jumpline - Metro-Dade IAFF Local 1403

VOL 33. NO. 4
F R E E
P U B L I C AT I O N
NOV-DEC 2014
JUMPLINE
“NOT A JOB - A COMMITMENT”
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Photo by Lt. Rick Fernandez
The President’s Report
by Al Cruz
for extending the project to the
whole month of October.
As the Holidays approach,
your Union has managed to keep
busy. Besides dealing with an
unreasonable contract proposal
and dozens of grievances and
DAR’s, we have many positive
events underway.
We had a big victory with the
election of Daniella Levine Cava
to the County Commission. It is
not often that an incumbent
Commissioner is unseated.
Commissioner-elect Levine Cava
will be a fair voice on the
Commission. Thank you to all
active and retired members their
families and everyone else who
went out to the polls, walked
neighborhoods, and did what it
took to get her into office.
The Breast Cancer awareness
was a smashing success. Fire
Fighters were proudly in pink and
it has received positive reviews
from our members and the public.
In addition to that, we raised
money for cancer support. Thank
you everyone who participated,
especially Bridget Keating,
Natosha Gonzales, Una Taylor,
and everyone who sold shirts and
helped get them to the stations. I
also want to thank Chief Downey
Our annual Christmas toy
drive is underway, spearheaded by
Karen Joseph and Keisha Wilson.
They will need all the help they
can get, especially in December. It
is a great project that helps
thousands of children in South
Florida enjoy their holidays.
Planning for the 2015 Super
Bowl Party is underway. The
Party is Sunday February 1 (C
shift) we dusted off the old
playbook and put Sparky
Thomson back in charge. It
promises to be a fun time and
raises tens of thousands of dollars
for charity. Please buy a ticket for
a good cause and then come and
enjoy the game.
We have also set the date for
our retirement party. It will be
Saturday February 28 (C shift).
We are slowly moving it back up
from March. We had to find dates
where the hall was available and
not too close to the Super Bowl
party. We will be honoring several
retirees and remembering those
who passed away last year. It’s a
great event, so mark your calendar.
B shift had a third alarm
warehouse fire a few days earlier,
we had a three day ammonia leak
call requiring 14 level A entries,
and we had a spectacular Dive
Rescue save off of Tamiami Trail
about 20 miles west of Krome
Avenue. (ctd, on page 3)
!2
Official Publication of the Metro-Dade
Firefighters Local 1403
8000 NW 21 STREET
SUITE 222
MIAMI, FL. 33122
(305)593-6100
WEB PAGE: www.local1403.org
PRINCIPAL OFFICERS:
PRESIDENT: Al Cruz
1ST VICE PRESIDENT :
Brian Lynch
2ND VICE PRESIDENT:
Michelle Steele
SECRETARY: Maria Chin
TREASURER: Paul Blake
BENEFITS OFFICER:
Jacquie Neetz
EXECUTIVE BOARD:
Omar Blanco, Lisa Bullard,
Danny Cuoco, Nick Digiacomo,
Wil Fleites, Stan Hills,
Bridget Keating, Bill Lyster,
Kevin Martin, William McAllister,
Rick Ramirez, Dale Sutton,
Sparky Thomson, Paul Wolf
TRUSTEES:
Peter Aleman,
John Askham, Randy Brown
PRESIDENT EMERITI:
Dominick Barbera, Ed Hill,
George Naley, Carl Stridfelt
VICE PRESIDENT EMERITI:
Al Jones, Nelson Bradshaw,
John Soeder, Roger Stokes,
Tommie Williams
Secretary Emeritus: Gary Rainey
Treasurer Emeritus:
Steve Lowe
JUMPLINE PRODUCTION:
Editor/Publisher/Photos:
MARIA CHIN
MEChin@aol.com
PHOTOGRAPHER:
Eric Goodman
USE OF ANY COMPANY THAT IS ADVERTISED
IN THIS PUBLICATION IS DONE AT YOUR
OWN RISK. L1403 DOES NOT ENDORSE ANY
COMPANY THAT IS ADVERTISED IN THIS
PUBLICATION.
ALL PROCEEDS FOR ADVERTISEMENTS ARE
DONATED TO DADE COUNTY FIREFIGHTER
CHARITIES.
The President’s Report
by Al Cruz
Lt’s Sal Hernandez and
Brandy Paternoster, along with
everyone on the call, did a
fantastic job saving the driver.
