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Permalink Reply by Tony P on March 18, 2010 at 11:43pm

Easy for us, the fire service is not political - is not allowed to take sides. For us it would be as bad as the police - or the Army!!! - taking sides. Individuals should have an opinion, but I like our way of just doing our job. Oh, the unions can have an opinion, but that isn't the fire service.

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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on March 18, 2010 at 11:43pm

Mike, I would say political action is a big part of unionized career FF's. When I was a volly the dept was neutral. As a career FF, politics has become a necessary evil to contend with. In the past public safety was not really touched, today there are too many uneducated politicians who have their own ideals and beancounters and think they know what safe staffing is and the job of FF's etc.

We have endorsed local candidates for alderman and mayor positions, sometimes the one we back gets in sometimes not. The strategy is to get enough candidates we endorsed to to outnumber those who do oppose. It doesn't mean we don't see issues with the candidate we endorse, just that they hopefully understand and listen to our concerns. When the opponent wins, we have tried to work with them and depending on circcumstances some are willing to listen and sometmes not. We have endorsed a candidates opponent in the past and then have endorsed the candidate the next election. We have had candidates we endorsed that turned around and screwed us over, so it really is a gamble. For some candidates they do see the resources FF's have used in campaigns, we have donated time and money in some campaigns and even help with dropping off candidate flyers door to door in the candidates area and so forth. There have been examples of a candidate we endorsed won by our efforts to campaign for them and some opponents who lost a seat too.

As Tony mentions though, the endorsing etc is the union and not the dept. Union members still vote how they choose, but there is no campaigning etc while on duty. Anything we do political wise is the work of the union, not the dept itself.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Vito on March 21, 2010 at 8:43pm

Thanks for Tony and John for your inputs. Yup, a no politics policy is a great policy by default. And John, thanks for the input on the pros and cons of a FD endorsing a candidate.

We pray, in my country all goes well this coming May 10 election in the Philippines. It's been more than 1 decade that a EMS still on the shelf of our congress. We hope we find a right person to push for the bill and becomes a law that will uplifts the standards of EMS here.

I thinks that's wrap it this thread.

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