administrations and politicians. This membership does a great job at serving the needs of the residents. My goal is to bring the recognition that you deserve to the politicians and the administrations when they forget the sacrifices that you make during budget times, or during the times when politicians take from us to fund projects that the people we serve in the community may not be in favor of at the th expense of public safety. I am looking forward to serving our membership this year and I know together we can become an asset to the community we serve by making sure that public safety is a priority in our communities. VICE-PRESIDENT
DANNY BROCK Members of Hendricks County Firefighters of L4406, L This month’ss newsletter will not be as long as the past two as we adjust to new leadership and take care of the Local’ss Administrative issues. We have been busy verifying ng our 501(C)5 501(C) status, securing the proper Liability Insurance, nsurance, aligning ourselves our with the state required Work Comp, Comp verifying dues for our budget presentation/approval, attending political meetings around the county, introducing ourselves 2nd Quarter 2014
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to the Chief’s of each department, and making sure L4406 is on target to be organized and succes successful for our members. ound Hendricks As part of our involvement around County, I would like to congratulate Bryan Fleck and the Danville Firefighters in theirr efforts to pass Meet and Confer. At the end of the process as sent in earlier communications, Chief Morgan and I sat down to verify the final vote which passed unanimously. Bryan’s steps, along with the support of the department all the way to the Chief and the political leaders they deal with, are a symbol of the unity our districts need to strive to achieve. Per Chief Morgan, Bryan has put the Danville Firefighters back in front of the public in a positive light and keeps them involved ved in the community. His efforts are readily apparent in his Quarterly Newsletter posts.
long time Middle Township Trustee Tru Tim Griffith (Brownsburg Fire), and Township Advisory Board Member Andy Zeunik (Brownsburg Fire), and Advisory Board Representative to the Territory Board Pat Carmean (Brownsburg Fire) it is easy to understand the comfort mfort level of the department. However, owever, as all districts should know, we are not always planning for the “now now”, we have to plan for the future when favorable leadership does not exist. ex With that said, Pittsboro is exploring the opportunity opportuni to get a new ambulance, ance, have recently purchased new ice suits, and appears to be financially sound in their budget. The members bers of Pittsboro should be happy and confident. We hope you enjoy this newsletter and look forward to the Second Quarter er Edition as some of our new leadership settles into their roles. roles AVON DISTRICT PRESIDENT
field have also been Avon, Brownsburg, and Plainfield busy in their own right. Robert Phipps (Avon) has been busy meeting with the Administration and State Rep Greg Steuerwald over items concerning the direction of the department and possible solutions to some issues within their walls. Jan Tate (Brownsburg) has been busy setting etting up committees and meeting with the Fire Territory Admin over his views and wishes for the members. Bobbie Dixon (Plainfield) eld) is working on a solution to streamline dues and dues payment for membership so it is simplified for the members and more co consistent for L4406. Pittsboro has been relatively quiet lately according to District President Ross. Under the department leadership of Chief Bill Zeunik (Brownsburg Fire) Fire), Assistant Chief Keith Rinehart (Brownsburg Fire),
ROBERT “Bob” PHIPPS Local 4406 Members, A lot going on in Avon we have had 2 of our senior members retire John Ruebeck a 21 year veteran And Dwayne Little 20 year veteran. Congratulations C to the both of them and wish them luck and we wish them luck on their new ventures. The two of them leaving has resulted in several promotions LT Jason Porter has been promoted to BC on A shift we have 3 new LT’s LT Bessler is at143 on B shift shi LT Mark Miller is at station 142 A shift and LT Brian Anderson is at Station 141 C shift. When you see them out on a 2nd Quarter 2014
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run make sure you congratulate them. DANVILLE DISTRICT PRESIDENT With that said, we are hiring four new personnel in the near future. We met with Greg Steward the other day about trying to change legislation to allow a transitional transfer in to PERF. We will se see how it goes. It will be a long and challenging process but we will keep you advised of our progress! BROWNSBURG DISTRICT PRESIDENT
JAN TATE Local 4406 Brownsburg Report: We are starting 2015 off with a positive attitude toward the future. We have had much discussion about how we can best serve our members and have a newly formed committee to explore Bid System options for our department. The Labor Committee has met to brainstorm future positive benefits for our members as well. We are looking forward to working with the Brownsburg Administration in these endeavors. I am thankful for the unity and support of all our members.
