Posts Tagged Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2

Firefighters sue over excessive noise from sirens (more)

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

During 38 years as a Chicago firefighter, George Beary regularly heard the emergency sirens as he rode on the back of the firetruck. Since his retirement in 2005, Beary, the chairman of a committee of retired Chicago firefighters, said he suffers from tinnitus, a condition that causes ringing or buzzing in the ears.

Beary, former vice president of Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2, is among about 4,400 current and former firefighters nationwide who are suing Federal Signal, an Oak Brook-based company that makes sirens, claiming it didn’t do enough to make them safer for those on firetrucks. Since 1999, Beary said he and about 700 Chicago firefighters have filed suit. Some have been settled or ruled on, but the vast majority, about 500, are still open.

Firefighters contend the company could have designed sirens in a way that directs the volume away from areas where firefighters sit in the engines, shielding them from sound blasts that lawyers say reach 120 decibels, roughly equivalent to a rock concert.

Federal Signal argues that directing the sound defeats one of the main purposes of a siren — to warn motorists and pedestrians that a truck is coming. And it says it has long supported what many departments have advised their firefighters to do: wear ear protection.

David Duffy, attorney for Federal Signal, said studies measuring the level of noise firefighters are exposed to during their work shifts, including sirens, is on average below 85 decibels.

The lawsuits, which began surfacing more than a decade ago, have been in places such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston, New Jersey and the Chicago area, said attorney Marc Bern, who’s leading all of them. In documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said juries have decided in favor of Federal Signal in most of the half-dozen or so suits that have gone to trial.

The company also has settled in some cases without admitting any wrongdoing. The largest settlement, reached in 2011, required the company to pay $3.6 million to 1,069 firefighters for cases filed in Philadelphia.

Federal standards take into account the intensity of the sound and the duration. The higher the decibel level, the shorter the time workers can be exposed to it. Rick Neitzel, who studies noise and other exposures at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said the standards are geared to traditional jobs like manufacturing, not firefighting, where shifts can last longer and the exposure is intermittent but intense.

thanks Dan

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Chicago FF contract passes city council

Politics Early & Often has an article on the city’s approval of the new CFD contract:

Chicago will get a dramatic upgrade in ambulance care — and firefighters will get $32 million in back pay — under a five-year contract approved Wednesday that opens the door to even higher pay raises.

The agreement ratified by the City Council guarantees 4,645 firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical technicians an 11 percent pay raise over five years, but ends free health care for those who retire between the ages of 55 and 65. After Dec. 31, those retirees will be forced to contribute 2 percent of their annuities toward the cost of their health insurance until they’re eligible for Medicare.

The pre-Medicare fee for retiree health care was one of the only givebacks Mayor Rahm Emanuel was able to wring out of Local 2. The mayor came up empty on his laundry list that took aim at treasured union perks such as holiday and duty-availability pay; clothing allowance; pay grades; premium pay; non-duty lay-up coverage; the physical fitness incentive; and the 7-percent premium paid to cross-trained firefighter-paramedics. Nor did the union agree to Emanuel’s plan to have “double houses” — stations with both engines and trucks — to be staffed by nine firefighters instead of 10.

All 15 of Chicago’s basic-life-support ambulances will be converted to advanced-life-support, giving Chicago 75 ambulances capable of administering the most sophisticated level of care. The decision to end a two-tiered emergency medical system that paramedics have called a dismal failure follows investigations by Inspector General Joe Ferguson, WBBM-TV and the Better Government Association. All three concluded Chicago needs more advanced-life-support ambulances to consistently meet response-time standards.The 15 basic-life-support ambulances are expected to be converted to advanced in September.

The 11-percent pay raise is only a “floor.” If the Illinois General Assembly mandates a pension contribution higher than the current 9.12 percent, the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 can negotiate an even bigger pay raise.

Workforce Development Committee Chairman Pat O’Connor (40th) has acknowledged that the contract’s $80 million pricetag is almost certain to rise “if the state [pension] law changes—and we anticipate that it would.” But he rose on the City Council floor to praise Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 for coming to the bargaining table in good faith and avoiding the financial wildcard of interest arbitration, where the cost to Chicago taxpayers could have been even higher. O’Connor noted that it’s the first time in recent history that firefighters have settled their contract before Chicago Police officers.