All of these calls are good
reminders of why we need
resources, training, and most
importantly personnel. I was
glad to see fireboat service
restored. It isn’t happening in
the way I would like and it has
raised many issues, but it is an
essential service and it is good
to be back on the water. The
boat has already saved lives
and we are trying to work
through the issues.
For all of the reasons
stated above, it is obvious we
have good dedicated people
who take their jobs seriously,
and who give to our
community. You are our
biggest asset and we are a
better community because of
the job you do.
With that all said, I would
be remiss in my duties if I did
not bring up the fact that our
Department is understaffed
and our service is not what it
should be. This is by no
means a comprehensive list,
but it is illustrative of the
problem.
Our fleet is in shambles
and we do not have the
mechanics to take care of it.
The recent memo closing the
North Shop illustrates this.
We don’t have enough spares,
and we are running on empty.
I understand we have some
new trucks coming and they
can’t get here soon enough.
The lack of mechanics is
hurting operations. It also
appears the Department is
paying way too much for light
fleet repairs, and getting way
too little in return from
Internal Services. It would be
a lot cheaper if we could hire a
few mechanics and
additionally take over light
fleet.
There has been a lot of
concern expressed to me about
the recent Ebola outbreak in
West Africa and what it could
mean for our Department. I
am happy that many people in
the Department are taking
steps to get ready, but as of
this writing we are severely
undertrained and underequipped. This is a moving
target and will hopefully be
addressed soon. The E. Board
voted to work to restore the
infectious disease nurse
program. This can’t happen
soon enough.
I have been inundated with
calls about the dive program.
The October 18 dive on
Tamiami trail illustrates that
we need more divers and the
proposed training program has
nothing to do with what we
really do. I agree with the
vast majority of you that the
Department is violating the
contract and, by reducing the
number of divers and making
requirements designed to
discourage divers, they are
putting the public at increased
risk. If you are logging off
duty hours to train for the
swim, keep a record of your
time and travel. We have
several grievances in the
works.
I am cautiously optimistic
that we will get closer on the
contract. The 182 proposed
changes by the Department
and the County went over like
!3
a lead balloon with the
Executive Board. A few of the
demands have been withdrawn
and that is a small step in the
right direction. We still have
a long way to go. Hopefully
we will work this out, but, if
we don’t, we will need each
and every one of you to
support your Union.
As the holidays near, I am
hoping some of the negatives
will turn around. Like I wrote
in the beginning of the article,
there are many positives, and
we need to build on those.
Our Department has been
running on empty for some
time now. Here’s to a Merry
Christmas, Happy Holidays, a
better 2015, and a fair and
reasonable contract. Stay Safe
Everyone. ✤
Lt.Brandy Paternoster (L)
and Lt. Sal Hernandez (R)
MDFR Workers’ Comp 101
by Jacquie Neetz, Benefits Officer
You arrive on a call, geared up
and step off the truck. Snap! Your
shoulder, knee, or back makes a
popping sound and fiery pain shoots
across your body. You do your best to
get through the call while advising
your Officer that something is wrong.
You have just entered the world of
Workers Compensation, an alternate
universe of medicine, insurance, and
law. A field that has its own
independent legal system, doctors
who work outside the scope of
Affordable Care Act (ACA) and
international insurance carriers. The
scope of this article is to get
acquainted to the elements of a
simple work related injury with a
successful outcome.
You come back to the station and
it is clear that you will not be able to
finish your shift on your truck. Your
partner or Rescue crew is assisting
you in icing up the injury, getting
some pain meds and starting an EMS
report. The OIC has advised their
supervisor, contacted FAO and begun
to gather the information needed to
complete the Injury Report, using the
alarm number of the call you were on
when the incident occurred. (P & P
IIK5 and Memo 05-14-290 (2014)
Upon exam, it is clear that you
need immediate medical attention as
you are not able to walk or drive
yourself home. This is NOT, repeat
NOT the time to be the tough guy/
gal, “not bother anyone” or in
anyway try to circumnavigate the
system “because (fill in any excuse)”.
The decisions you make in the next
hour will have lasting consequences.
According to policy, you are to go to
an “Authorized Care Center or
Emergency Room”. This is where I
tell you to treat yourself as well as
you would treat your patients. If you
are to loose one single hour due to a
work related injury, it is imperative
that you get an accurate, impartial
and timely exam. Let me stress that
you have one shot at this decision.
All other medical decision will be
made for you after this moment.
