August 19, 2008 – For the first time, MDA supporters have an opportunity to take part in the Jerry Lewis Telethon Online Auction beginning August 21, 2008. The auction features items donated by celebrities, MDA sponsors and others, including items from Harley-Davidson's 105th anniversary celebration. The auction ends September 4.

As the 43rd Annual Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Telethon nears, members of the IAFF -- the largest contributor to MDA -- are out conducting fill-the-boot drives and other fundraisers.

“I know IAFF members in the United States and Canada have been working harder than ever this year,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “I am looking forward to seeing this year’s totals and hearing about what great things we can do for children diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy.”

IAFF totals will be announced during the telethon as it airs August 31 and September 1. Last year, the IAFF donated a record-breaking $25.25 million in pledges bringing fire fighter donations to MDA to more than $300 million since 1954.

The MDA Telethon has raised nearly $1.5 billion since its inception in 1966. MDA works to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide.

IAFF Executive Board Votes Unanimously

to Endorse Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States

The IAFF Executive Board has voted unanimously to endorse Senator Barack Obama for president of the United States based on his support of fire fighters and working families.  I will announce the IAFF endorsement today during the IAFF 49th Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Fire Fighters For Obama web site -- includes an introductory video, videos of Senator Obama and how the IAFF makes its political decisions, an election guide summary and several fact sheets explaining the respective positions of both candidates, The stakes in this election are very high for the IAFF, organized labor and, indeed, our nation. Senator Obama has a record of looking out for fire fighters and working families. Senator McCain has not been there on our issues. Let's make sure we elect the candidate who has been there for us. Let's elect Barack Obama as the next president of the United States. Fraternally,   Harold A. Schaitberger General President

August 11, 2008 -- The IAFF and IAFC created the Fire Service Joint Labor/Management Wellness-Fitness Initiative (WFI) in 1996 to improve the health and fitness of fire fighters and paramedics across North America. The WFI has had great success in this endeavor, and the IAFF is continuing to improve all health and safety programs.

The IAFF 49th Convention marks the official release of the 3rd Edition of the Wellness Fitness Initiative. This latest revision to this vital program includes additional information that will assist affiliates in overcoming the most common obstacles in implementing the WFI, such as a cost justification chapter that reviews the economic impact of the WFI on the 10 charter cities by calculating occupational claims and costs.

A new implementation chapter helps affiliates get started and offers a step-by-step approach to full implementation of the WFI. IAFF affiliates and their fire department can use this process to evaluate a current wellness-fitness program or to design and implement a new program that meets the criteria identified in this initiative.

In addition, the WFI fitness protocols have been updated and now include a video demonstration for each of the protocols. The appendix and accompanying video illustrate the proper methods and equipment for determining body composition, aerobic capacity, muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility. The Gerkin and FDNY protocols have been replaced with the new WFI Stepmill and WFI Treadmill protocols.

The IAFF is also developing a centralized database to serve as a repository for collecting and analyzing clinical and health outcome data generated by the 10 charter member jurisdictions. The data chapter in the 3rd edition of the WFI reviews the current efforts in this area. Other additions to this initiative include updated and expanded information in the medical and rehabilitation chapters.

Contact the IAFF Division of Occupational Health, Safety and Medicine at (202) 824-9304 for the WFI 3rd Edition DVD or download a low resolution version at www.iaff.org. The “I Am Alive Video” can be viewed online at www.iaff.org/iamalive. In addition, a video demonstration of the new fitness protocols is available online at http://videos.iaff.org/hs/protocols.wmv.

Wellness is a commitment all fire fighters and paramedics must make to survive the job. When fire fighters and paramedics are sick or injured, malnourished or overweight, over stressed or out of balance, it affects their ability to effectively do their job. The IAFF will continue to provide fire departments the opportunity to invest in their most valuable resource – their members.

August 9, 2008 – Active and retired members of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA) of New York Local 854 and the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) of Greater New York Local 94 will provide a motorcycle escort to carry a piece of World Trade Center steel from Brooklyn, New York, to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on August 23, 2008. The cross-shaped steel will be permanently erected at the Shanksville Fire Department in remembrance of the lives lost on September 11, 2001.

On that day, United Flight 93 crashed into a field not far from the Shanksville Fire Department as the plane’s passengers tried to retake control of the plane from terrorists. Forty passengers and crew were killed.

The event’s organizers – the Fire Family Transport Foundation and members of FDNY – are encouraging IAFF members to participate. Proceeds from the ride will be donated to the Fire Family Transport Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Project.

“We are hoping for at least 1,000 motorcycles to participate to bring attention to this important memorial,” says Paddy Concannon, retired member of Local 854 and founder of the Fire Family Transport Foundation. “While an official United Flight 93 memorial is in the works, we feel too little attention has been brought to what happened in Pennsylvania.”

Registration begins August 23 at 5:30 a.m. at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. The fee, which includes the cost of tolls, is $40 per motorcycle and rider and $20 for a passenger. Click here for more information.

Fire fighters will leave at 7:00 a.m. accompanied by two trailers – one carrying the steel cross and another carrying Fire Engine 343 (used for ceremonies). The ride will take a break at the Appalachian Harley Davidson Dealership in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. Riders who cannot make the early part of the trip are encouraged to join the ride in Mechanicsburg. The 311-mile trip will end at the Shanksville Fire Department.

Throughout the trip, the fire fighter contingent will be escorted by state police troopers. Additionally, fire apparatus are expected to be staged over every overpass between New York and Pennsylvania.

The memorial dedication ceremony will be held Sunday, August 24, at 10:00 a.m. at the Shanksville Fire Department. The concrete base, which is shaped like the Pentagon, was poured and solidified ahead of time. Once erected, the steel memorial will stand 14-feet high. It is not a formal part of the Flight 93 Memorial.

The concept for the ride and memorial began years ago. “I had just retired when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on 9/11,” says Concannon. “I have an excavating business, so I went straight to Ground Zero to help find my fellow fire fighters.”

Afterwards, Concannon’s company had five large pieces of steel from the site. In 2003, he donated a piece to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, where a permanent memorial now resides. The piece going to Shanksville is the second piece.

The Fire Family Transport Foundation was founded after Concannon suffered third degree burns in 1992. At that time, he realized that there was no service available to transport fire fighters and their families to and from treatment. Today, the foundation has 14 vehicles which provide that service. The Wounded Warrior Project assists members of the United States Armed Forces severely injured during the war on terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan and other hot spots. The project provides programs and services to aid in the recovery process and smooths the transition back to civilian life.