The $32 million in back pay is already tucked away in the mayor’s 2014 budget and will not require additional borrowing. It must be paid within 75 days of next week’s final City Council vote.

thanks Dan

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2014 Illinois Firefighter Medal of Honor Ceremony award recipients

This from Dennis McGuire, Jr:

The 21st Annual Illinois Fallen Firefighter Memorial and Firefighter Medal of Honor Ceremony will be held Tuesday, May 6, 2014 in Springfield, IL. The following are Chicago Fire Department Local 2 members who will be receiving awards at this year’s ceremony.

Certificate of Recognition Award

            Firefighter/EMT Edtismond Johnson, T40

           Firefighter/Paramedic Joseph White, III, E38

 

Firefighter Excellence Award

            Firefighter/EMT Sean Butler, E56

            Firefighter/EMT Jason Flores, T13

            Fire Paramedic Edward Gilbridge, A21

            Firefighter/Paramedic Anthony Licato, E93

            Engineer/EMT John Meade, E101

            Firefighter Robert Murphy, T15

 

Medal of Valor Award

            Firefighter/EMT Joseph Atkins, Sqd 5

            Firefighter/EMT Cedric Collins, ASR

            Firefighter/EMT Michael Diete, T11

            Lieutenant/EMT Ronald Ellingsen, T12

            Captain/EMT Alfred Kiefer, Headquarters 

            Firefighter/EMT Kevin Martin, T15

            Firefighter John McClorey, ASR

            Firefighter John Veller, E38

 

Medal of Honor Award

            Lieutenant/EMT John Majka, E93

            Firefighter Michael Kappel, T56

            Captain/EMT Mauricio Rodriguez, E116

            Firefighter/EMT James Wagner, ASR

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Double LODD in Toledo, 1/26/14 (more)

This from the Toledo Blade:

The final alarm rang tonight for two of Toledo’s bravest killed in the line of duty four days ago.

“May God rest their souls. We’ll take it from here brothers,” a fire dispatcher announced during a service in honor of Pvts. James Dickman and Stephen Machcinski — the two firefighters killed Sunday while searching for potentially trapped residents in a devastating North Toledo building fire.

More than 5,000 people packed the SeaGate Centre tonight for a two-hour funeral service in honor of the firefighters.

Ret. Toledo Assistant Fire Chief Robert Schwantzl read both men’s records before a bell was rung three times for each — a tradition for funerals of firefighters.

Tears filled the eyes of veteran firefighters and civilians alike as the two Toledo firefighters were eulogized repeatedly and as their families were presented with medals in honor of their sacrifices.

The families of Privates Dickman and Machcinski — sitting before their flag-covered caskets — accepted the International Association of Firefighters medal of honor.

Family members of the two men clutched each others’ hands as they entered the service and throughout the program.

Toledo Fire Battalion Chief Sally Glombowski, who was selected as a representative of the Dickman family, said the young firefighter loved his family fiercely and cared about people most of all.

Toledo Fire Chief Luis Santiago said he was struck how the Dickman and Machcinski families were concerned about the fire department’s well-being despite their own overwhelming grief and suffering.

“Stephen and Jamie may be gone, they have left, but they will always be part of our family,” he said.

Chief Santiago acknowledged the scores of firefighters from across the nation and Canada who traveled to Toledo for the service.

The somber ceremony was marked with pictures of the two fallen firefighters displayed while the St. Francis choir sang “On Eagles Wings.”

“There are no words that can express the sadness in our hearts,” Toledo Battalion Chief John Kaminski said before the thousands gathered.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) — one of several public officials addressing the families and people attending — said he struggled with what to say to honor the two firefighters.

The senator lauded the two men — recalling how Private Dickman’s two dreams were to marry his wife Jamie and also to become a Toledo firefighter.

After his remarks, Senator Brown and U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) presented American flags to the Machcinski and Dickman families. Both flags were flown above the U.S Capitol Sunday.

“This [service] confirms what we have known all along about the brotherhood of firefighters and what we have learned about the people of Toledo – that they support the firefighters of Local 92,” said Doug Stern, a spokesman for the Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters.

