The Colorado Professional Fire Fighters have worked dilligently for many years to gain collective bargaining rights in our state.  This legislative a bill has been introduced that would give fire fighters these important rights.  First action on this bill will be February 18th.  However enemies of fire fighters have already lined up against us and we need your help.  They do not want us to have any say in our profession.  It is critical that all fire fighters take the time to send this quick email to their state senators.   They must understand the importance of fire fighters being able to have a voice in our safety.  PLEASE EMAIL THEM NOW!!!

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Two Kilgore, Texas Fire Fighters Remembered

February 2, 2009 – Fire fighters, family and friends bid emotional farewells to two fallen Kilgore, TX Local 2996 fire fighters. Services for Kyle Perkins, 45, were held on Thursday, January 29, and for Cory Galloway, 23, on Friday, January 30.

IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger spoke during both services. “We know when we get this calling that it could take any one of us, at any time,” he said. “Everyone who has taken the oath to serve in our profession comes into it knowing the risk. But, nothing prepares us to cope with the grief that we feel when we lose a brother or sister in the line of duty, let alone two.”

“Their untimely deaths were a shock to all of us,” says IAFF 11th District Vice President Sandy McGhee. “While I never met either of them personally, I know, by all reports, that they were both dedicated to duty and to serving their community. They will be missed.”

Full fire fighter honors were extended to both fire fighters as emergency vehicles from area departments lined the streets, bag pipes played and fire fighters in dress blues flooded the churches.

“The support has been amazing,” says Ramon Coven, president of Local 2996. “The loss of our two brothers is heartbreaking, but we are holding up the best we can.”

Perkins had been with the Kilgore Fire Department and a member of Local 2996 since 2004. His profession was to protect those in need and in his free time, he still worked for others, whether it was organizing a walk to raise money for cancer research, actively taking part in fire prevention programs or singing in the choir. Perkins’ good deeds did not go unnoticed when he was named “Fire Fighter of the Year” in 2008.

Galloway joined the fire department and Local 2996 in January 2008 and was bursting with enthusiasm, ready to hop on a rig and respond to any call. “He was ready to give everything he had to do the job, committed, duty-bound, ready to serve in the hardest and most rewarding job imaginable. That’s who Cory was,” said Schaitberger of Galloway’s reputation as a fire fighter.

Both Perkins’ and Galloway’s names will be etched into the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colorado, a permanent reminder of their dedication and sacrifice.

Schaitberger, McGhee and Coven also presented both families with the IAFF Medal of Honor.

While investigations are still ongoing, investigators know that Perkins and Galloway were training on a newly acquired E-One 95-foot platform aerial truck which with a bucket attached. Both were inside the bucket eight-stories in the air when they were thrown to the ground. They later died of their injuries

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Firefighters celebrate likely passage of Issue 2A
2B also on track for voter approval

By Fran Farris
Colorado Hometown Newspapers

 A group of Lafayette firefighters were hesitant Tuesday night to celebrate the passage of Ballot issue 2A — an ambulance and fire mill levy which would generate additional funding for emergency services.

Joe Navarro — served as chairman of a political action committee comprised of volunteer firemen who campaigned with vigor for the ballot issue — was cautiously optimistic around 9:30 p.m., as only 3,000 votes had been tabulated out of possibly 10,000 cast.

“We’re releasing a lot of pent-up stress and frustration,” Navarro said.

The firefighters gathered at Chip’s Cafe in Lafayette to watch the election results, hopeful voters would approve the initiative.

As of 10:30 p.m., they liked what they saw from the Boulder County Clerk & Recorder’s Office Web site.

Preliminary election results for City of Lafayette , as of 10:30 p.m., were 1,800-1,442 in favor of 2A.

2A would provide $1.5 million in property tax revenue for hiring eight additional full-time firefighters and more than 20 new volunteers, as well as operating and capital expenses such as new ambulances or equipment.

If the mill levy passes, it would provide funds to “step up” recruiting efforts for new firefighters, Navarro said. “It would solidify both our career and volunteer firefighter programs.”

City of Lafayette Ballot issue 2B is a measure to increase city taxes by $100,000 annually in the first year (2009) and whatever amounts are raised annually thereafter, by the imposition of an excise tax on short-term lodging services of 30 days or less.

The proceeds would be used to defer the expense of general municipal services of the city.

As of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, 2B also was headed for approval by a count of 2,042-1,164

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10/1/2008

Issue 2A crucial to public safety

Guest Editorial
By Joe Navarro

This November, Lafayette voters will be asked to vote on Issue 2A, a mill levy to support the Lafayette Fire Department. As a volunteer firefighter/EMT and a resident of Lafayette, I know that the safety of our community is dependent on the passage of 2A. This is literally a vote about the quality of help you or a fellow resident will receive when you call 911.

Nearly a quarter of the time, Lafayette does not have enough firefighters, volunteer or paid, to staff the fire truck and ambulances. Understaffing results in a severely delayed response as volunteers are called in and neighboring agencies are asked to respond. Without 2A, you may have to wait up to 15 minutes for a response to your emergency. This is unacceptable and a risk to the safety of Lafayette residents. 2A will ensure that the Lafayette Fire Department is staffed by a full crew of firefighters and two medic units at all times by bringing on eight new paid staff members and 20-30 volunteers. With 2A, the fire department will have adequate resources to save lives in emergencies.