Meanwhile, as your OIC submits
the electronic patient report (ePCR),
a Basic (NIFRS) and Firefighter
Casualty report, a cascade of reports
are created. The Fire Alarm Office
Chief will submit their report to the
Occupational Health Office which is
copied to the Executive Staff, the
Health & Safety Committee and
Union Secretary. (Article 38) On the
next business day, the OHO
Specialist, Jeanne Gonzalez will then
contact Risk Management, who will
assign you an Adjustor for your
claim. Jeanne will remain as your
point of contact for all issues related
to your work status, restricted duty
and how to get back to work.
After seeing the ER doctor, you
are referred to see an specialist. Your
Adjustor will set the appointment and
doctor. When you see this Doctor,
you are advised that with minor
treatment, maybe a simple surgery,
you will have a swift recovery. Your
claim, having been ruled as
“compensable” has been covered by
the County. Jeanne arranges for your
restricted duty till your are cleared
back to duty. Your claim has
completed several stages from Date
of Injury, Investigation,Treatment
Plan and Maximum Medical
Improvement (MMI). In the
meantime, you have retained all
documentation, including emails,
notices, and medical reports that you
have asked your treating physician
for copies of. review your time usage
to make sure that there is no loss of
time. In this scenario, with a
compensable claim, Short Term
Disability, if needed should have
kicked in. You can access your Leave
History through My Profile on
MDFRnet, your pay stub on eNet and
your Battalion Chief or PAR
Supervisor. It is a good practice to cc
your Chief on any email that pertains
to your return to work status. They
are also your first line resource for
asking for help in understanding your
PAR and use of Leave time. (Leave
Manual 07. 01-06)
This is an ideal scenario that
!4
demonstrates Workers’
Compensation providing the medical
benefit and wage replacement that is
required by Florida State Statue
(Chapter 440). At its best, the system
allows for Dade County to efficiently
assist the firefighter to return to
work. The intent of the Florida State
Statues is to ensure that the employee
“who are injured or disabled on the
job are not required to cover medical
bills related to their on-the-job injury,
are provided with monetary awards to
cover loss of wages directly related
to the accident, as well as to
compensate for permanent physical
impairments.” More importantly, it
“eliminates the need for litigation by
having employees give up the
potential for pain and suffering
related awards in exchange for not
being required to prove [legal fault]
on the part of their
employer.” (Wikipedia, Workers’
Compensation, 1: Statutory
Compensation Law)
If you have made it this far, you
are probably aware that there are
many less than ideal scenarios that
occur on a regular basis. Future
articles will attempt to address the
dynamic and confusing aspects that
affect the members of this Local. In
all fairness, every employee of this
agency, from Administrative to
Civilian can be empowered to make
better decisions with an improved
awareness. It is important to
understand that the moment one
becomes “broken” is the moment one
needs to be an expert in the arena of
Risk Management. Make a mistake, a
poor decision or fail to follow ALL
the policies and you are at risk for
permanent injuries, loss of hours or
even allegations of fraud. If you fail
to navigate every step of the process
and your claim is denied improperly,
then the cost of all future treatments
are borne by your Health Insurance
carrier. In the case of the Firefighters
Health Trust, that would be all of us.
Please feel free to email all
questions or concerns, reference this
article to NeetzJC@local1403.org. ✤
The Second Best Time
by Gary Gonzalez, Retired CFO
The best time to plant a tree is 20
years ago. The second best time is now.
This is an old Chinese proverb that I
think applies well to many situations in
life, including retirement planning.
It has always been a good idea to
begin as early as possible to plan for
retirement. And as unfair as it sounds,
many of us retired old-timers were able
to get away with procrastinating, as we
were simply lucky to have retired at a
time when the Florida Retirement
System wasn't under attack by
legislators in Tallahassee.
I'm sorry for the way things have
been going, and although I do believe
that the political pendulum tends to
swing back and forth, I would not
recommend betting your retirement on
it.
So, what this means for you is that,
unfortunately you no longer have the
luxury of procrastination when it comes
to planning for your financial future. As
many of you are aware, some
significant changes have been made to
the Florida Retirement System that have
had a detrimental effect on your
retirement benefits. For many of you,
especially younger fire fighters, these
changes have shifted more of the
retirement planning burden onto you.
The accumulation of more financial
resources outside of the FRS will very
likely be necessary for you to achieve a
standard of living in retirement
comparable to that of many of your
retired predecessors.
I will continue to be available to
you as a resource to help with any
financial guidance you may need, or to
provide you with confirmation and a pat
on the back if you're already on the right
track.
No matter what stage of your career
you find yourself in, it's never too early
to begin learning how to put the pieces
of your retirement puzzle together in
ways that make sense for you. The
sooner you start, the better your chances
for success.