Columbus Fire Battalion Chief Tracy Smith was among 60 from that department who came to Toledo today for the service.

“There is an outpouring of support for the department that’s affected when something like this happens,” Chief Smith said. “It hits close to home for us since it is Ohio and we are all a tight-knit group.”

Tom Ryan, president of the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2, echoed the same sentiment as many of the scores of other firefighters gathered to pay tribute to Privates Dickman and Machcinski.

“We are all family and when we lose one it is felt deeply by all of us,” Mr. Ryan said. “This is outstanding. We lost five of our own in recent years and we are just repaying by being here.”

This from Tom Clifton:

I know it's not Chicago but I figured I would send this in. I attended the visitation for one of the fallen firefighters in Toledo. The 1st picture is Engine 13 parked in front of the funeral home. As I was about to start my way back home to Chicago I caught a fire at 1202 Idaho in Toledo. I took a few photos of the scene. I arrived to some active fire but trying to park a car on a snow covered side street in Toledo I think is actually worse than Chicago. Tom Clifton

 

Toledo fire engine at funeral home

Tom Clifton photo

fire scene in Toledo

Tom Clifton photo

Toledo fire engine at fire scene

Tom Clifton photo

fire scene in Toledo

Tom Clifton photo

Toledo fire truck

Tom Clifton photo

 

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National study discusses personnel for high-rise fires

This from Bill Post:

Yesterday the National Institute of Standards and Technology released a high rise fire fighting  study at the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs conference meeting in Phoenix Arizona. The Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 has already cited it in an effort at negotiations with the city as to why the Chicago Fire Department can’t afford to cut crew size.

The Chicago Fire Department’s union chief on Wednesday brandished a new federal report on fighting high-rise fires to push back against potential job cuts as part of protracted labor negotiations with Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration.

The study by the U.S. Commerce Department, the national firefighters union and other organizations focused on response times to blazes in 13-story buildings and found that crews of five or six firefighters put out fires and conducted search-and-rescue operations “significantly faster” than three-person or four-person teams.

The Fire Department contract that lapsed in June requires five firefighters per truck, but Emanuel has left open the possibility of reducing staffing levels. There has been little progress in negotiations since then, but firefighters must work under the old rules for now.

While most of Chicago’s high-rises are concentrated downtown and along the lakefront, Firefighters Union Local 2 President Thomas Ryan argued that other large buildings like schools and factories are found throughout the city and present many of the same challenges. He argued that the report “scientifically proves what we’ve been saying for years” and said cutting the number of firefighters at any firehouse in the city would put the public at risk.

Administration spokesman Bill McCaffrey said high-rise fires are relatively infrequent, so the report represents “a very small portion of properties and fires in the city.”

“And Chicago has highly skilled and well-equipped high-rise response teams, a recently rewritten high-rise response protocol and strict requirements for fire safety in high-rises — these are the most critical factors in maintaining safety in high-rises in Chicago,” McCaffrey said in an email.

Information about the study can be found HERE. Excerpts from the press release:

Landmark High-Rise Fire Study Evaluates Effectiveness of Crew Sizes, Elevator Use

PHOENIX – When responding to fires in high-rise buildings, firefighting crews of five or six members—instead of three or four—are significantly faster in putting out fires and completing search-and-rescue operations, concludes a major new study* carried out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in cooperation with five other organizations.

Results of the study, carried out with 13 Washington, D.C.-area fire departments, were presented today at the 2013 Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Conference in Phoenix.

“Unlike most house fires, high-rise fires are high-hazard situations that pose unique operational challenges to fire service response. How big a fire gets and how much danger it poses to occupants and firefighters are largely determined by crew size and how personnel are deployed at the scene,” says lead researcher Jason Averill, a NIST fire protection engineer. “It’s not simply that larger crews have more people. Larger crews are deployed differently and, as a result, are able to perform required tasks more quickly.”

An analysis of 14 “critical tasks”—those undertaken when potential risks to building occupants and firefighters are greatest—found that three-member crews took almost 12 minutes longer than crews of four, 21 minutes longer than crews of five, and 23 minutes longer than crews of six to complete all tasks. Four-person crews took nine minutes and 11 minutes longer than five- and six-member crews, respectively.

