February 08, 2016 Thirteenth Edition



General President Harold Schaitberger issued the statement below today in response to Senator Ted Cruz's comments in his Iowa Causus victory speech about supporting firefighters.
 "What Ted Cruz did the other night in his Iowa victory speech is disgusting. He said he embraces firefighters and the dangerous work they do, says he's our friend and calls himself a great patriot. But when it came time to actually have the backs of firefighters across the U.S., he was AWOL. Cruz is the worst kind of politician who will say or do anything to get elected. Cruz had a chance to support those who responded on 9/11 - and he turned his back on them. Cruz opposed the re-authorization of Zadroga 9 /11 Health and Compensation Act that pays for the health care of the responders who are sick and dying from their efforts to save lives in those burning towers and from searching through that toxic pile of rubble for months following that tragedy. He left the 9/11 responders behind. If those are Ted's values, we don't like them. He's the epitome of saying one thing to get votes, then doing another."
Second Set of Gear Can Help Firefighters Avoid Cancer
Some research over the past few years has started to show a link between fighting fires, and an increased rate of cancer. Firefighters in Schenectady are encouraged to clean their gear after fires, to keep them free of contaminants. But that cleaning process takes hours and when a fire call comes in, firefighters have to go.
Read more here
 
Expanded CAL FIRE Water Rescue Program Underway


Rescue swimmers have been practicing mock drills in different types of conditions to simulate the obstacles they could face in an emergency. According to CAL FIRE Public Information Officer Jonathan Pangburn, they can reach certain places the rescue boat cannot.
"When swells get bigger, the rescue boat can't necessarily go out in all conditions," Pangburn said. "It's too dangerous for the rescuers. And so it's a question of, what is the right tool for that particular call?"
Both the rescue boat and rescue swimmers are on call and ready to respond to emergencies within the Pebble Beach, Carmel Highlands and Cypress areas in coordination with State Parks. With warmer temperatures expected this weekend, fire officials are anticipating an uptick in the number of visitors.
Read more  here


Fire Statistics

The below statistics are tracked on a weekly basis and provide a snapshot of the number of fires and acres burned. These numbers are subject to change until the final fire season reports are completed and tabulated.

NUMBER OF FIRES AND ACRES:
Interval Fires Acres
January 1, 2016 through January 23, 2016 46 2
January 1, 2015 through January 23, 2015 51 17
5 year average (same interval) 130 119

(Statistics include all wildfires responded by CAL FIRE in both the State Responsibility Area, as well as the Local Responsibility Area under contract with the department, plus all large wildfires in State Responsibility Area protected by CAL FIRE's contract counties).



Hello Members,
 
My name is Sam Davis and I was recently elected as your State Retiree Director.
I would like to thank Rick Swan, a true mentor, for his sound advice in helping me understand the needs and responsibilities of this position and what to expect in the upcoming months.    
 
Brothers and Sisters, we have important work ahead of us to ensure our retirement benefits remain intact. In order to accomplish this goal, it is important to become involved.  We must unite at the Chapter, District and State levels. I believe information is power.  Communication and participation is essential as we move forward and I thank each and every one of you in advance for getting on board.  Let's work together to fill every open position.  Please contact your Chapter Directors and our District Vice Presidents. We are better together.
 
Sincerely,

Sam Davis

Follow  link    for information regarding your CALPERS member retirement benefits

Bad Addresses - Active & Retired Members
CAL FIRE Local 2881 likes to stay connected with our membership. We want to make sure that every member has an updated mailing address.
Below are lists of both Active and Retired members that have bad addresses. If you see your name on the list or have moved recently, please contact Danielle at (916) 277-9885 or  [email protected] to update your address. 
Active Member  list
Retired Member  list


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