Latest news with #InternationalAssociationofFireFighters
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Boston Globe
Fire on ship carrying EVs forces evacuation after blaze reignites
Advertisement It's another case of EVs morphing into infernos, a chronic safety and public relations headache for the fast-growing industry. Although the initial cause is not yet known, fire safety experts said the presence of so many vehicle batteries on board would almost certainly worsen the situation beyond what the cargo ship's fire suppression systems could reasonably handle. The incident 'does sound consistent with a failure in electric vehicles, especially the deployment of the CO2 system and the reignition,' said Sean DeCrane, a director with the International Association of Fire Fighters. EV fires are notoriously hard to put out, resisting the effects of traditional foam-based fire extinguishers and small amounts of water. This is because battery fires spread through the excessive accumulation of heat from one battery cell to another, and from one battery to the next, said Rich Meier of Florida-based Meier Fire Investigation. Advertisement Permanently extinguishing this sort of fire, according to experts, requires lowering the heat; a carbon dioxide-based system like the one used on the Morning Midas would have starved the fire of oxygen and prevented it from spreading to other materials, but it wouldn't have stopped the batteries from overheating. There is also the potential for battery fires to spread from one EV to another in a chain reaction, Meier said. 'The prevailing wisdom is that it takes 10,000 gallons of water to put out a single lithium-ion EV fire. … When you multiply that by the number of vehicles on a ship, you may sink the ship before you put the fire out,' Meier said. Dousing the ship with seawater also presents problems, experts have said, because salt water is known to have corrosive effects, raising the risk of a short-circuits elsewhere on the ship. The company said all 22 crew members are safe and accounted for, with no reports of injuries. A tugboat has been deployed to salvage the ship. 'Our priorities are to ensure the continued safety of the crew and protect the marine environment,' Zodiac Maritime said in its statement. The Morning Midas fire is at least the third ship fire in recent years involving a vehicle carrier. In 2022, a cargo ship had to be abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean, with all crew members safely evacuating as luxury cars burned onboard. In a 2023 fire, one person was killed and six injured on a ship carrying nearly 3,000 vehicles. Advertisement
New York Post
4 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
International Association of Fire Fighters endorses tax cuts in Trump's 'big beautiful' bill
The largest labor union for firefighters and emergency service workers in North America is giving the tax provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act its official stamp of approval. Leadership of the International Association of Fire Fighters, which represents over 350,000 members, endorsed the tax cuts, specifically praising the elimination of taxes on qualified overtime pay and the increase in the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap. 'Firefighters and emergency medical workers shouldn't be penalized for choosing a career in public service,' IAFF General President Edward Kelly said in a statement obtained by The Post. Advertisement 'President Trump respects the contributions lAFF members make to our country and recognizes the importance of ensuring these brave men and women can keep more of their hard-earned money.' 3 The International Association of Fire Fighters is backing the tax portion of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. AP The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is intended to be President Trump's marquee legislative agenda, contains tax cuts, increased border security funding, energy reforms, bolstered defense and other conservative priorities. Advertisement On taxes, the megabill extends much of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and fulfills Trump's campaign promises of no taxes on qualified tips and overtime pay. It also increases the deduction for seniors by $4,000 in lieu of no taxes on Social Security, something that procedural rules ensnare. 3 The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is intended to be President Trump's marquee legislative agenda. Getty Images On overtime pay, individuals earning under $160,000 would get the tax exemption. The lAFF described this as a 'needed fix' for members 'whose jobs demand long hours and time away from home.' The SALT cap also jumps from $10,000 annually to about $40,000, which phases out after $500,000 in income, something the lAFF argued will help members in 'high-cost areas keep more of what they earn.' Advertisement 'These common-sense tax proposals from President Trump improve our members' quality of life and allow them to focus on what matters most: keeping their communities safe,' Kelly added. 3 The union argued that firefighters and emergency services workers will benefit from the elimination of taxes on overtime pay. Firefighter Montreal – Last month, the House GOP narrowly passed the legislative bundle through the lower chamber. Now it is up for consideration in the Senate, where GOP senators were looking to make adjustments. If the package of bills clears the Senate and receives adjustments, it will have to go back to the House before it can get to Trump's desk. Republicans are hoping to give the bill to Trump to sign by the Fourth of July. Advertisement During the 2024 election cycle, the lAFF declined to endorse either Trump or former Vice President Kamala Harris. The union estimates that its members safeguard about 85% of the population in the US and Canada.
