News: News

Firefighters Stand with Labor in Fight for Worker Freedom

For more than 40 years, federal law has provided public employees the freedom to join together in a union to negotiate for fair wages, decent benefits, and safe working conditions.  Today, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned more than four decades of precedent by making fair share fees for public sector employees...

Off Duty Fire Fighters Treat Passenger on Alaska Airlines Flight

Recently, off duty firefighters jumped in to assist a passenger who had fallen ill on a cross country flight from Baltimore to Seattle.  The firefighters from Washington, Idaho and Oregon were returning to Seattle from union training with the International Association of Fire Fighters in Baltimore, Maryland.  The four firefighters worked together to stabilize...

Treat and Refer Law Saves Money, Increases Availability of Emergency Resources

  In May, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed legislation supported by the WSCFF and sponsored by Representative (and Mason County firefighter) Dan Griffey, that will save millions of dollars in health care costs and increase the availability of emergency resources by helping first responders to identify and connect those who call 911 for non...

Firefighters to Spokane City Council: Let the Voters Decide

The state’s professional fire fighters today urged the Spokane City Council to allow voters to decide the future of oil and coal traffic through downtown Spokane. Washington State Council of Fire Fighters (WSCFF) President Dennis Lawson and Spokane Firefighters Union President John Goodman joined with members of the Solidarity Roundtable on Oil in a letter...

WSCFF Files Complaint against Shady Solicitors Claiming Fire Fighter Affiliation

Dennis Lawson, President of The Washington State Council of Fire Fighters (WSCFF), filed an official complaint this week with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office against The Association for Firefighters and Paramedics (AFP), because the organization is using paid telemarketers who are calling Washington resident claiming to be affiliated with Washington fire fighters and...

Legislators Vote YES for Kids and Firefighters

In early February, nearly 300 union fire fighters from across Washington State came to Olympia to meet with their elected officials in the House and the Senate, to educate them and to ask for their support for legislation important to the fire service.