The study also looked at the effect of using fire service access elevators to move firefighters and equipment up to the staging floor and concluded that most tasks were started two to four minutes faster when using the elevators compared with using the stairs.

On the basis of the results of computer modeling, which incorporate data from live experimental burns, the study team concluded that smaller crews end up facing larger fires because of the additional time required to complete tasks.

A three-person crew, for example, would battle a medium-growing blaze that is almost 60 percent larger than the fire faced by a six-member crew, which would start extinguishing a fire roughly three-and-one-half minutes earlier. In an office building, this difference is equivalent to four employee cubicles on fire for a three-person crew versus two cubicles for a six-person crew.

Comparing the performances of different-sized crews, the researchers found that adding two members to three- and four-person teams would result in the largest improvements in starting and completing critical tasks, such as advancing the water hose to the fire location and beginning search and rescue. Improvements ranged from one minute to 25 minutes, depending on the task.

The research team also evaluated whether dispatching more three or four-member crews to a high rise fire—accomplished by sounding a higher initial alarm—would be as effective as sending a low first alarm contingent of engines and trucks staffed by more firefighters. They found that a “low-alarm response with crews of size four or five outperforms a high-alarm response with crew sizes smaller by one firefighter.”

“Prior to this experiment, some fire departments attempted to deploy with smaller crews on each piece of apparatus,” explains Lori Moore-Merrell of the International Association of Fire Fighters, a co-principal investigator for the study. “The logic suggested that, if the fire is big enough, just send more units, but it ignores the fact that larger crews have tactical advantages that reduce risk exposure to people and firefighters. Crews of six and even five can carry out crucial tasks in parallel rather than in series. Saving time can save occupant lives and prevent firefighter injuries and property damage.”

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) defines high-rises as buildings that are seven stories or taller, the height that exceeds most types of fire service ladders. In most U.S. communities, new high- rises are required to have automated sprinkler systems, which are designed to control the spread of fires, not to extinguish them.

But according to the NFPA, 41 percent of U.S. high-rise office buildings, 45 percent of high-rise hotels, and 54 percent of high-rise apartment buildings are not equipped with sprinklers, as compared with 25 percent of hospitals and related facilities. Moreover, sprinkler systems fail in about one in 14 fires.

While much less frequent than house fires, about 43 high-rise fires occur in the United States every day. Between 2005 and 2009, according to the NFPA, high-rise structure fires averaged 15,700 annually. Average annual losses totaled 53 civilian deaths, 546 civilian injuries and $235 million in property damage.

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Chicago unions upset by inspector general

The Chicago Sun-Times has an article which describes Chicago Police and Fire union responses to proposals by the Chicago inspector general:

Police and fire unions on Thursday torched a $1.2 billion roadmap from the city’s inspector general that calls for reducing staffing levels on fire apparatus, converting 20 percent of all engines and trucks to ambulances, staffing the Fire Prevention Bureau with civilians and eliminating “non-salary compensation” for firefighters and police officers.

Tom Ryan, president of the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2, said Inspector General Joe Ferguson’s “far-fetched” suggestions would “most certainly endanger the lives” of Chicago residents, employees and visitors as well as his own members.

The National Fire Protection Association recommends that a minimum of five firefighters staff each piece of fire apparatus in high-target areas, which includes Chicago, a densely-populated city with “high-rise buildings, special needs facilities, industrial and manufacturing districts and numerous hazardous materials-producing institutions,” Ryan said.

Fraternal Order of Police President Mike Shields was equally incensed by the $144.4 million proposal to eliminate “non-salary compensation” and by Ferguson’s proposal to hire civilians for the Chicago Police Department’s Forensic and Administrative Services Bureaus ($6.7 million).

The entire article can be found HERE.

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Chicago firefighter’s contract in the news

The Chicago Sun-Times has an article (one of many to come in the coming weeks) discussing the nuances of the CFD union contract which is expiring at the end of June. This article goes into increases in the base salary of many firefighters and chief officers. Excerpts include:

The city of Chicago is paying fire department employees more than $80 million a year for perks that boosted their salaries by an average of more than $15,000 apiece last year, a Chicago Sun-Times analysis finds.

