Additional Menu Items Below

Note: MSVFA uses Yahoo as our main means of posting news items to the list at MSVFA Yahoo Group Most of our news items are sent out and posted on the Yahoo site.

News Items:

July 16, 2008 Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education Hires Executive Director Team

St. Paul, MN, July 15, 2008: The Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education’s Executive Committee has selected the team of Barbara Tuccitto Warren and Nancy Franke Wilson to serve as Executive Directors of the Board effective July 14, 2008. The combined experience, skills and expertise of both Ms. Warren and Ms. Wilson has created an outstanding team for developing and managing the Board activities, administering the training and firefighter education activities, conducting and maintaining excellent communication, working with the legislature on public policy and seeking additional funds from grants or government programs to the favor of the Governor, Board of Directors, trainers, firefighters and other constituents of the Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education.

Barbara Tuccitto Warren and Nancy Franke Wilson are ideally suited to carry out these, and other, important objectives having years of experience starting and managing organizations, communications, legislation, training, education as well as grant funding on all levels of government and private foundations. In addition, the team of Ms. Warren and Wilson are experienced working in a team environment and have others skills and experience such as public speaking, conference planning, program development and administration, a very wide network of private, non-profit and government professionals.

Barbara Tuccitto Warren has 17 years experience in board management, which includes the development and implementation of policies and human resources of the board and employees. Serving as an independently contracted Executive Director, she has managed the following organizations and their boards: Southern Anoka County Community Consortium (Joint Powers Agreement), Safe Communities Coalition, Elk River School to Work Partnership, Columbia Park Education & Research Foundation, Manufacturing Technology of Minnesota, MN Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia Association, Health Lifestyle Collaborative (Anoka Ramsey Community College), MN Community Health & Public Safety Alliance.

Ms. Warren has in depth experience in human resources, serving as a Human Resource Manager for Target Corporation and as an independently contracted Executive Director for numerous organizations. Barbara possesses extensive experience in budget development and management and fiscal operations. She has performed these duties as an Operation Manger for Target Corporation, President of a chamber of commerce and as an independently contracted Executive Director.

Barbara Tuccitto Warren has worked with many culturally diverse groups over the past seven years. She has managed several programs that were established to deal with the changing face of first ring suburbs. The programs were established in conjunction with the local school districts, cities, community education centers and faith communities. As the director for many state programs, along with managing two local chambers of commerce Barbara has experience in working with and directing and managing many boards’ legislative direction. The entities were:

MN Watch Your Car Program, the Department of Public Safety – Office of Traffic Safety, Department of Education, Department of Labor & Industry and the Southern Anoka County Community Consortium (Joint Powers Agreement)

Nancy Franke Wilson spent over eight years with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety administrating programs and projects from the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. In addition, Ms. Wilson was responsible for carrying out legislative requests and working on public policy issues on behalf of the Office of Traffic Safety and the Office of Justice Programs. During her tenure at the Department of Public Safety Ms. Wilson co-developed the highly successful Safe & Sober law enforcement campaign and Safe Communities program; both of which earned Minnesota national recognition and awards.

Ms. Wilson was responsible for NHTSA funding and programs for emergency medical services in Minnesota and worked closely with EMS funding, programming and legislative issues. She monitored the EMS Advisory Board for the Office of Traffic Safety/NHTSA and served on the work group to pass legislation that formed the EMS Regulatory Board, moving emergency medical services from the Mortuary Science division of the Minnesota Department of Health to a separate, legislatively designated Board.

Nancy Franke Wilson has been an independent consultant for over eight years working in the areas of health and public safety. Nancy’s work includes communications, social marketing, public policy and (grant) funding. She has conducted numerous grant writing seminars and trainings throughout Minnesota for EMS and public safety. Ms. Wilson has done grant seeking and writing for all levels of government, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Nancy Franke Wilson has worked on legislation and public policy for over fifteen years. During this last legislative session she worked on legislation that would allow municipalities to use photo-cop for red light running violations. In addition to red light running legislation Ms. Wilson worked on primary seat belt legislation and monitored several other bills relating to public safety. Ms. Wilson is especially skilled at developing collateral materials to support legislation including facts sheets, letters to the editors, media events and coalition building.