In addition to adding new staff, 2A will allow the fire department to budget and save for new capital equipment. Right now, there is no sales tax based way for the city to save for this equipment. In 2007, the Lafayette Fire Department purchased a new fire truck to replace one that was 26 years old. While we are grateful to the city and the taxpayers for this new equipment, we cannot deny that soon other equipment will need to be replaced.

2A will increase the number of volunteer firefighters at the Lafayette Fire Department. Volunteers save the city over half a million dollars a year with the time and labor they donate. This measure will increase their training and retention rates. This increase in volunteer staff will allow us not only to save lives, but come home safely at the end of each shift to our families.

2A will not add a substantial tax increase for Lafayette residents. The cost to a homeowner with an assessed property value of $250,000 is $8.37 a month. Please note, this is your assessed value, not your market value. The cost will be low and our cost per capita will still be the lowest of our neighboring cities.

Unfortunately, the Lafayette Fire Department can no longer sustain itself on sales tax revenue. Lafayette currently brings in one of the lowest amounts of sales tax revenue, ranking 25th out of 29 metro area cities. There is no adequate way to provide fire and emergency protection through sales tax revenue without cutting back on other services like snow plowing, the library, or road/utility maintenance. If the sales tax general fund cannot give the citizens the services they need, a new source of income must be tapped to pay for essential functions.

This is why I am asking you to vote yes on Issue 2A this election. Simply put, the Lafayette Fire Department can no longer continue in its current situation. The passage of issue 2A is not a luxury, nor is it a crushing burden on Lafayette residents. The costs are minuscule compared to the reward of a life rescued, a home kept from destruction or the victim of a car accident saved. As a volunteer firefighter, I know that everyday and every hour there is someone in our community who will need help. If and when that time comes, we all want to know that we can trust our local fire department to respond quickly, competently and with reliable equipment. Vote “Yes” on 2A and support Lafayette Fire.

For more information on 2A, please visit the Committee to Support Lafayette Fire Web site at www.supportlafayettefire.org.

Editor’s Note: Joe Navarro serves as Chairperson to the Firefighter Committee to Support Lafayette Fire and Ambulance.

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Letters to the Editor Blog

Posted by Camera Staff 

Linda Radclliffe: Lafayette 2A: a small, but necessary, price to pay

Posted October 8, 2008

Lafayette citizens have a wonderful opportunity to make a statement about their community values with Ballot Issue 2A, which is asking for a small, dedicated source of income for the fire department and ambulance service. I know it’s difficult not to automatically vote ‘no’ for anything that says “tax” in this economy, but this tax is for a basic, life or death issue.The great thing about having these services in-house (provided by the City) is that we don’t have to rely upon an outside service for EMT expertise. Any way you look at it, the taxpayer gets more bang for the buck. We’re supporting our own and getting a two-fer efficiency deal.You call 911 about a fire. The department rolls (and can reach you within a few minutes). They can put out the fire, AND give you critical life saving treatment if need be - saving your property - saving your life.I’ve heard a lot about the value of the volunteer fire department we used to have … and that’s absolutely true, and god bless ‘em. But as more and more folks have to work harder in this economy to stay afloat financially, there is less time for the time-consuming volunteer dedication that has served our community so well in the past. We need folks who are there and at the ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and we need equipment that’s up to the task … and that takes money.Do we value this essential service enough to spend a few extra bucks to support it? As a person who woke up unexpectedly inside an ambulance a while back … I say yes, it’s a small price to pay - for ourselves, our neighbors, and our community.Linda RadcliffeLafayette

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Lafayette fire dept. pushing for tax hike

Department promises improved services

By Amy Bounds (Contact)
Saturday, September 27, 2008

LAFAYETTE — Local firefighters are canvassing the city, hoping to convince residents to approve an emergency services tax hike to pay for additional full-time firefighters and paramedics.

This is a critical need,” said Joe Navarro, a Lafayette firefighter and chairman of the Committee to Support Lafayette Fire and Ambulance. “We’ve been struggling to make every dollar go as far as possible.”

If the question, Ballot Issue 2A, is approved, the property tax mill levy would increase by up to 4.5 mills to generate about $1.5 million in 2009. The increase would cost the owner of a $350,000 home about $125 a year.

Lafayette now has no dedicated funding source for emergency services.

City Administrator GaryKlaphake said the city can only afford minimum fire department staffing. The city is transitioning from a staff of volunteer firefighters to one of professional firefighters.

In 2005, Lafayette hired two full-time firefighters and one full-time training officer. Prior to that, the fire chief was the only member of the department on the payroll. In 2006, the city received grant money from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to add nine full-timers over four years.

If the tax increase passes, Klaphake said, the money would cover eight additional full-time firefighters and paramedics, with three on duty around the clock at the fire station. The station is one of busiest in Boulder County, with close to 2,000 calls a year, officials said.