As always, if you have any
questions or concerns, you can call me
at Northstar Financial Planners,
954-693-0030 (this is the number to call
to receive a book), or on my cell,
954-804-5539.
!5
I will also be sending out to all
stations this month (October) the
recently updated sixth printing of my
book, A Fire Fighter's Guide to Retiring
From the Miami-Dade Fire
Department. If you are interested in
receiving a book of your own to keep at
home, simply call my office to request
one, and a copy will be sent to you.
Until next time, be safe out there. ✤
MDFR Challenges JFD
MDA “Fill-the-Boot”
!6
6 0 Ye a r s f o r M D A
Thank
you!
!7
!8
T h e Tr e a s u r e r ’ s R e p o r t
by Paul Blake
Our hopes of changing conditions in
Tallahassee have come up short. As a
Local, we support candidates that support
the interests of professional firefighters.
We are not loyal to any particular political
party, just bettering the quality of life for
our members.
We celebrated a huge underdog
victory with our County Commision-8
election. It was truly a team effort on the
part of our membership and labor groups,
collectively, to place Danielle Levine
Cava into office. I know that she has a full
plate as she gets sworn in, in addition to
the many issues we will presenting to her.
When we can finally get a commissioner
to understand the hundreds of thousands
of dollars that the county bureaucracy
pulls from our budget, we will then be
able to realize funding for a decent
contract.
We finally have a location for
Engine-62. It will be located at 142 Street
and Old Cutler Road in Palmetto Bay.
This is an important location not just for
residents on the east side of US-1, but for
the Village of Pinecrest. Pinecrest
currently completed a review of its fire
rescue service options. There has been no
official vote taken by the council or
residents to leave our service. Hopefully
the completion of Station-62 will be even
more of a reason for the village to
maintain our service,
Having looked at recent local
municipal races, I see a lot of new faces to
the political arena. It is important, more
than ever that we educate these officials
on the value of our service and work of
our members. There are many ways do
this, notably with good public relations. I
hope some creative minds can collectively
work together to accomplish this
important task.
I would like to take the time to
thank all of you for your continued
support of me to serve as your Treasurer. I
am humbled and honored to represent this
membership. It’s only fair that I thank my
family for being by my side in my desire
to serve “24 more months.” I think that
sounds more impressive than “two more
years.” I also have to acknowledge,
Elaine Gillis, who is our accountant. I
have heard of many stories of those who
have worked with more on both a rescue
and suppression unit over the years.
Imagine having to work in the same office
as me. At least she knows that the items
needing immediate attention are at the
bottom of the pile. The top of the pile is
the stuff I keep saying I’m going to get
done and put it at the top to think that I’m
accomplishing that task.
heads. How did we approve a $2 dues
increase? How did we change voting to
require signatures on the backs of return
envelopes? Simple, you approved these
changes. If you said “not me?” Unless
you voted against it, then you voted for it.
Failure to take action is action. Same
can be said about union meetings. When
you chose not to go at the end of the
month you are allowing your executive
board to make decisions and take action
on your behalf.
I took the time to head up to
Dahlonega, Georgia to attend the retiree
reunion picnic. Credit goes to Retired Lt
Lee Schaltenbrant, his wife and
committee for a great event. Dahlonega is
a small college town that has many
restraunts and bars. The picnic is held on
a large ranch that has cabins for rent and
room for RVs. The one thing that I took
from the event wasn’t that I’ll always be a
“rookie’ to this group but our “alumni”
care very much about both the department
and union. I would rather use the term
“alumni” instead of “retiree” because
“retiree” invokes the thought of somebody
who has left the job, while “alumni” are
still actively involved. So, active retirees
are alumni, while the non-actives are
simply retired.
Speaking of the building, if you
are interested in using the banquet hall for
an event, call me. Our members receive
a discounted rate. Since having changed
our operations, no dedicated caterer, we
have seen an increase in the number of
members using our hall. It is great to see
our members using our hall for the
events. As for the dues increase, the
intent is to use that money for capital
improvements. Maybe we’ll have a new
audio visual system for our banquet hall
before the start of the Superbowl Party.
Sadly, one of the reasons to go is
that there are members present who
(tragically) will not be in attendance the
following year. We have recently lost
some former members of our Local such
as Doug Jewett, Erie Rojas Angeles
(“ERA” if you filled out R-30’s truck log)
and Jim Haney as well as several others.