The immediate next steps for the new Executive Director team are to meet with key firefighting organizations and leaders, develop the office, web site and assist the Board with the execution of the statutory responsibilities of the Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education. For more information please contact Board Chair Marvin Calvin at mcalvin@ci.willmar.mn.us, Barbara Tuccitto Warren twassociates@comcast.net or Nancy Franke Wilson at nancy@frankewilsonconsulting.com

April 9th 2008

Firefighter/EMT Keith Carlson with the Sunburg Fire Department and Sunburg Ambulance Service was killed on Wednesday April 9 2008 after being caught in a PTO on his farm.

49-year-Firefighter/EMT Keith Carlson from Sunburg died in a farming accident Wednesday. Authorities were called to the Keith Carlson residence after reports that he became entangled in the auger of a tractor-power feed mill. Carlson was dead when they arrived. An investigation from the sheriff’s office continues though they said that foul play was not suspected.

Keith Roger Carlson 49, of rural Sunburg, died on Wednesday following a farm accident.

Funeral service will be 11:00 am Tuesday at Hope Lutheran Church in Sunburg. Interment will be at Spring Creek Cemetery rural Murdock.

Friends may call on Monday from 5 until 8 pm at Hope Lutheran Church in Sunburg and on Tuesday 1 hour prior to services at the church Arrangements are with Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar.

Keith Roger Carlson was born on March 20, 1959, at Benson, Minnesota the son of Ellert and Dorothy (Klinghagen) Carlson. He grew up in rural Sunburg and attended Sunburg Elementary and graduated from Kerkhoven – Sunburg High School in 1977.

Keith farmed with his brother in rural Sunburg and Murdock and he continued to live on the family homestead. In addition to farming, Keith was active with the Sunburg Fire Department and Sunburg Ambulance.

He was baptized at Bethesda Lutheran in rural Murdock and was confirmed at Hope Lutheran Church in Sunburg, where he was a member at the time of his death. Keith had served on the church council and was currently President of Spring Creek Cemetery Board.

His family recalls how he loved trucking and his passion for farming. He liked to visit and had an infectious laugh. Keith was proud to serve with his fellow members of the Sunburg Fire Department and Ambulance personnel.

Surviving is his mother, Dorothy; brother, James ( and Nancy) Carlson of Murdock; sister, Deb (and John) Bills of Murdock; nephews, Michael Carlson, Bobby ( and Crystal) Carlson, and Wayne Bills; niece, Crystal Bills and great niece, Caleigh Carlson.
Keith was preceded in death by his father.

March 27, 2008

MSVFA sponsor bills SF 3860 and HF 4124 that exempts MN Volunteer Firefighters ENTIRE pension from taxes - Legislation

February 29, 2008
MPFF attempts to revamp the State Board of Firefighter Training and Education (SBFTE) HF3716 & SF 3447 - Click here

Pension Issues

2008 Statewide Volunteer Proposed Pension Plan - Click here

MnFAC Pension Plan Comments (Zikmund) - Click here

Q & A On Pension Plan (Ganfield) - Click here

January 14, 2008
The RFP for the Firefighter Training and Education Board Executive Director has been posted in the State Register - Details here

MN State Auditors Pension Working Group - Updates

MN State Board of Firefighter Training and Education - Updates

MN Fire Service Advisory Committee (Fire Safety Account) - Updates

National Fire Corp News - Update

National Volunteer Fire Council Fire News - Update

National Volunteer Fire Council EMS News - Update

NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program - Update

The Minnesota Volunteer Firefighter News - News Letter

NVFC Comments on Article on Collective Bargaining Legislation

October 11, 2007

Changes Made to PSOB Determination Process

October 06, 2007

Congress may turn up heat on volunteer firemen

October 06, 2007

Legislative Victory: Congress Passes Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act

December 18, 2007

Earlier today, the United States House of Representatives passed the Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act (VRIPA), prohibiting the federal government from taxing benefits provided to volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel by state and local units of government. VRIPA, which was one of the National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) top legislative priorities in 2007, passed the Senate last week as part of H.R. 3648 and is now headed to the President for signature.

Communities across the country provide various types of benefits to volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel as a recruitment and retention tool. On October 17, the NVFC testified before the House Ways and Means Committee about the need to protect these benefits from being taxed as income.