The salary-boosting extras aren’t reflected in the online database of city workers’ pay that Mayor Rahm Emanuel created in what he described as an effort to provide greater transparency for taxpayers about how City Hall operates.

According to the Emanuel administration’s “data portal,” fire department employees made an average of about $87,000 last year. But when you take into account the extras, that boosted the average salary for the department to about $104,000 a year, according to a Sun-Times analysis of city budget data.

Most of the 5,000 members of the department are paid far more than their posted salaries thanks to a long list of provisions negotiated by their union.

That wide, hidden gap between firefighters’ reported salaries and their actual take-home pay is heightening tensions as the firefighters’ union tries to negotiate a new contract with City Hall.

The Sun-Times reported earlier this month that, with the current five-year contract set to expire at the end of June, the Emanuel administration is targeting the perks. Union leaders vowed to fight to hold onto the gains they won under former Mayor Richard M. Daley.

The Chicago Fire Department’s personnel costs totaled nearly $511 million last year, up from $480.2 million in 2010, according to the analysis of all payments the city made to department employees. About $430 million of the 2011 tab was for the regular salaries the Emanuel administration posts online. The rest went toward extras including double-time pay for holidays including Flag Day and “specialty pay” to those who have undergone additional training.

One of the biggest and fastest-growing categories of the additional pay was the 5 percent bonus given to firefighters who are certified divers. The same bonus goes to “Tech A” workers, who have been trained in handling hazardous materials.

Those pay-boosters weren’t part of the previous firefighters’ contract, which expired in 2007. After they were added, firefighters rushed to get them.

By the beginning of this year, nearly 4,000 employees — 80 percent of the department’s personnel — had undergone hazardous-materials training and were getting the 5 percent pay boost — twice as many as had the training in 2008.

The number of certified divers in the department also mushroomed under the current contract — to 367, up from 142 five years ago.

As a result, the cost for speciality pay rocketed from $6.4 million in 2008 to more than $18.3 million last year, city documents show.

Many high-ranking fire department employees also have boosted their salaries. For instance, Dan Fabrizio, a battalion chief who also is political director of the firefighters’ union, made $129,349 in regular pay. But Fabrizio’s actual wages came to more than $154,000, ranking him among the 100 best-paid Chicago fire officials last year.

The only extra that was more costly than specialty pay was “holiday premium” pay: Any fire department employee who works on any of 13 holidays — including Flag Day, June 14 — gets double their regular rate. Holiday premium pay cost the city more than $19.2 million in 2011.

An additional $15 million was paid to fire employees last year for “duty availability” pay — which everybody gets just for being in the department. This benefit sends every firefighter an extra $805 check every three months.

The Emanuel administration is proposing to do away with duty availability pay and to limit specialty pay to “those working in that capacity on a given shift,” according to a letter that Chicago Firefighters Local 2 President Tom Ryan sent his members on May 25. Ryan promised to “continue to vigorously fight these insulting, ridiculous proposals.”

The entire article can be found HERE.