Now there’s typically one or two paid firefighters on duty per shift, with gaps filled by volunteers. City officials said volunteers will still be needed to help with structure fires and other major emergencies.

Navarro said approval of the tax also would allow the department to expand its volunteer ranks, from 60 to 80. Though volunteers are unpaid, he said, the department foots the bill for equipment and training.

Lafayette also took over ambulance services from a private contractor in 2007, with the goal of reducing response times. But the user fees don’t cover the costs, requiring the city to spend about $250,000 from its general fund budget for the service.

The proposed tax increase would cover that gap and provide money to replace aging ambulances. The city’s two ambulances are 12 years and 6 years old. Navarro said ambulances need to be replaced after five years.

Opponents have called the measure a “taxpayer bailout,” saying the city should live within its means and should have planned better.

The city’s other ballot measure, Ballot Issue 2B, calls for creation of a 2 percent lodging tax, would generate $75,000 to $100,000 a year for the city’s general fund, based on construction of a hotel north of Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center in the SoLa development.

Work on the 82-acre-development’s infrastructure is expected to start later this year. Along with a hotel, the plans include apartments, retail, restaurants, commercial buildings and a senior living facility.

Contact Camera Staff Writer Amy Bounds at 303-473-1341 or

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• Ensure a reasonable response time, since Jan 1 2007 the Lafayette Fire Department has been unable to meet minimum staffing 21% of the time. This means a severely delayed response as volunteers who unable to staff the Fire House need to be called in and our neighboring agencies respond. This means that without this ballot issue you could have to wait 15 to 20 minutes for a response to your emergency.  
• Ensure adequate personnel, this ballot issue, once passed, will ensure that there is a full crew of 4 firefighters and two medic units on duty in the city at all times. This means that the fire department will have adequate resources to save your life in the event of a car accident, heart attack, medical emergency, or a fire at your house.  
• Cost to you, the cost to the average home of $250,000 is 27¢ a day or $8.37 a month. This is your assessed value not your market value. To find your assessed value visit the county assessor’s webpage at http://map.co.boulder.co.us:8080/basemap/default.jsp. Then plug in that value to the chart at our website. Needless to say the cost will be low and our cost per capita will still be the lowest in the area of similarly sized cities. 
• New personnel, this ballot issue, once passed, will allow the fire department to bring on eight new firefighters and over 20 new volunteers. We are currently at our limit with the number of volunteers that the department can support and most of them live outside 10 min away from the station. The eight new paid staff will allow for a guarantee of staffing to augment the volunteers not replace them. 
• Improve training, currently a firefighter needs to be trained 16 weeks of fire academy, 15 weeks of emergency medical training, and three weeks of hazardous materials training. These courses cost a lot of money and there are necessary levels of training above that which cost even more money. With the passing of issue 2A the department will be able to provide current training for its members and be ready for any emergency.  
• Reducing the ambulance costs, currently the ambulance costs the city $250,000 a year in unpaid bills. Most insurance companies arbitrarily decide how to pay for services regardless of how much it actually costs. This forces private ambulance companies to cut costs to stay afloat. By merging the medical care of the city with the fire department we can ensure that competent personnel and adequate equipment respond to your emergency.  
• New capital equipment, currently some of the equipment that the fire department relies on to save your life is older then the firefighters using it. There is no sales tax based way for the city to save for new fire trucks or ambulances. Fire trucks need to be replaced every 20 years and ambulances every 5 years. The oldest fire truck is 19 years old and the oldest ambulance is 12 years old with the other two 6 years old. The new fire truck the fire department got last year replaced one that was 26 years old. With the passing of 2A the fire department will be able to put aside money each year to pay for the timely replacement of capital equipment.  
• Sales tax options not viable, simply put having not enough staff to adequately staff the life saving trucks cannot continue. It is only through the experience of our leaders and the professionalism of our crews that lives have not been lost. Sooner or later the unthinkable will happen and despite the heroic efforts of the firefighters, lives and property will be lost. Lafayette ranks 25^th out of 29 metro area cities for sales tax revenue. Most residents of Lafayette shop in Broomfield or Boulder, this hemorrhages sales tax revenue. There is no way to provide adequate protection without cutting back on other services like snow plowing, the library, the senior center, the rec center / golf course and road / utility maintenance. This leads to situations were roads are not plowed, water service is interrupted, and the parks are not maintained . The sales tax general fund cannot give the citizens the services they need, a new source of income must be tapped to pay for essential functions. 

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 Fire Rescue International Comes To Denver

Fire-Rescue International (FRI), will be held in Denver on August 14th - 16th. FRI has one of the largest expo floors in the fire service and all Denver fire fighters are invited to attend. Free tickets will be available starting July 15th at the Union Hall.  These tickets are valued at $50 each and the event is very impressive.  A huge display of the latest and greatest in fire fighting technology will be on display.

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The 48/96 schedule has been approved and will begin with A Shift on May 31st.  The schedule will be in place for a 3 month trial and will be reevaluated at the end of August. Special thanks to the Command Staff for their flexibility and in listning to the concerns of the membership.

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