"Federal taxation of volunteer first responder benefits has several effects," said John McAuliffe, NVFC Connecticut State Director, during the testimony. "The most obvious is to reduce the value of the benefit to the volunteer. Additionally, small communities with severely limited resources often find the administrative and legal burdens associated with processing tax documents for volunteer emergency responders overwhelming. Passage of VRIPA would address both of these issues and enhance the ability of communities to recruit and retain volunteer emergency responders."

The language that passed in H.R. 3648 exempts all tax benefits provided by state and local units of government to volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel from taxation by the federal government. Additionally, the first $360 per year of any other type of benefit that a volunteer receives would be exempted from taxation.

VRIPA originally passed the House of Representatives on November 6, as part of H.R. 3997. Then last week, the Senate inserted the VRIPA language into H.R. 3648, which passed in the Senate on December 14. All throughout this process, the NVFC has been contacting U.S. Senators and Representatives to advocate passage of the provision and asking our members to do the same.

"I’m very pleased to announce the passage of the Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act," said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. "This is a tremendous benefit for volunteer emergency responders and the communities that rely on their service. The NVFC will continue to work to ensure that the President signs VRIPA into law and to see that it is implemented properly by the federal government."

For more information on VRIPA and other NVFC legislative priorities, visit the NVFC web site at www.nvfc.org.

NVFC Comments on Article on Collective Bargaining Legislation

US Senate File 2123

Recently, an article by James Sherk of the Heritage Foundation about the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act (H.R. 980) has been published in a number of newspapers across the country. The stated goal of H.R. 980 is, "To provide collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or their political subdivisions."

The article cites a provision in H.R. 980 that was designed to protect the right of a career firefighter to volunteer during off-duty hours. Specifically, the provision bars collective bargaining agreements subject to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) from prohibiting employees from volunteering during off-duty hours. The article accurately states that this provision would not protect the vast majority of career firefighters. This is because NLRA applies to nongovernmental employees, while most career firefighters are employed by municipal or county units of government.

The NVFC has worked diligently with Senate staff to develop language that would provide protection to career firefighters who volunteer during off-duty hours. On October 1, the Senate version of the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act (S. 2123) was introduced and included language in Section 8(a)(5) that states that collective bargaining agreements struck in states affected by the bill cannot include provisions prohibiting employees from volunteering during off-duty hours.

The NVFC does not have a position on S. 2123 but is supportive of the language in Section 8(a)(5) protecting volunteer firefighters. The NVFC never established a position on H.R. 980 but would oppose enactment of legislation expanding collective bargaining rights to career firefighters without also protecting the right of those same firefighters to volunteer during off-duty hours should they choose to do so.

Changes Made to PSOB Determination Process

The Department of Justice (DoJ) has issued two policy memorandums to the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program (PSOB) that will significantly change the determination process for PSOB applications made under the Hometown Heroes Survivor Benefits Act. The new policy, which is effective immediately, clarifies the language of the law and is intended to fix the problems that have been plaguing the determination process.

Under the new policy, no activity shall be understood to be "performed as a matter of routine" solely based on the public safety agency describing it as "routine" or "ordinary." The determination of whether an activity is "routine" will be informed less by how often it is performed than by its stressful or strenuous character. Responding to an emergency call shall presumptively be treated as non-routine.

DoJ has also changed its policy for determining whether there is "competent medical evidence to the contrary." No medical history records will be requested of claimants in cases where nothing in the claim file suggests that either something other than the line of duty may have caused the fatal heart attack or stroke or that it was more likely than not that the heart attack was imminent. The mere presence of cardiovascular disease or risk factors, however extreme, that is found, for example, through an autopsy or mentioned in a coroner’s report or death certificate, shall not be considered in the determination unless information in the claim file itself suggests that the deceased person knew or should have known of such presence and appears to have worsened or aggravated the same by his or her own intentional and reckless behavior. Any medical history records requested of the claimant will be reviewed for mitigating evidence in favor of the claim.

"I am very pleased that it appears that the Department of Justice is starting to get the message," said Philip C. Stittleburg, Chairman of the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC). "I strongly encourage anyone whose Hometown Heroes claim has been denied to appeal the decision directly to the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance as soon as possible."