Also part of the article is a list of the top 100 fire department salaries.
Total pay rank Name Job description Base salary Extras Total pay
1 Hoff, Robert Fire Commissioner $198,459.00 ($8,204.66) $190,254.34
2 Durkin, John Ambulance Commander $112,872.00 $71,725.93 $184,597.93
3 Wojtecki, Kenneth Deputy District Chief $145,343.00 $34,293.19 $179,636.19
4 Alvarez, Robin Ambulance Commander $108,883.50 $70,580.67 $179,464.17
5 Chikerotis, Steve Deputy District Chief $145,343.00 $32,339.01 $177,682.01
6 Stewart Iii, Charles First Deputy Fire Commissioner $184,350.00 ($8,236.08) $176,113.92
7 Mc Kee, Robert Deputy District Chief $145,343.00 $29,427.07 $174,770.07
8 Mungovan, James Deputy District Chief $145,343.00 $29,142.40 $174,485.40
9 Shehan, John Deputy District Chief $145,343.00 $29,142.40 $174,485.40
10 Powell, Curtis Deputy District Chief $145,343.00 $27,188.24 $172,531.24
11 Roszkowski, Paul Ambulance Commander $110,936.50 $61,015.83 $171,952.33
12 Howard, Larry Deputy District Chief $145,343.00 $25,945.74 $171,288.74
13 Alexander, James Ambulance Commander $106,290.00 $64,449.60 $170,739.60
14 Elmore, Clinton Ambulance Commander $112,872.00 $57,186.13 $170,058.13
15 Brennan, Patrick Deputy District Chief $145,343.00 $24,133.94 $169,476.94
16 Callahan, Michael Deputy Fire Commissioner $174,975.00 ($7,055.85) $167,919.15
17 Falls, Richard Ambulance Commander $112,872.00 $54,460.68 $167,332.68
18 Vasquez, Anthony Deputy Fire Commissioner $174,975.00 ($7,740.68) $167,234.32
19 Petersen, Jack Deputy District Chief $133,056.50 $32,939.37 $165,995.87
20 Fox, Michael Asst Deputy Fire Commissioner $172,803.00 ($6,950.12) $165,852.88
21 Mc Nicholas, John Asst Deputy Fire Commissioner $172,803.00 ($7,007.08) $165,795.92
22 Flaherty, Patrick Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $33,787.32 $163,136.32
23 Edgeworth, Richard Deputy Commissioner $172,803.00 ($9,689.12) $163,113.88
24 Sweeney, Thomas Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $33,112.12 $162,461.12
25 Von Bergen, Thomas Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $32,757.35 $162,106.35
26 Lyons, Christophe Battalion Chief – EMT $126,084.75 $35,956.33 $162,041.08
27 Little, Stephen Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $32,390.34 $161,739.34
28 Santucci, Joseph Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $32,283.70 $161,632.70
29 Knapp, Jerry Deputy District Chief $145,343.00 $16,233.23 $161,576.23
30 Leahy, Thomas Captain – EMT $118,345.00 $42,959.41 $161,304.41
31 Sanchez, Jesse Deputy District Chief $145,343.00 $15,928.84 $161,271.84
32 Gubricky, Michael Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $31,619.97 $160,968.97
33 Finneke, Gary Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $31,597.33 $160,946.33
34 Crooker, Mitchell Battalion Chief-Paramedic $132,537.00 $28,399.26 $160,936.26
35 Doggett, David Chief Helicopter Pilot/EMT $125,610.00 $34,890.79 $160,500.79
36 Lopez, Roberto Ambulance Commander $112,872.00 $47,511.67 $160,383.67
37 Mc Millin, Stephen Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $30,950.90 $160,299.90
38 Cooper, Richard Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $30,795.75 $160,144.75
39 Barrett, Michael Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $30,711.40 $160,060.40
40 Annis, Curt Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $30,633.39 $159,982.39
41 Collins, John Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $30,573.49 $159,922.49
42 Kane, Margaret Battalion Chief-Paramedic $128,696.00 $31,044.38 $159,740.38
43 Bleicher, Lewis Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $30,067.42 $159,416.42
44 Mc Andrew, Guy Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $30,035.05 $159,384.05
45 Jones, Rosalind Battalion Chief – EMT $125,610.00 $33,741.33 $159,351.33
46 Bresnahan, Raymond Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $29,841.68 $159,190.68
47 Arnswald, Thomas Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $29,741.17 $159,090.17
48 Dory, Richard Battalion Chief-Paramedic $130,630.86 $28,261.64 $158,892.50
49 Gloude, Joseph Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $29,517.43 $158,866.43
50 Benson, Mark Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $29,323.46 $158,672.46
