2009 IAFF Canadian Legislative Conference
----Dana Terry -- MP Rick Casson --Dan McDonald -------- Dana Terry--Senator Joyce Fairbairn--Dan McDonald
On April 26-29 myself, and Dan McDonald had the honour of attending the 16th Annual Canadian Legislative Conference in Ottawa. This was the largest Legislative Conference that has been held in Ottawa with 138 delegates from all over Canada.
On the first day of the conference we were addressed by several speakers on various political topics and how they related to the issues we were bringing forward to our MP's. The IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger talked to us about the history and importance of political action. He shared about the successes they have experienced in the US by lobbying the political leaders. He also reiterated the wins we have experienced through political action.
Jack Layton, leader of the federal NDP party, made it very clear that his party supports all of the efforts of the IAFF and they have attempted to introduce legislation into the House to reflect our current lobbying asks. Mr. Layton, along with nearly every other speaker that addressed us, reinforced that the firefighters lobby efforts are the most respected on the Hill (we also put on the best reception of anyone!).
Rob Simonds, fire chief of Saint John, NB, brought greetings on behalf of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. This year three of our five issues are being added to the lobbying efforts of the CAFC and revolve around firefighter safety. Chief Simonds stated that having a common voice on issues, brought to the politicians, is far more beneficial and will produce better results sooner.
Charles Momy, president of the Canadian Police Association, stated that this was the first year that they have worked in coordination with the IAFF on the Public Safety Officer Compensation issue. This effort was mentioned by several of our MP's that may prove to be the initiative needed to finally get this legislation passed.
Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party, Michael Ignatieff, leader of the Liberal Party, and Peter Van Loan, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, all addressed the delegates and promised us much without promising all.
Sheila Copps was our keynote speaker and outlined the best steps to effective lobbying:
- As lobbyists, if we want to accomplish our goals we need to make the politicians are our friends.
- If at first you don't succeed, try, try again - this is a long term approach
- Don't affiliate with only one party. This is something we already do well - we will support those candidates that support us and our cause
- Build relationships not demands. It is more beneficial to support your friends (it pays you back in other ways).
- Keep it simple and come prepared. The IAFF has done an excellent job preparing it's documentation and it's delegates for lobbying our MP's.
A rundown of our legislative issues can be found at - http://www.iaff.org/Canada/FactSheets/index.htm
We met with MP Rick Casson first thing Tuesday morning and were able to go over our issues with him. Mr. Casson was knowledgeable about our subjects, showed genuine concern about our issues and his voting history proves this. Senator Joyce Fairbairn (MP Ted Menzies was unfortunately unavailable this year) was pleasant and went out of her way to meet with us. We were able to explain our issues with her and her assistant and then visit the senate to hear some of the debates.
The statements we heard from both of our visits and from our guest speakers were consistent; the key to successful lobbying is persistence. The firefighters lobby efforts have already been successful on several issues and will continue to be effective if we deliver consistent messages to our decision makers. Political action is the only effective means of achieving the goals that we have set and the message we hear on parliament hill confirms that.
Dana Terry
Treasurer - Lethbridge Firefighters Local 237
IAFF 6th District EMS Representative
Province's Plan Could Reduce Fire, EMS Capabilities
Lethbridge's dual-trained Fire Fighter- Paramedics are concerned that looming changes to provincial ambulance services, mandated recently by the Alberta Government, will eventually result in the breakup of the city's dual-service emergency services department and lead to reduced response capabilities to both medical emergencies and fires in the city.
On April 1, the Alberta Government is uploading responsibility for the oversight and funding of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the province, a move that creates confusion and uncertainty in fully-integrated fire-EMS departments like that in Lethbridge.
Rob Chollak, President of the Lethbridge Fire Fighter-Paramedics Association, IAFF Local 237, is concerned that the move will eventually lead to a splitting of the current department into two separate departments, a move that would erase almost a century of work that's gone into the development of one of the most efficient and effective fire-based EMS models in North America.
"Fire-based medical response is considered the gold standard across North America, with the best response times and the best patient outcomes, Chollak says. "It's the model that other cities envy. So to risk breaking it up, and losing a system that's served the city well for almost 100 years doesn't make any sense," he said.