PSOB is a one-time payment of nearly $303,064 to the families of fallen public safety officers. The Hometown Heroes Act, which was signed into law in December 2003, was intended to make it possible for public safety officers who die from heart attack or stroke caused by participation in emergency response to qualify for PSOB.

Up until now, DoJ’s interpretation of the law has been at odds with the intent of Congress. DoJ has placed the burden of proof that the physical activity the officer engaged in was nonroutine or stressful on the applicant and has denied claims in which firefighters suffered a fatal heart attack during emergency response, with the justification that emergency response does not necessarily constitute "nonroutine stressful or strenuous physical" activity. As of October 4, a total of 202 Hometown Heroes claims are pending, with 21 approved and 57 denied. A total of 26 appeals have been filed.

The NVFC has expressed frustration and concern over delays in processing applications and the low number of awards that have been made, and has worked towards getting the situation rectified. With the new policy in place, DoJ is soliciting appeals and is printing 35,000 packets to guide claimants in filing for the benefit.

Congress may turn up heat on volunteer firemen

HF 980

By JAMES SHERK
THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION

You probably haven’t heard that Congress is about to shut down many of America’s volunteer fire departments. A little-known bill advancing through Congress would do just that.

Nearly 26,000 volunteer fire departments protect tens of millions of Americans and their homes from fires. Almost three out of every four firefighters in the United States are volunteers, and smaller towns and cities call on them for protection.

These volunteer departments are usually anchored by a core of professional career firefighters. Often they work in another city and volunteer to protect their neighbors in their off-duty hours. Volunteer firefighters risk their lives and sacrifice their time for their communities. Who would want to shut them down?

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), that’s who. The IAFF represents career firefighters. Volunteers who give their time and efforts to their communities allow many communities to do without full-time career fire departments. This means fewer jobs for career firefighters, and fewer dues-paying members in the union that represents them. So the IAFF does everything in its power to stop ‘‘two-hatters’’ from volunteering.

The IAFF constitution prohibits its members from belonging to a volunteer fire department. In the words of IAFF President Harold Schaitberger, the decision to volunteer is a personal choice, but ‘‘that personal choice is one that can have serious consequences under our Constitution.’’ Union members who disobey face steep union fines that the courts will enforce. In some cities, the IAFF negotiates, on its members’ behalf, contracts stating that they will lose their job if they volunteer in their off-duty hours.

The union’s effort to ban volunteering is an assault on our civic fabric. Doctors who provide free care to the poor, lawyers who work pro bono for the disadvantaged, and firefighters who volunteer for their communities make America a better country.

Without career firefighters willing to give their time, many volunteer fire departments would have to close. Look at Connecticut. The IAFF negotiated ‘‘no-volunteering’’ clauses in the contracts of every major city there. Now many of the state’s volunteer fire departments are having difficulty finding enough volunteers to protect their communities. Some cities have had to raise taxes significantly to hire career firefighters - exactly what the IAFF intended.

Enter the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, which would make it significantly easier for the IAFF to shut down volunteer fire departments. The bill, which passed the House and is before the Senate, has nothing to do with employer-employee cooperation. This bill requires every state and local government to collectively bargain with their police officers and firefighters, and to negotiate virtually every term and condition of employment. Those states that have decided collective bargaining doesn’t meet their needs would have to do so anyway.

If this bill passes and forces every local government to collectively bargain with its firefighters, the IAFF’s membership rolls will swell and the union will have enhanced powers to negotiate away the freedom of its members to volunteer. Many career firefighters who want to serve their community will lose the ability to do so, unless they want to lose their jobs.

Recognizing that concerns for volunteer firefighters could sink the bill, its supporters added a provision specifying that private sector collective bargaining agreements cannot prevent workers from volunteering. Since virtually every firefighter works for the government and not in the private sector, this actually does nothing to protect volunteer firefighters. But it sounds good.

Instead of adding meaningless provisions that do nothing to defend firefighters’ right to volunteer, Congress should let local communities decide if collective bargaining is right for them. Many communities have decided that it is. But others have not. Congress should not make it easier for the IAFF to punish firefighters for volunteering to protect their neighbors.

National Volunteer Fire Council News

NVFC News Releases
This link will show you a listing of current news releases. You are encouraged to
download and reproduce these news items. For more information on any
news release, please call the National Office at
(202) 887-5700 or E-mail us.