51 Kelly, James Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $29,145.45 $158,494.45
52 Basile, Lee Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $29,130.44 $158,479.44
53 O Driscoll, Sean Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $29,077.10 $158,426.10
54 Gibbons, Timothy Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $28,963.41 $158,312.41
55 Oliver, Michael Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $28,703.57 $158,052.57
56 Carroll, Joseph Battalion Chief – EMT $118,398.50 $39,625.67 $158,024.17
57 Timothy, Michael Battalion Chief $123,371.00 $34,543.07 $157,914.07
58 Sullivan, Michael Battalion Chief – EMT $125,610.00 $32,272.68 $157,882.68
59 Cunningham, Daniel Battalion Chief – EMT $127,192.50 $30,632.16 $157,824.66
60 Strocchia, John Fire Engineer $90,957.00 $66,705.45 $157,662.45
61 Ford Ii, Richard Deputy Fire Commissioner $157,622.00 ($4.32) $157,617.68
62 Conroy, Michael Battalion Chief-Paramedic $130,321.00 $27,222.68 $157,543.68
63 Townsend, Mark Battalion Chief – EMT $125,610.00 $31,901.33 $157,511.33
64 Mc Shane, Scott Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $28,113.36 $157,462.36
65 Del Dotto, Larry Ambulance Commander $112,872.00 $44,577.76 $157,449.76
66 Mc Cann, James Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $28,029.47 $157,378.47
67 Hanson, Steve Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $27,285.50 $156,634.50
68 Biondo, Peter Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $27,285.50 $156,634.50
69 Lynch, John Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $27,075.41 $156,424.41
70 Flynn, Sean Commander $114,856.75 $41,478.59 $156,335.34
71 Leon, Gabriel Ambulance Commander $112,872.00 $43,029.11 $155,901.11
72 Burke, Sean Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $26,407.32 $155,756.32
73 Kurcab, Gregory Battalion Chief – EMT $127,192.50 $28,492.52 $155,685.02
74 Koffski, Richard Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $26,331.89 $155,680.89
75 Stauffer, Paul Battalion Chief – EMT $125,610.00 $30,060.11 $155,670.11
76 Niego, Charles Battalion Chief – EMT $125,610.00 $30,028.52 $155,638.52
77 Doherty, Edward Battalion Chief – EMT $125,610.00 $30,027.84 $155,637.84
78 Gniot, Thomas Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $26,137.91 $155,486.91
79 Gurrola, George Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $25,858.92 $155,207.92
80 Stuecklen, Jeff Battalion Chief – EMT $125,610.00 $29,448.37 $155,058.37
81 Paramore, John Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $25,673.69 $155,022.69
82 Milton, Thomas Battalion Chief – EMT $127,192.50 $27,808.19 $155,000.69
83 Jablonowski, James Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $25,603.57 $154,952.57
84 O Donnell, James Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $25,598.80 $154,947.80
85 Witt, Keith Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $25,596.57 $154,945.57
86 Timothy, Lori Ambulance Commander $103,119.00 $51,791.42 $154,910.42
87 Hunter, Derrick Battalion Chief $123,371.00 $31,509.86 $154,880.86
88 Leonard, John Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $25,518.55 $154,867.55
89 Ryan, Kevin Battalion Chief – EMT $126,084.75 $28,772.78 $154,857.53
90 Cleary, Patrick Battalion Chief – EMT $125,610.00 $29,134.01 $154,744.01
91 Dietz, David Battalion Chief – EMT $126,084.75 $28,658.17 $154,742.92
92 Rinaldi, Julie Ambulance Commander $109,519.00 $45,210.79 $154,729.79
93 O Donnell, James Battalion Chief $123,371.00 $31,348.25 $154,719.25
94 Ryan, Edward Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $25,360.86 $154,709.86
95 Altman, Michael Battalion Chief $119,804.00 $34,771.44 $154,575.44
96 Lobianco, Michael Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $25,221.98 $154,570.98
97 Konop, Randall Battalion Chief – EMT $118,398.50 $36,136.47 $154,534.97
98 Strong, Eric Battalion Chief-Paramedic $121,325.00 $33,145.97 $154,470.97
99 Fabrizio, Dan Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $24,843.94 $154,192.94
100 Doyle, Kevin Battalion Chief – EMT $129,349.00 $24,791.54 $154,140.54
Source: City of Chicago
Note: Some management-level personnel had money deducted from base pay because of unpaid furlough days. Deductions are shown in parentheses.