"This plan needs to be re-examined and the provincial government needs to know that the citizens of Lethbridge expect and deserve fast and effective response to both fires and medical emergencies, today and in the future."
The Lethbridge Fire Department has operated the city's ambulance service since 1912, and since then it has grown to become one of the most efficient and effective dual-service departments in North America. The training and education of fire-EMS personnel has progressed from basic first aid to full Paramedics with Advanced Life Support (ALS) skills.
In most other Canadian provinces, where cities' fire and ambulance services are totally separate and fire fighters don't have ALS training, ALS-level response by paramedics is commonly 15 to 20 minutes away, compared to four to nine minutes in Lethbridge, Chollak notes. "We may not realize what we've got. But when you look at the facts, we have among the best ALS response anywhere in Canada. Why mess with it?"
Alberta Health has also suggested that ambulance personnel, who are fully-trained fire fighters, will not be used for any other duties except EMS and healthcare, a restriction that would suddenly limit the resources available to the fire department in the event of major fire calls or simultaneous calls in the city.
Chollak notes there are also concerns about changes in dispatch. The City of Lethbridge had been dispatching its own ambulances since 1912, but the provincial government is also taking the ambulance dispatch service away, which means 911 calls for ambulance service will soon be transferred to another dispatcher, probably in another city.
"This could make it quite difficult to determine a correct address or location for where an ambulance is needed," Chollak says. "Someone taking a call in another city may have no idea when it comes to specifying locations, and there could be a significant delay in determining where this location is and which ambulance to send. This is at a time when seconds can mean the difference between life and death."
Yet another major problem is the communication gap that will exist between the ambulance service and fire and police, as their dispatchers will no longer be in the same room, even the same city.
Under the Alberta government's plan, Lethbridge ambulances could be redirected to other Alberta communities if needed, which could double their utilization. This is a major concern, Chollak says, because already there are 150 so-called "Code Reds" - when all available ambulances are busy - every year.
Currently, when a Code Red occurs, Lethbridge's dual-trained fire fighters respond to the call and provide ALS medical care until an ambulance arrives. But with Alberta Health dispatching ambulances, it could become difficult for our fire apparatus to be dispatched promptly and accurately to EMS calls to fill the gap during Code Reds.
"We, the front line workers of this service are very concerned with what may happen to EMS service in our city," Chollak says. "Fire -based EMS is the right choice for the citizens of Lethbridge. We encourage all to help support our mayor and council as they urge our provincial MLAs and the Alberta Government to revisit these plans and ensure they are not needlessly destroying a service that has been saving lives in Lethbridge effectively for almost a century."
Affiliate Leadership Training Summit
The ALTS (Affiliate Leadership Training Summit) was held in Phoenix, AZ this year , Warren Nelson and myself were able to attend. ALTS is a training conference held every year, hosted by the IAFF, to train and equip union leaders to effectively carry out their duties as union officials.
The first day of the conference was a description of how the IAFF operates and what it does for us as union members. Here are some of the benefits and services that the IAFF provides us:
Governmental affairs
the use of political action to educate the leaders and decision makers of the country so they understand our issues.
o Bi partisan - support candidates that support us regardless of party affiliation.
o FirePAC - money that is collected from local members to support political action activities
o Political training academy - training course for union members on how we can be more effective in lobbying.
o The Canadian office of the IAFF models our political action lobby after the US lobby.
Canadian IAFF office
o Canadian Legislative Conference
o Canadian Policy Conference
o Affiliate requests for assistance - collective bargaining, health and safety, labour relations, public and media relations and strategic advice.
Technical assistance and advice - oversee labour issues and collective bargaining, fire/EMS operations/GIS, and other field services
o Municipal financial analysis services - shows the financial status of the city or municipality. We have used and will continue to use this valuable service.
o EMS and fire integration strategies - assists departments that want to add some form of EMS into their fire departments.
o GIS (geographic information system) studies - determine if stations/apparatus are positioned effectively.
Legal department - assistance with specific issues
o Emergency disputes fund
o Guardian policy - protects union officials doing union work
o IAFF constitution and bylaws
Education, training and human relations
o Regional PEP (partnership education programs) courses
o ALTS
o Online resources for union members – some are available on the EMS Jane website
o Human relations - training and outreach on issues regarding human relations and diversity.
o Hazardous materials and WMD training program. Due to our own political action in Canada we now receive $500,000 a year from the government for this IAFF developed program to educate our members.