One passing in particular worth
mentioning was that of Retired Lt David
Arthur. David was a quiet, unassuming
yet brilliant individual. His donated time
and energies made L-1403 better because
of it. He was the mastermind that kept our
union leaders accountable through much
discussion from his “member’s forum.”
Long Live the Forum.
The by-law changes went into effect
which has a lot of people scratching their
!9
As for the Superbowl Party, Mike
“Sparky” Thompson will be chairing the
event this year. The last fundraiser we
held at the union hall was for Captain
Jorge Martinez. It was a very successful
event, which raised over $20,000. Our
members are very generous when it
comes to helping another members in
need. We also completed the Pink Heals
T-shirt campaign. Based on the amount
of donations and payroll deduction
requests, our members sure do like Tshirts.
I am hoping that by the next
Jumpline we will have approved a
contract worthy of this great
membership. With that being said, have
a Happy Holidays and if ever you have a
question, comment or story to pass along,
call me 305-720-3517 or sent it to:
1403treasurer@gmail.com. ✤
R e m e m b e r i n g O u r F a l l e n
by Al Cruz
In 1957, Chief Herbert Goyer
arrived on a house fire and was
electrocuted in the performance of his job.
His name was inscribed on Station 18 in
North Miami, which is now closed, and
he was the first line of duty death in our
Department’s history. In 1971, Fire
Fighter Richard Hernandez was killed in a
vehicle accident en route to a call. Over
the years, Lt. Ralph Dash was killed in a
vehicle accident, Robert Harackewicz
killed in a fire, Don Gaughan killed in a
warehouse fire, Casey Lamme
electrocuted trying to rescue a victim,
Shawn O’Dare drowned trying to save a
12 year old girl, Ellis William who
suffered a heart attack after a house fire,
Carl Carmen who died fighting a
chemical warehouse fire, Dewey Henry
killed in a warehouse fire, Linda
Hernandez who passed away from
complications from Smoke inhalation and
Wayne Mitchell who died in a training
accident. These are just a few of our
fallen.
Fifty sets of empty fire boots on
fifty pedestals paid tribute to several of
our fallen brothers and sisters in the lobby
of the Stephen P. Clark building (County
Hall) during the month of June. Prior to
the dedication on June 17, I took some
time to walk between the stands reading
the names and thinking about them.
Several Fire Fighters suffered
from and died of Hepatitis, an
occupational disease in Florida, including
Leo Sorando, and Rusty Homolka, and
far too many Fire Fighters have died of
cancer such as Dan Hildoer, Carlos
Lewis, Catherine Wall, and Freddy
Figueredo. Many of the people I
mentioned have their names engraved on
the Fire Fighters memorial statue at our
headquarters in Doral or on the national
Fallen Fire Fighter memorial in Colorado
Springs, Colorado.
I never met many of them, while
others I worked with, ran calls with, and
saw their lives end way too early. I can’t
think of a bigger honor than having the
honor to speak at the dedication of the
memorial downtown. To me, they are all
heroes.
A few months ago, I approached
County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz
to sponsor a resolution to make June Fire
Fighter’s Memorial Month in MiamiDade County. The resolution went to the
Public Safety Committee, chaired by
Commissioner Sally Heyman where it
passed unanimously, and then to the full
County Commission, chaired by
In
Commissioner Rebeca Sosa, where it also
passed with the support of the full
commission.
Executive Board member Nick
DiGiacomo did the lion’s share of the
work putting together the display with the
help of several members. If you didn’t
get a chance to see it, it was very
touching. I also want to thank Keith
Tyson for his dedication to educating our
members on the dangers we face. Keith
provided us with a lot of the information
used on the display. I also want to thank
Eli Melcon, Alex Milan, Lisa Bullard,
Maria Chin, Paul Wolf, Stan Hills, Foy
Jenkins, Juan Garrandes, Rini Cairo,
Andy Machado, Bill Licea, Maggie
Castro, Abe Iglesias, David Orwick, and
George Tabor for all your help. If I
missed anyone, I apologize.
