Our First Radio Show May 2nd. 7:30 eastern time

Our first guest on Politics and Tactics with Frank Ricci, Anthony Avillo and Chris Pepler will be no other than Congressman Christopher Murphy from the Great Sate of Connecticut and Fire Engineering illustrator Paul Combs

Where education meets experience and expertise. Learn from the decisions makers and talk one on one with elected leaders. Being a great firefighter is not good enough! Politics effects our staffing, budgets and equipment. Get involved. And now Frank Ricci, Anthony Avillo and Chris Pepler.

Airing May 2nd at 7:30.

Some things we will address:

Getting involved.

How to advocate for a bill.

We will conduct a mock phone call to a local, state or federal elected official.

Two bills we will address,

Social Security issue, that mandates all professional firefighter will have to pay into SS regardless of their collective bargaining agreements.

The Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act which would promote the development of a 20 MHz nationwide, interoperable, public safety broadband network.

The fire coordination triangle and staffing. Standards for paid and volunteer firefighters.

And the last segment will be Tactical Question of the day. The hosts will field any question about fire ground tactics from a caller.

Firefighters should not have to pay into Social Security From the IAFF

Below is from the IAFF we will post issues concerning volunteers as well. If you have never called your state or federal elected official before do not fret. It is easy and only takes a second. Place the call it will be usually answered by a staff rep. Simple state your position and say thank you. It won't be confrontational. They are always polite even if they are not aligned with your position.

This is disturbing there is not an elected official who will not tell you the social security is a broken system. What is hard to believe is that three Republicans Tom Coburn (OK), Saxby Chambliss (GA) and Mike Crapo (ID) have signed on to this. The Republicans have long favored a private way out of Social Security. Our pensions is viable option to this government provided safety net. To have firefighters and cops now prop up a failed system is insanity! We must call and be heard on this vital issue!!!!!!!!!

Contact Senator Dick Durbin - tell him not to support any proposal that mandates Social Security participation for fire fighters or that taxes employer-sponsored health care

As part of the plan to cut $4 trillion from the nation's deficit over the next 10 years is a proposal to remove the tax exemption for employer-provided health care and establish mandatory Social Security for new state employees. These recommendations, if implemented, will significantly increase the taxes IAFF members pay.

This deficit reduction plan was introduced by six U.S. senators, known as the Gang of Six: Democrats Dick Durbin (IL), Kent Conrad (ND) and Mark Warner (VA) and Republicans Tom Coburn (OK), Saxby Chambliss (GA) and Mike Crapo (ID). The recommendations are based on a plan by the Deficit Reduction Commission, co-chaired by former Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY) and Erskine Bowles, Chief of Staff to President Clinton.

This Gang of Six is focused on reforming Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and rewriting the U.S Tax Code.

Removing the tax exemption for employer-provided health care will raise taxes on health care benefits, slapping fire fighters with thousands of dollars in additional taxes. Under current law, health care benefits provided by employers to their employees are not counted as taxable income.

Removing the exemption will also force employees to accept greater cost-sharing in the form of higher deductibles and larger copayments and coinsurance.

For example, if the value of your employer-sponsored health care is $10,000 per year and you fall in the 25 percent tax bracket, removing the exemptions will require you to pay an additional $2,500 in federal taxes and, in many places, increase state taxes as well.

Under the Gang of Six's proposal, mandatory Social Security for new state employees will require employers to pay their share of the Social Security tax - 6.2 percent of payroll - placing a financial strain on cash-strapped municipalities. Many jurisdictions cannot afford to pay Social Security taxesand make contributions to your pension plan. This proposal will doom your defined benefit pension plans.

More than 70 percent of the nation’s fire fighters do not participate in the Social Security system. Requiring Social Security coverage of all state and local government employees will completely undermine your pension plans.

Forcing fire fighters into the Social Security system will amount to reducing your take-home pay by 6.2 percent. Can you afford that loss of income?

Contact Senator Dick Durbin - tell him not to support any proposal that mandates Social Security participation for fire fighters or that taxes employer-sponsored health care.

Call, write, email or twitter Senator Durbin's office today:

Washington Office: (202)-224-2152
District Office: (217) 492-4062
Web: http://durbin.senate.gov
Twitter: @SenatorDurbin; http://twitter.com/SenatorDurbin
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SenatorDurbin

First up Secondary Search

In each post we will cover a tactical issue along with a political issue.

First up, Secondary Search:

This week in Flint Michigan a body of a women was located 12 hours after a house fire. To see the news story click on the link below. In this blog we will not throw rocks. We only point out lessons to remind us all that we can all do better.

When ever declaring a search complete make sure you do it by geographical area. We would not buy property you did not see. Example: "Truck 3 to command 1st floor secondary search complete, Truck 3 is par moving to the floor above" Each room and areas remote from the fire needs to be searched. It is best to radio that the secondary search is complete after the smoke has lifted and the area is throughly checked. This means under beds, in closets and in tubs. Any door that was chocked open should be closed to make sure there is not a closet or another room that the door covered. Remember each year a small percent of our fire deaths occurs do to irrational acts. Plaster has been a culprit in hiding victims. Don't let this happen to you!

Tactical Tip of the Day: Before you have your crew pull ceilings have them make a hasty search of the area to make sure they don't cover a body. This hasty search is independent of the primary and secondary.

http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/local&id=8078522