BRYAN FLECK We are extremely pleased to report that meet & confer passed in an election held last month in Danville. Brother Danny Brock met with Danville Fire Chief Mark Morgan to count the votes and certify the election. The Danville membership formally acknowledges and sincerely appreciates the cooperation of the Town of Danville, the Danville Fire Department administration, and the Local 4406 Executive Board. Last week, our new gym was delivered to Station 92. We would like to thank Marion Township and Chief Morgan for providing us with top of the line fitness and weight training equipment. The health and safety of our firefighters is a priority in Danville, and we anticipate providing many more ways to assist ass our men and women in this area. Our 2015 Mini Marathon team is 12 members strong at this point, and we are excited to see them all finish strong in the month of May. Finally, here are a few important dates to remember for the upcoming year:
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Mayberry Downhill Soap Box Derby 4/24 4/244/26 • National Night Out Against Crime 8/14 • Danville Christmas on the Square 11/27 We plan to participate in these events, so please mark your calendars and join us. Or, better yet, build a soap box derby car and try to beat us! •
One a sad note, I would like to inform everyone about the passing of one of our Life Lifetime DFD Members: Rex Goodwin, 80 Danville, passed away January 28, 2015 in St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis. Born September 27, 1934 in Danville, he was the son of Floyd Goodwin and Frances Hiatt Goodwin Emberton. He married Katherine Poole on December 5, 1969. At the age of 17, Rex joined the U S Navy during the Korean War. There he began his career as a fireman and continued serving with the Danville Fire Department, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Raceway Park Fire Services. He was a member of the Danville American rican Legion Post #118. He worked as a truckdriver for TSC for 18 years before retirement. In his younger days, he was a P R C A bull rider with the rodeo. Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Kathy Goodwin of Danville; sons, Rex Goodwin, Jr. (Janice)) of Illinois, Kenny Lee Bishop of Kentucky; daughters, Tara Michelle Funneman (Todd) of Illinois, Brenda Leigh Pierce (John) of Pittsboro; 8 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. Stay Safe, Bryan Fleck
PITTSBORO DISTRICT PRESIDENT
NO PHOTO
KEITH ROSS No news. Nothing has changed since the last report. Keith Ross PLAINFIELD DISTRICT PRESIDENT
BOBBIE DIXON No News. Bobbie Dixon
NOTICE: *Next District Articles will be due April 15, 2015 for distribution the following week to our members. 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. Sincerely, Danny Brock
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Hendricks County Professional Firefighters Of Local 4406 And District Politics Hendricks County Local 4406 PAC We have already had meetings requested by State Reps, State Senators, and others about our interest in politics that affect Hendricks County and our members. David has started the dialogue with the politicians and we will meet with our Executive Board and E-Board soon in order to decide our course of action and involvement since this is new territory for our local. However, we will likely put our name on someone with a minor contribution. Brownsburg Professional Firefighters PAC of Local 4406 Though not currently as involved in the happenings of the Town Council Meetings and Executive Board Meetings, District Trustee Marc Davis, Local President David Brock, and I continue to keep the district relationships built over the last few years for the benefit of the members. As District President Jan Tate pursues his vision for the members with full support of L4406, we realize the importance our Political Leadership can play in the direction of our Department and Department Leadership as well. Our PAC supported Town Council seats and Brown Township Trustee seat have began their journey and we continue to follow their progress as it relates to our members in Brownsburg. Danville Professional Firefighters PAC of Local 4406 Recent re-organization of the DFD Professional Firefighters PAC, a PAC Board, and participation is a promising sign for our brothers and sisters in Danville after some mishaps in the last election process. They have better educated themselves and organized, under the leadership of District President Bryan Fleck, for the next election process if they see a need to participate. As mentioned earlier, they also interacted positively and consistently with Town/Township Officials during the implementation of Meet and Confer by educating, informing, and acting. Washington Township Avon Fire Professional Firefighters PAC of Local 4406 Plenty to consider, however, nothing to watch in the near future as it relates to the Washington Township Avon Fire Department. Recent meetings with the Washington Township Trustee and State Reps are a good sign of the District’s political involvement and recognition of its importance to our members. No races of interest reported for the 2015 Primary. L4406 President, David Brock, along with District President Phipps recently attended the State of the Township Address for Washington Township and continue to communicate over the potential issues while acknowledging the progress presented to the Township Board and Residents. Plainfield Politics Nothing to report, but there are plans to attend Town meetings and begin relationship building so they may better understand our purpose versus having pre-conceived ideas based on “other” organized labor groups. Pittsboro Politics No PAC activity planned or elections of concern forthcoming. Andy Zeunik just started his elected term on the Township Advisory Board effective January 1, 2015.
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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 FEBRUARY – Local 4406 Meeting Feb 44-5. Pittsboro Town Council Meeting Feb 18th, Plainfield Town Council Feb 9th and 23rd, Washington Township Board Meeting (Washington Park Pavillion) Feb 10th, Brownsburg Town Council Meeting Feb 12th and 26th, Brownsburg Fire Territory Executive Board Meeting
MARCH – Government meetings (Check with District Leadership). APRIL – Newsletter sletter Articles Due April, 15 for publication by the end of the month.
Hendricks County Run Totals
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