Communications and media
o IAFF magazine
o Web site
o Media awards -PR for the fire service by awarding media for their coverage of emergency incidents
o Union Sportsman's Alliance
Information Technology - Website
o Used by executive members to update member rosters, request assistance, and educational information on union issues
Health Safety and Medicine
o Presumptive legislation assistance
o PSOB - Public Safety Officer Compensation - when a firefighter dies in the line of duty the federal government pays out an amount (in excess of $300,000 at this time). The Canadian office has been, and continues, to lobby the federal government for this benefit.
o Liaison/contacts - NIOSH, OSHA, NFPA, Firefighter Near Miss
o Grants and initiatives
o IAFF/IAFC joint health and wellness program
IAFF Financial Corporation - To Canadian IAFF members, offers home and vehicle insurance through TD Insurance
Work with Muscular Dystrophy Association
As 2008 ends and we enter 2009, IAFF Local 237 will be going into negotiations. I spent two days of the conference taking courses on negotiations. Here is an outline of what our negotiations entail:
- The union receives proposals for negotiations from the membership and the union executive. During an executive meeting with the trustees the executive makes recommendations on each of the proposals. These recommendations are then voted on at a membership meeting.
- Both sides submit proposals and begin to divide proposals into housekeeping (non-monetary issues that are fairly minor in nature), non-monetary issues (which are changes to the agreement that do not incur financial changes to the agreement) and monetary issues (wages, holiday changes/additions, benefits, etc.)
- Negotiations then begin in the hope that both sides can come to an agreement that will satisfy both sides.
- If both sides come to an impasse an appointed government mediator will try to assist the negotiating teams to come to an agreement.
- Binding arbitration is the last resort if both negotiations and mediation are unsuccessful.
Not every item can be negotiated into the contract. Some may be difficult to argue. Some of these issues may be dropped or can be used as bargaining tools.
It is not an easy task deciding which items need to be taken off of the table. The union executive's job is to decide which items can be fought for effectively. Their number one priority is to ensure that the needs of the membership as a whole are met.
The ALTS (Affiliate Leadership Training Summit) was an educational experience for myself. I will be able to use this information during our upcoming Negotiations.
Thanks
Dana Terry
Treasurer IAFF Local 237
FIRE OPS 101
On September 20, 2008 Members from the Federal Government, Provincial Government, City Council, City Administration and the Media participated in this years Fire OPS 101.
Decision Makers for our community had a chance to participate in the operational side of our Fire and EMS Service. Members participated in 5 different scenarios, showing the diversity of our job. A Vehicle Rescue, High Angle Rescue, Fire Rescue, Cardiac Arrest, and Fire Extinguisher demonstration were all part of the activities. Members also got to observe water rescue equipment and command post operations.
---------Lethbridge Mayor Bob Tarleck -------------------------MLA Bridget Pastoor, Alderman Jeff Carlson,
---------------cuts vehicle Roof -------------------------------------Alderman Tom Wichersham Perform CPR
-------------MP Rick Casson & Dana Terry----------------------------- Alderman Ken Tratch-----------------------------
IAFF Fire based EMS conference - Houston, TX
It has taken me a while but I have finally completed the report about my trip to the conference. Here are some of my observations...
The IAFF EMS conference was held in Houston, Texas this year. The EMS conference is designed to showcase fire based EMS services throughout the US and Canada. In the words of IAFF President Harold Schaitberger... "Fire based EMS is - and will continue to be - the most efficient and effective system for responding to medical emergencies and improving overall public safety. The IAFF is engaged at all levels of government to assure that appropriately trained and equipped personnel are available to respond to all types of emergencies."
Dr. Paul Pepe (Medical Director Dallas, TX), Dr. David Persse (Medical Director Houston, TX) and Col. David Barrillo were opening plenary speakers that spoke about their respective services, where fire based EMS has come from and where it is going.
One of the most interesting speakers was paramedic Mike Taigman and his experiences in Israel. Mike spent approximately a month with EMS crews in Israel and the pictures and stories he brought back were incredible. Some of the highlights were...
