Firefighters have beef with bush

[tncorgi]

The firefighters, too, have their substantive beefs with Bush. The same president who has used firefighters' images to promote himself has also made cuts in fire-fighting programs that have infuriated the International Association of Fire Fighters. Now the group has passed a resolution calling on the president to pull the ads.


~~~~~~~Resolution Calling Upon the BUSH Campaign to Pull Political Advertisements Utilizing Images of Ground Zero and Fallen Fire Fighters

http://daily.iaff.org/030404reso.htm

Whereas, President Bush is airing advertisements in which the images of Ground Zero and Fallen Fire Fighters are utilized to promote his image as being strong on Homeland Security by trading on the heroism of those 343 FDNY members who fell during the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and

Whereas, President Bush is calling on the biggest disaster in our country’s history, and, indeed, in the history of the fire service to win sympathy for his campaign from patriotic Americans, and

Whereas, the President’s record on Fire Fighter and First Responder issues is one of failure and neglect---including: opposing the creation of a Department of Homeland Security, cutting $700 million in first responder funding from his FY 05 Budget, reducing appropriations to FIRE Act grants by $250 million, and refusing to fund the Bi-Partisan SAFER Act that would put 75,000 desperately needed new Fire Fighters on the streets of our Hometowns, therefore

Be it resolved that the IAFF Executive Board calls upon the Bush campaign to discontinue the current advertisements using the image of fallen fire fighters and Ground Zero, or any similar ads during the course of the campaign, and

Be it further resolved that President Bush apologize to the families of fire fighters killed on 9/11 for demeaning the memory of their loved ones in an attempt to curry support for his re-election.

International Association of Fire Fighters

[Carla]

thank you for posting that. very interesting reading.....

[pechuna]

Just heard on Fox & Friends that the IFFA is using 9/11 images in its fund raising letters for Kerry. Can you say hypocrites?

[advantage2000]

Just heard on Fox & Friends that the IFFA is using 9/11 images in its fund raising letters for Kerry. Can you say hypocrites?

Pardon my ignorance, but "IFFA"?

Also, this program isn't exactly "Fair and Balanced", is it? The poll on the Fox Friends site shows 77% think the campaign ads are "excellent". This is way out of whack with even our current party split of 50/50.

It's also way out of whack with "real" polls which show the exact opposite number of 75% against!

[Current]

I think the poster meant "IAFF". International Association of Fire Fighters. I used to be a member of the IAFF.

[superchickee]

HYPOCRITES! Totally. :frown3:

[pattyepye]

I would think the fire fighters are in a better position to use the images, as they were actually there, with their lives on the line. They were not basking in reflected glory.

[advantage2000]

They were not basking in reflected glory.

Ooooh, I love that... where did you see that?

[c1986goose]

BUSH SIGNS SAFER ACT TO PROVIDE GRANTS FOR HIRING FIREFIGHTERS
Originally Posted: November 8, 2003 8:03 PM
Last Updated: November 12, 2003 9:10 PM

Congress, with bi-partisan support, passed the SAFER Act, new legislation that will use Federal funds to help communities hire firefighters.

Drafted in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy, the new law will enable more fire departments to operate with safe staffing levels and comply with national standards.

The SAFER Act was included in the DoD authorization bill; it acknowledges the problem and provides an avenue to tap federal resources to hire sorely needed firefighters in departments throughout the nation.

Under the new law, fire departments will be eligible to receive grants to help pay the salary and benefits of hiring new fire fighters over a five-year period. In the first year, the federal government will contribute up to 90 percent of the cost, 80 percent in the second year, 50 percent in the third year, and 30 percent in the fourth. The jurisdiction is then required to pay the full amount for at least one additional year.

The total federal funds for each position cannot exceed $100,000 over the five-year period.

The SAFER Act authorizes the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) to award $7.6 billion in grants over seven years to career, volunteer and combination departments for the purpose of hiring additional fire fighters. Grants will be awarded on the basis of need through a competitive, peer-reviewed process modeled after the highly successful Assistance to Firefighters grant program (FIRE Act).

The grants are for a four-year period and must not exceed a total of $100,000 per fire fighter. They require an overall non-federal match minimum of 37.5 percent (10, 20, 50 and 70 percent in years one through four of the grant, respectively, to phase down local government dependence on the federal government), and recipients are required to
retain new hires for at least one year following the conclusion of federal funding.