 

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CFD union not happy with proposed city cuts

This from Willam Post:

A Sun-Times article today talks about a dispute with the city administration on proposals set forth during contract negotiations. The proposal to make engines that are located with trucks into 4-man companies would effect 60 out of 95 engine companies, assuming that it doesn’t include Engines 91 and 116 that are housed only with Squad companies.
It also includes a proposal to make all 15 of our BLS ambulances into ALS ambulances.
The article can be found HERE.

Nearly four months after losing the hero fire commissioner who championed their cause, Chicago firefighters finally know what cost-cutting concessions Mayor Rahm Emanuel is seeking when their contract expires on June 30.

In a plan the firefighters union calls “insulting” and “ridiculous,” Emanuel is taking aim at such treasured union perks as holiday and duty availability pay; clothing allowances; pay grades; premium pay; the physical fitness incentive and the seven percent premium paid to cross-trained firefighter paramedics.

One former union official estimated the proposed concessions could cost the average firefighter $7,000 a year.

The mayor’s plan does not include closing fire stations. But, it would alter the minimum manning requirement that triggered the bitter 1980 firefighters strike.

The current contract requires that every piece of fire apparatus be staffed by at least five employees. Emanuel’s plan calls for all “double houses” that include both engines and trucks to be staffed by nine firefighters instead of 10.

thanks Chris

The Chicago Tribune also has an article HERE.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Wednesday that a new contract for Chicago firefighters will need to include cost-cutting reforms to the way the department operates, but the union is vowing to fight the administration’s proposal.

The jockeying comes as the current firefighters’ contract lapses June 30. The firefighters union contends the city’s offer would eliminate several categories of additional pay and reduce the number of firefighters at some fire houses.

In a letter sent recently to union members, Firefighters Union Local 2 President Thomas Ryan called the proposals “insulting” and “ridiculous.”

Ryan’s letter states the city wants to eliminate various salary add-ons that increase firefighters’ take-home pay, including the clothing allowance and the 7 percent bump for employees cross-trained as firefighters and paramedics, along with the “duty availability” payments to firefighters, who are on call to work on their days off.

The city proposal also calls for cutting from 10 to nine the number of firefighters stationed in the “double houses” that have both fire engines and fire trucks, according to Ryan’s letter, which includes no mention of the city wanting to close firehouses.

My view is, I have a responsibility to all the people of the city of Chicago,” Emanuel said at a news conference to announce GE Transportation will move its headquarters here. “Not a few, not one part of the city, all the people of the city of Chicago. And I’ve got to make sure the taxpayers and the residents are represented. That’s my role.”

“I respect what Tom (Ryan) has to do, I respect what the members of the firefighters operations as a city employee have to do,” the mayor added. “But I’ve got to make sure we’re making the changes that are necessary for the future, and we’re not just doing things like we used to do them because we used to do them.”

Last year, then-Fire Commissioner Robert Hoff told aldermen he was “deathly against” reducing manpower and “adamant” about keeping truck staffing levels the same because lowering them would put residents and firefighters in danger.

But Hoff retired in February, and new Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago has taken a softer stance on the manpower issue. “There’s many, many different studies on what is safe and not,” Santiago said about staffing levels at his introductory news conference.

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CFD staffing discussions

Bill Post found a link to a program from February 21st on WTTW that interviewed the President of the Chicago Firefighters Union.

View the recording HERE.

 

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Firefighters pay their respect to CFD FF Corey Ankum

Updated 10:30PM

The wake and visitation for Chicago Firefighter Corey Ankum, the second of two CFD firefighters killed as a result of the building collapse at 1744 E. 75th Street on December 22, 2010, is being held today at the Apostolic Church of God, 6320 S. Dorchester Avenue until 8PM this evening. The Chicago Tribune has a brief story HERE. MyFoxChicago has an article along with video HERE.

Tim Olk documented the wake and visitation this afternoon and has provided a few images with more to follow.

Chicago Fire Department fallen firefighter Corey Ankum

Members of the Chicago Police Department salute as firefighters carry the casket of Chicago FF Corey Ankum into the Apostolic Church of God this afternoon in preparation for the visitation. Tim Olk photo

Chicago Fire Department Firefighters Union Local 2

Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Thomas Ryan, president of the Chicago Fire Department Firefighters Union Local 2, addresses media questions today outside the Apostolic Church of God on south Dorchester Avenue. Tim Olk photo

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