You’ll find a link to a video recording of the estate planning presentation from the recent union meeting.
Click the link below to view the flyer with all the information we have for next years Union Summer Retreat. This is an awesome way for us all to spend time together off duty and with our families!
Good Afternoon Brothers and Sisters-
Our apologies for the delay in getting this scheduling tool out for Ultrasounds. The Local worked out an agreement with the employer to allow for these scans to be scheduled both on and off duty. If you click the link below you will open a PDF with an embedded link to schedule your ultrasound for the week of October 23-27. In order to simplify this for BC’s, if you are planning to participate on duty, please attempt to coordinate schedules with your crew if more than one of you plan to participate. Reminder that this sign up is on a first come, first serve basis and spouses and partners are welcome. You will receive a bill/receipt directly from UDS which you will use if you are going to seek FSA/HSA reimbursement. Please reach out to Doug or Evan with questions.
Local 2545 Members,
Please click the link below to read about our upcoming UDS body scans. On Monday, September 25th we will be sending out a sign up link to all members. Sign ups will be on a first come, first serve basis. Also, please remember that these scans are open to spouses. We strongly encourage everyone to participate in this important early detection screening. Please reach out to Doug Tomczak if you have questions.
Local 2545,
See the below document for details about profit and loss for the 2021/2022 fiscal year. If you have questions, please reach out to Local 2545 Treasurer Doug Tomczak.
Tim Sears is in a director position with the Stronger Families organization and has proposed to the Local a new program be started with Kirkland Fire. The gist of the program would be targeted at helping spouses better understand the firefighting career. Stronger Families would provide the curriculum and training but would need 10-12 volunteers from the membership to get trained in the curriculum as well as a spouse to lead the group of spouses. The below documents from Stronger Families give more information about the proposals:
Vacation Access FAQ
Why is the system changing?
-As our department grows, existing rules for the amount of personnel allowed off every day has begun limiting our ability to use our earned time off. Labor and management identified the need to address that issue as we increase minimum staffing and total number of line firefighters over the next few years.
What is the 2018 PERC ruling?
– In 2018, additional personnel were hired as minimum staffing was increased to staff Station 25 with four firefighters. When fire admin was unwilling to open more vacation spots, a grievance was filed which ultimately resulted in a PERC ruling stating the city had to maintain our existing access to time off.
What does 115% access mean?
– The city is legally obligated to provide access to 100% of the time off benefits employees receive. When investigating the level of access we had during the 2018 PERC ruling, it was determined that our members had access to 114.7% of their earned time off. For example, in a given year, if the department earned 1000 hours of time off, the city had been providing 1147 hours worth of vacation slots.
How will I know if there can be 5 or 6 people off on vacation?
– The annual vacation bid matrix will highlight the dates in which six people can be off versus five. Telestaff will also be updated every year to reflect those dates, so if you try to add time off, it will tell you whether you’re over the appropriate amount of people allowed off.
In the past, if we only had 2 people off on Kelly, we could have up to 7
more people off on vacation. Aren’t we losing those spots?
– Those spots were accounted for when we ran the numbers from our
2018 PERC ruling. No spots are lost, just distributed in a different pattern.
Splitting the vacation/Kelly day total time off grants a more even
distribution of available time off throughout the shifts. For example, if B
shift had additional personnel for a given year, they would not only have
more people bidding vacation slots, but they would also have less access
to available slots because more Kelly day slots were filled.
How do we calculate the number of extra days off every year?
– January 1st, fire admin will calculate the total amount of time off earned
by our line firefighters. They will then multiply that many hours by 115%
and divide by the total days in the year. This year that number came out to
5.14. This means 5 slots available every day, and the .14 is distributed as
an additional 6th person off in a predetermined pattern throughout the
year.
Why isn’t all the extra vacation availability allocated in the summer?
Wouldn’t that be better?
– While that would be better, the Local understands the city’s desire for
spreading the days out equally per quarter and agreed to an even
distribution throughout the year. They will be distributed as follows: Q1 –
Working back from March 31, Q2 – Working back from June 30, Q3 –
Working forward from July 1st, Q4 – Working forward from Oct 1st. This covers a large amount of kids summer break and hunting season.
Are the rules for vacation picks changing?
– No, other than the split between vacation/Kelly days, rules for picking
vacation will remain the same.
What if we’re above minimums on a day I want off?
– Vacation tentative will come into play more during the summer if we
have minimal people on Kelly days. Throughout this year, we don’t see
that as a factor because each set is almost maxed out with people on
Kelly days. During that time, the union and admin will be working on
ways to improve the vacation tentative selection process.
Why are Kelly Days and Vacation days separate now?
– The union felt that by splitting those days, we would not only simplify
the vacation selection process, but also distribute vacation access more
evenly throughout the shifts.
Local 2545 Summer camping trip at Camp Saturna, July 18-21.
Here is a powerpoint that gives a quick overview of the plans for the 2022 Local 2545 Camping Trip:
Also, here is a quick survey that will help the Local with logistics for this event. We would love to have everyone who plans to attend fill this out as soon as possible.
IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery
The IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery is a one-of-a-kind addiction treatment facility specializing in PTSD for IAFF members – and IAFF members only – who are struggling with addiction, PTSD other related behavioral health challenges to receive the help they need in taking the first steps toward recovery. It is a safe haven for members to talk with other members who have faced or overcome similar challenges.
Care for your unique needs
If you’re struggling with post-traumatic stress along with co-occurring depression, anxiety or substance abuse disorders, you need treatment from professionals who understand the fire service culture and the unique pressures of your job. The IAFF Center of Excellence connects you to best-practice, evidence-based therapies delivered by clinicians who understand the types of trauma you experience on a day-to-day basis.
Completely confidential treatment
Center staff cannot discuss your treatment with anyone — your fire department, family or friends — unless given explicit permission by you. This applies before, during and after your stay at the IAFF Center of Excellence.
Our Partner: Advanced Recovery Systems
With seven treatment centers across the United States, the continuum of care provided by Advanced Recovery Systems is unsurpassed. The IAFF has partnered with Advanced Recovery Systems to provide members with specialized treatment for the everyday stressors that trigger PTSD, behavioral health disorders and substance abuse.