On June 17, with the families
of many of the fallen, the Mayor, the
majority of the County Commission,
the Fire Chief and his staff, and
several Fire Fighters gathered to
dedicate the display. June is now
Fallen Fire Fighter month in MiamiDade County. It is a fitting way for us
to remember our fallen. May we
always remember their sacrifice and
may they rest in peace. ✤
Memoriam
Steve English – 1/10/14
Basil Cochran, Jr. – 7/16/14
Lewis Palladino – 2/6/14
Erie Rojas-Angles – 8/20/14
Neil Hart – 6/10/14
Doug Jewett – 10/18/14
David Edwin – 6/30/14
James Haney – 10/25/14
Edward Perez - 7/12/14
Richard Millard – 10/30/14
Joseph Fulner - 7/14/14
!10
W h i c h s i d e a r e y o u o n ?
by Stan Hills-­‐ Union Guy
As the Union movement took hold in the 1930’s, a song was written by Florence Reece called “Which Side Are You On?”. It has been sung and reinterpreted over the years by such artists as Natalie Merchant, John Mellancamp, and Bruce Springsteen. It is a song that asks people if they support their Union or if they support management. I don’t go on Facebook, but while doing rounds for Muscular Dystrophy, I was repeatedly asked about several posts. After reading several of them, it was clear to me that a few people in our Union play footloose and fancy free with the facts and more importantly, feel free to attack each other. It looks like what Sparky Thomson called the “Anger and Hate” crowd is back with a vengeance. I read pages of posts and was taken aback by the fact that most of them attack the Local and a lot of them are full of venom. My initial reaction was to ask myself, “which side are you on”? Think about this, the County starts the budget season proposing lay-­‐offs and giving gloom and doom as building is picking up and the recession is fading into the background. Then 10% across the board pay cuts, gutting of incentives, attacks on the bid system, stafQing, health care, and 182 contract cuts are proposed. When your Local states that we are not interested in any of this, and a budget is passed which fully funds our current contract and then some, several of our members turn around and attack the Union and give the County a pass. Which Side Are You On? Where I come from (Detroit) people like this were known as scabs, union haters, and traitors. That doesn’t mean people can’t criticize or debate (that’s why we have Union meetings), but it does mean know which side you are on. It also means you know when and where debate is appropriate and when and where it is not. You never know who is reading your posts. In case the Edward Snowden revelations didn’t sink in, nothing is private in cyberspace. It gets every where. great local. I also Qind the attacks on our local by a few disgruntled members during an unprecedented attack on our beneQits a stab in all of our backs. There is a lot of work to do, and there are many difQiculties. We will only succeed if we unite and work together. To the majority of you who want a decent contract and support the effort to get it, I ask you to join me in calling out the scabs and asking them who they are trying to help. There is a lot at stake here. It is what we will live and work under in the future. Hopefully, we will get a fair and equitable contract. When someone is undermining that effort, ask them the old question, “Which Side Are You On”?? Below are some of the lyrics of the old Union song: I started asking several of our Board members and ofQicers if any of the Facebook critics called them for the facts. A common technique seems to be to post an opinion as fact, and then let the critics beat it around. It reminds me of some of the angry radio talk shows where people posture and yell, but the effect of it is to spread misinformation and sow distrust. Oh , Workers can you stand it? Frankly, this is embarrassing to me as a Fire Fighter and as a member of our Here’s to Unity and a Good Contract. ✤ !11
Oh, Tell me how you can, Will you be a lousy scab, Or will you be a man? Don’t scab for the bosses Don’t listen to their lies Us working folk ain’t got a chance Unless we organize Which side are you on? Which side are you on? !
DADE
COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF
!FIREFIGHTERS
LOCAL 1403
8000 NW 21 STREET
SUITE 222
MIAMI, FL, 33122
!
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
SOUTH FL, FL
PERMIT NO. 1110
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
E d i t o r ’ s N o t e s
Editor -­‐ Maria Chin We worked to elect fire
fighter- and unionfriendly candidates in
local and state races this
year. Although we were
unsuccessful with the
gubernatorial race, we
accomplished unseating
an incumbent county
commissioner. Your
efforts in getting out the
vote was instrumental in
our victory. Daniella
Levine Cava will take
office on November 24.
This year marks the 60th
anniversary of the
partnership between the
IAFF and MDA. You
have been a part of
donating over 1.3
million dollars to the
muscular dystrophy
association and for that I
would like to thank you
from the bottom of my
heart. Your time, effort
and donations are greatly
appreciated. This year
we challenged
Jacksonville Fire
Department. The loser
has to buy dinner. Let’s
make sure that they have
to pick up the tab.
Register on our website
www.local1403.org to be
able to participate in
future elections on your
contract, bylaws and
memorandum of
understanding. You will
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also be able to get
emails, text messages
and other important
information pertaining to
our local.
Local 1403 would like to
wish you and your
families a very happy,
healthy and prosperous
holiday season. Be safe
and stay united! ✤
“The important thing about a problem is not its solution, but the strength we gain in finding the solution.” Author Unknown