Chesterfield Fire & EMS

Chesterfield Professional FireFighters Association
IAFF Local 2803

The Chesterfield County Professional Firefighters Association (CPFFA), International Association of FireFighters (IAFF), Local 2803 was affiliated on Nov. 13, 1980. At the present time, we represent the majority of theuniformed employees from firefighter to senior captain. We recently have decided to allow civilian employees, along with battalion chiefs and senior battalion chiefs to join the association. We also represent a number of emergency dispatchers.

The CPFFA has developed a partnership with the management of our department. We continually are working on improving our working conditions and ensuring that our members are treated with dignity and respect.

The association and leadership of the department have worked on many programs and issues that affect our workplace. Some of these programs include:

• Development and implementation of the department's Rapid Intervention Team policy (Two-In-Two-Out)

• Installation of diesel emissions systems in fire stations

• Development and implementation of a career development program

• Purchase of the department's first Personal Alert Safety System device

• Development of a professionally managed department-wide health and fitness program based on the IAFF/IAFC initiative

• Development of a department program to investigate line-of-duty injuries and deaths based on the program developed by the IAFF

• Development of the department's infection control program

• Development of recommendations regarding the implementation of the county's drug/alcohol testing procedure

We are a community-based organization that supports many worthwhile causes. These include:

• Fill the Boot for Muscular Dystrophy (MDA) - With support from the department and in conjunction with the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, members collected more than $22,000 in 1999. This was the highest total if any local union in Metropolitan Richmond.

• Smoke Detector and Education Fund - We routinely donate to this fund. The fund provides free smoke detectors to the community. In addition, the fund purchases fire safety related education materials for school children.

• Central Virginia Burn Camp - Provide support and donations to this yearly camp. It provides a week-long escape for children who are victims of burn injuries.

• Chesterfield Fire and EMS Life Safety House - We contributed to the community effort to purchase the house.

• Old Dominion Professional Firefighters Burn Foundation - We support Medical College of Virginia's burn treatment and prevention efforts.

We provide our members with training opportunities, which include:

• IAFF Redmond Safety and Health Symposium

• IAFF and VPFFA Educational Seminars

• IAFF Human Relations Conference

• IAFF Legislative Conference

The leadership of our association is extensively involved with ensuring that members' rights are protected. We provide each member with a guarantee of duty to fair representation, which includes the following:

• Support during all steps of the grievance process, including legal representation during steps three and four.

• Support during the Worker's Compensation process, including legal representation

• Mediation of issues per the department policy. (The association was extensively involved in program development and implementation. The president is the current Mediation Team Coordinator.)

IAFF Legislative Accomplishments in the 1990's

• Line-of-Duty Death Investigations - IAFF created a new federal government program to investigate every firefighter line-of-duty death in an effort to eliminate future injuries and fatalities.

• Two-In-Two-Out - We led the fight for an OSHA regulation requiring "Two- In-Two-Out" safe fireground staffing and defeated federal legislation to overturn the rule.

• Infectious Disease Notification - IAFF fought to create a federal program enabling firefighters to learn if they have been exposed to an infectious disease.

• Survivor Death Benefits - IAFF worked for survivor benefits paid to the families of the firefighters killed on the line of duty to be exempt from taxation.

• Firefighter Pension Benefits - IAFF helped enhance the benefits of "457 deferred compensation plans" and established a special exemption from the pension laws that allows firefighters to receive pension packages different than other municipal employees.

• Public Safety Officer Benefits (PSOB) - IAFF worked to expand the benefit to include firefighters who are permanently and totally disabled in the line of duty.