- There were 5500 incidents in the last antifadah (uprising) that included bombings, rockets, and snipings
- In an event, all fire/EMS pagers are activated in the country and members respond directly to the scene or station
- Law enforcement respond to the scene and look for secondary devices that are designed to kill rescuers (happens very often)
- EMS personnel are armed - one story Mike told was of a paramedic that shot a sniper in the street and then proceeded to treat him as a patient.
- One hospital in Tel Aviv can handle up to 36 ambulances at a time, and can do 12 open chest surgeries at a time - they have had 13 traumatic arrest survivors over the past few years.
Houston Fire Department - host local
- 3800 firefighters, paramedics and EMT's, housed in 89 stations. 57 ambulances and 5 physicians on staff.
- 1 dedicated Haz Mat station, 4 airport rescue stations. Call volume - 52,000 fire calls, 224,000 EMS calls.
- Interesting points - Houston has 27 'rotation stations' where members rotate between the pump and ambulance. Use increased pay as incentive for members to maintain competencies as paramedics and EMT's. Have used paperless PCR's since 1998. They run a BLS/ALS tiered system. Undertake many EMS studies - ie. MAST pants, stroke studies, cardiac arrest survival, hyper-tonic solutions, and intubation studies to name a few.
Montgomery County, Maryland
- An entire presentation dealing with maintaining and improving members morale by rotating paramedics and EMT’s onto fire apparatus...mmm
Dublin, Ireland
- although they never presented at the conference I had the opportunity to talk to several of their members about their service.
- Some interesting points were...hey have been a joint service since 1898, they serve a pop. of 1.2 million people, 12 fire stations, 12 ambulances with a call volume of 90,000 EMS calls a year. That's 7500 calls for one ambulance/year. They have few ALS providers with the majority being EMT's. They work 9hr days and 15 hr nights and I believe it was a four-on four-off rotation.
Salt Lake City - Trolley Square Incident
- Salt Lake Fire personnel relayed the circumstances of the shooting incident that occurred on February 12, 2007 at the Trolley Square shopping center.
- Members of the department responded to the scene...ith some confusion in communications, members were in an unsafe area when they realized the shooter was not incapacitated. Police were with the medics and provided cover while the medics treated patients.
- The lessons they learned was...lways try to maintain as good of communications as possible, always remain calm, and train with police often.
Closing remarks by Dr. Franklin Pratt
The report 'Prehospital 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Response: The Role of the United States Fire Service in Delivery and Coordination' was completed by Dr.'s Paul E. Pepe, Steven Katz, and Franklin D. Pratt. This report gives a brief history, current state, and the future of fire based EMS in the US. The report gives some good insight into US Fire based EMS systems. There are some similarities to us in Canada but there are also some significant differences. Read the article for yourself and see.
My Opinion
The Fire EMS conference was an informative conference that offered an excellent networking tool between firefighter/paramedics across Canada and the US. For those of you that aren't aware, I gave a presentation highlighting the Lethbridge Fire Department. It's history of Fire based EMS since 1912, how our system operates, challenges we face and what the future holds. I had many good reviews of the presentation and I would like to thank Lee Sagert for allowing me to use his excellent video as part of my presentation.
There is a much bigger push in the US to have Fire based EMS than in Canada. Alberta is the only province to have any real concentration of fire based EMS services. Manitoba has Brandon and Thompson, and Winnipeg has just placed paramedics on some of their pumps to assist in medical emergencies (the largest fire service in Canada to do so). New Brunswick had one Fire based EMS service but they recently lost the ambulance service there.
What I found interesting is the fact that Lethbridge appears to be the oldest Fire based EMS service in North America. The only other Canadian Fire based EMS service that is close to us in age is Brandon, MB (began transporting patients in 1917) and the oldest in the US is probably Virginia, Minnesota (1947). Additionally, Alberta paramedics are some of the most highly trained in North America - some of the paramedics in the US have six weeks of training and are qualified as paramedics.
We have a lot to be proud of here in Lethbridge. We may not think of ourselves as 'trendsetters' in the EMS field but from my experience at this conference we are much farther ahead than many of our fellow colleagues in the US and even the rest of Canada. It would be my hope that we continue to have some input at this conference. I feel we have a lot to offer.
Be proud of what you do.
Dana Terry
