See the following press release from the Skokie Fire Department regarding the service for Brother Andy Cutting.
Lifestyle Preliminary Assessment
Your AFFI Resiliency Committee is committed to providing emotional, mental and physical support to the Firefighters of Illinois. To successfully provide and allocate the appropriate resources, initial data must be collected. This short survey should take you approximately 3 minutes to complete.
Below, you will be asked a series of questions about your well-being. Please answer each question as accurately as possible, and only take the survey one time.
Click the link to take the survey: https://forms.office.com/r/Y7i1tdg0id
Thank you
Committee Chair Joe Galli
Co-Chair Andrew Scott
CALLING ALL CCHS & SIU YOUNG WOMEN
Badd Axe Ladies is excited to return for its 2nd annual program for any young woman interested in learning more about the fire service! If you want to live a day in the shoes of a firefighter, see what we do, and try out a few skills, this program is for you!
New additions and changes this year:
~Now welcoming any SIU students in addition to Carbondale High School students..
~Accepting 8 young ladies..
~Now a two-day event!
~Job Shadow Day—either March 15th or March 21st
~Group Skills Day, with live fire burns—Saturday, March 25th (Rainout date, Saturday, April 1st)
We are so excited to offer this program in conjunction with the City of Carbondale, Carbondale Fire Department, Carbondale Community High School, and Southern Illinois University!
Check out our flyer or call the fire station to find out more info!
Watch a promotional video for the event here: Video
An important message from President Sullivan about Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month:
Brother Brad Belanger of Sycamore Firefighters Local 3406 was recently diagnosed with cancer. See the following letter from his Union Brothers. Please consider donating to the GoFundMe. T-shirts will be made available in the future also.
When Brad reached out to his brothers about his recent esophageal cancer diagnosis, we were all
shocked. He began having medical issues in late October and received his diagnosis earlier this month. Brad has been a full-time Firefighter/Paramedic with Sycamore for 22 years, being an active member with the department, participating in technical rescue, the SFD health and safety committee, the department’s fleet and building maintenance programs, SCBA maintenance, and many other facets within the fire service. He is also an active and participating member of Local 3046 and has always supported the AFFI and IAFF. He grew up in the fire service with his father Bob (Glen Ellyn FD), and lives in the community with his wife and two children. Since Brad’s diagnosis, he and his family have been quite overwhelmed with tests, scans and procedures
that come with the staging process. Final staging reports will be complete later this week, and
simultaneously treatment continues to move forward. This, of course, all comes with a cost. With the permission of Brad’s family, we have set up this GoFundMe account to assist with medical expenses and other expenses that we anticipate during his treatment process. Any donation would be greatly appreciated, and used directly for expenses relating to Brad’s treatment.
As Brad’s treatment plan becomes more solid, we will update and share what we know as time progress.
Sincerely,
Sycamore Fire Fighters Local 3046 on behalf of the Belanger family
Join Chicago Local 2, Chicago Police Stars Hockey, and Chicago Fire Hockey for First Responders Night at the United Center!
Admission gets you into both the responders game and the Hawks game that evening. A portion of each ticket sold will benefit each teams’ charity fund.
Tickets and additional info can be found via this link: https://offer.fevo.com/blackhawks-v-maple-leafs-h4jcsec-523e229?fevoUri=blackhawks-v-maple-leafs-h4jcsec-523e229%2F
We are more than happy to answer questions related to the Workers’ Rights Amendment. Our Director of Government Affairs, Tim Hunter, would love to discuss the measure with anyone seeking more information.
Contact [email protected] for more info.
The Manhattan Fire Protection District, with the support of the Peotone Fire Protection District and the Manhattan Professional Firefighters Local 4991 have on the ballot a better, safer and more cost-effective way to provide emergency services to the residents and visitors of both communities.
If consolidation successfully passes it will provide:
Full-time staffing for Peotone community and Manhattan FPD
Lower Fire District relative tax rate
Increase in the levels of service, programs, and response.
Supported by the IChiefs and MABAS Division 19 and Local 4991
If consolidation fails:
No guarantee on staffing
Tax increase to maintain current part-time staffing model
Uncertain future of all emergency services
Diminished level of service, programs, and potential delays in response times.
Please support the referendum.
Matt Olson
District 4 Vice President
Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois
The AFFI recently welcomed its newest local to the organization. Bristol-Kendall Firefighters Local 5386 officially signed their charter.
AFFI President Sullivan, Vice-President Luke Howieson, and District 4 VP Matt Olson were joined by IAFF 8th District VP Mark Sanders to welcome Bristol-Kendall Steward Brendan Ditchman to his first district meeting.
Geneva Firefighters Local 4297 hosted the event with District 1 VP Danny Fortuna and District 4 VP Matt Olson.
President Sullivan recently wrote an editorial on the Workers’ Rights Amendment for the Daily Herald
When emergency strikes, every second matters.
We all want the peace of mind that comes with knowing when we face the worst moments of our lives — a raging fire at our home, a traumatic car accident, a medical emergency — our trained, well-prepared firefighters and paramedics will be there as quickly as possible to help. Day after day, our members do just that, putting their lives on the line to serve everyone else.
In November, Illinoisans have an opportunity to acknowledge this selfless service by supporting the Workers’ Rights Amendment on the ballot. We can give public service workers and first responders the firm protection needed to protect the public every time necessary.
The Amendment provides a simple but powerful and necessary assurance: the rights public service workers have earned today will be there tomorrow.
It wasn’t that long ago — less than 40 years — when collective bargaining was just a wish. Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois and other advocates recognized workers who put their lives on the line deserve more than hope and earned the bipartisan support from the legislature and then-Gov. Thompson for a seat at the negotiating table backed by state law.
Today, we ask for those same protections to be put into the State Constitution for selfless reasons. Our firefighters and paramedics can best respond when they are well-trained and have the tools and equipment necessary to mitigate the wide array of emergencies that occur every day.
The threats to these protections are very real and growing. In communities across the suburbs, around Illinois and at the Statehouse, misguided politicians have discussed, proposed and unilaterally pursued cuts to emergency personnel and services that would put families in greater danger. Our members know that without a constitutional guarantee, it could just be a matter of time before these protections are chipped away
The Amendment’s opponents are trying hard to fool and scare you, because they know workers’ rights are really Illinoisans’ rights. Our local affiliates have dedicated themselves to constantly improving their performance, negotiating stringent medical evaluations, staffing levels and training to reduce fatalities and improve safety — for firefighters and everyone we serve in emergencies.
Each year, about 100 firefighters nationally die in the line of duty, from heat stress or overexertion to being struck by an object or vehicle mishaps. In states like Illinois with proper collective bargaining protections, research has proven that fewer die in the line of duty.
I encourage all Illinoisans to vote for the Workers’ Rights Amendment as the peace of mind we all deserve when disaster strikes. When each second matters, we all depend on immediate response and protection, and the Amendment will ensure it will always be there.
- Chuck Sullivan is President of the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois in Springfield.
