Our 2009 fundraiser Campaign has started!

View our Williamsburg letter:       View our York County Letter:  

April 28, 2009

Dear Williamsburg Residents:

City of Williamsburg residents may have received a solicitation from your professional career fire fighters who are members of the International Association of Fire Fighters known as the “Williamsburg/York County Professional Fire Fighters.”  Our primary purpose is public safety and the safety of the men and women who are professional fire fighters. We are active in many endeavors on the federal, state and local levels. Such as lobbying to meet minimum safe staffing level that were set forth in NFPA 1710. We are your advocates for adequate fire protection for you, your family, your business or home. This year, will be creating a Benevolent Fund for Williamsburg fallen fire fighters.

It was stated that the Williamsburg Volunteer Fire Department also donates the time of its 31 members of which less than 10 have the very minimum training to just assist our full time career fire fighters and emergency medical personnel.  In 2008 the WVFD donated 7,966 hours of their time, most of which is William and Mary College students with little or no Fire or EMS Training.

We encourage you to learn the facts about just who is protecting you and your family. Stop by your local Fire House anytime 24/7 or come to one of our meetings held at 7294 Merrimac Trail. For the meeting schedule check our web site.www.iaff2498.org or email us and we will provide you with the next meeting dates and times. We would love to have you learn the facts about your public safety. We are here 24 hours a day 7 days a week to serve you. You deserve to know the truth.

Be safe and thank-you all for your continued support of your paid Williamsburg Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics.

Don Dinse, President
York County & Williamsburg Professional Fire Fighters
757 532 3337 office

Happy 91st Anniversary, IAFF

February 28, 2009 – It was 91 years ago today that 36 delegates from 24 professional fire fighter unions affiliated with the American Federal of Labor (AFL) came together in Washington, DC to form the International Association of Fire Fighters.

In 1918, many fire fighters were working as many as 84 hours a week for less than 30 cents per hour. There was virtually no safety gear, presumptive benefits, pensions or line-of-duty death benefits for families.

With the official formation of the IAFF, fire fighters could use their strength in numbers to fight for better wages, improved safety and greater service for their communities. In the years since, the union has been the driving force behind the development of standards for safe fire ground operations and important health and safety laws that keep fire fighters safe on the job.

In the 1930s, the IAFF worked with locals in Pennsylvania to pass one of the first presumptive and workers’ compensation laws. By 1943, the average fire fighter was working on a reduced work week of 70 hours, and wages had increased to an average of 50 cents per hour.

The 1960s saw a series of positive changes. Average pay rose to $2 per hour and fire fighters moved to 56-hour work week. There was also an emergence of trained emergency life support personnel. Today, about 80 percent of the IAFF’s membership provides some level of fire-based EMS.

At the 1976 Convention, the IAFF’s political action committee, FIREPAC, was created. Since then, FIREPAC has helped secure federal funding for the fire service and train members to become active in their government. Additionally, the program educates members on the importance of political action through seminars, the annual Legislative Conference and the IAFF Political Training Academy.

Also in 1976, the IAFF fought for and won a U.S. Public Safety Officer (PSOB) benefit that paid fire fighter families $50,000 in the case of a line-of-duty death. Later, the coverage expanded to include heart attacks and strokes.

PSOB funding has also increased. For deaths occurring on or after October 1, 2008, $315,746 in benefits is available to the families.

The International has also played significant roles in the development of standards for safe fire ground operations and important safety and health laws that protect fire fighters on the job.

The passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) provided for overtime and other critical benefits that have been successfully defended in court cases and trengthened over the past two decades, ensuring that members are paid for the work they put in.



On September 11, 2001, the IAFF weathered its darkest day when 343 of its members perished in the terrorist attacks on New York City, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In the weeks and months after the tragedy, the International devoted an extensive amount of resources to helps its members and families of the fallen.

Specifically, the IAFF provided financial assistance and other family services to survivors, counseling support to fire fighters and staff support to New York Locals 94 and 854.

The IAFF answers the call when any disaster strikes its members, including hurricanes, flooding and wildland fires.

After Hurricane Andrew devastated Florida in 1992, the union intensified its capabilities to help by creating the IAFF Disaster Relief Fund, which provides financial assistance to members affected by natural or man-made disasters.

Additionally – particularly when Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma struck the Gulf Coast in 2005 – the IAFF set up and staffed an incident command center to assist with communications, evacuation, food, medicine (including vaccinations and baseline medical evaluations), behavioral health and other counseling, building materials, crews for house repairs, transportation and housing support.

Local, state and provincial IAFF affiliates have added many more victories on behalf of IAFF members to the list of IAFF accomplishments and membership services, including passing laws to extend bargaining rights and employment protections, providing health care and other benefits, negotiating or lobbying for pay raises and representing member fire fighter interests 24/7.

Here is a collection of your Professional Fire Fighter/Medics in the news!

Bones found at Marina. Click here

Fire rips through York County dentistry. Click here.

IAFF Response to H1N1 (swine) Flu Outbreak