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Business Standard
06-05-2025
- Business Standard
LA firefighters union leaders suspended over alleged misuse of funds
Top officials at the Los Angeles firefighters labour union were suspended Monday after an audit conducted by its parent organisation found over $800,000 in credit card spending, some of it by the union's president, could not be accounted for. The International Association of Fire Fighters, which oversees firefighter unions across the country, wrote in a letter to the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City that it would be placing the union under a conservatorship to properly manage its finances. The union represents more than 3,600 members of the Los Angeles Fire Department, according to its LinkedIn. According to the letter from IAFF President Edward Kelly, the organisation voted to suspend union President Freddy Escobar and two other officials who made thousands of credit card transactions with no receipts or other documentation justifying them. Escobar posted a statement on his Instagram account denying the allegations. I'm going to defend myself because I have nothing to hide and I have always worked for the benefit of our membership for the greater good, the post said. These false allegations are disgusting and politically motivated by those who want to attack the union and me personally and I'm going to clear my name." The union's troubles began in October 2024, when an officer flagged concerns about improper record-keeping to the parent organisation. An investigation found that then-secretary Adam Walker transferred, without authorisation, more than $80,000 from the union's nonprofit to support firefighters and families directly into his personal bank accounts, according to IAFF. Investigators found that after moving those funds, Walker paid off substantial personal debts such as mortgage and loan payments, as well as casino cash ATM withdrawals. He was suspended for breach of fiduciary responsibility and misappropriation of funds, Kelly said. Contact information could not be located for requesting comment from Walker. A more extensive audit was ordered, revealing that Escobar had spent more than $300,000 on his union credit card between July 2018 and November 2024. Kelly said there was no way to determine that the funds were used for legitimate union expenditures. Auditors had warned union leadership in March 2024 there were significant deficiencies in the local's financial practices. Escobar spent more than $70,000 without submitting a single receipt that year. A former treasurer, Domingo Albarran, was also found to have spent more than $300,000 over about five years without documentation of the expenditures, according to the letter. The union's parent organisation voted to suspend Vice Presidents Chuong Ho and Doug Coates for failing to ensure leaders were following policy. The financial malpractice by the leadership of UFLAC has dealt serious harm to the membership, Kelly said. Contact information for Albarran, Ho and Coates could not be immediately located.
06-05-2025
- Business
LA firefighters union heads suspended, audit finds $800,000 in undocumented spending
LOS ANGELES -- Top officials at the Los Angeles firefighters labor union were suspended Monday after an audit conducted by its parent organization found over $800,000 in credit card spending, some of it by the union's president, could not be accounted for. The International Association of Fire Fighters, which oversees firefighter unions across the country, wrote in a letter to the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City that it would be placing the union under a conservatorship to properly manage its finances. The union represents more than 3,600 members of the Los Angeles Fire Department, according to its LinkedIn. According to the letter from IAFF President Edward Kelly, the organization voted to suspend union President Freddy Escobar and two other officials who made thousands of credit card transactions with no receipts or other documentation justifying them. Escobar posted a statement on his Instagram account denying the allegations. 'I'm going to defend myself because I have nothing to hide and I have always worked for the benefit of our membership for the greater good,' the post said. 'These false allegations are disgusting and politically motivated by those who want to attack the union and me personally and I'm going to clear my name." The union's troubles began in October 2024, when an officer flagged concerns about improper record-keeping to the parent organization. An investigation found that then-secretary Adam Walker transferred, without authorization, more than $80,000 from the union's nonprofit to support firefighters and families directly into his personal bank accounts, according to IAFF. Investigators found that after moving those funds, Walker paid off substantial personal debts such as mortgage and loan payments, as well as casino cash ATM withdrawals. He was suspended for 'breach of fiduciary responsibility and misappropriation of funds,' Kelly said. Contact information could not be located for requesting comment from Walker. A more extensive audit was ordered, revealing that Escobar had spent more than $300,000 on his union credit card between July 2018 and November 2024. Kelly said there was no way to determine that the funds were used for 'legitimate union expenditures.' Auditors had warned union leadership in March 2024 there were 'significant deficiencies' in the local's financial practices. Escobar spent more than $70,000 without submitting a single receipt that year. A former treasurer, Domingo Albarran, was also found to have spent more than $300,000 over about five years without documentation of the expenditures, according to the letter. The union's parent organization voted to suspend Vice Presidents Chuong Ho and Doug Coates for failing to ensure leaders were following policy. 'The financial malpractice by the leadership of UFLAC has dealt serious harm to the membership,' Kelly said.
Washington Post
06-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
LA firefighters union leaders suspended after audit finds $800,000 in undocumented spending
LOS ANGELES — Top officials at the Los Angeles firefighters labor union were suspended Monday after an audit conducted by its parent organization found over $800,000 in credit card spending, some of it by the union's president, could not be accounted for. The International Association of Fire Fighters, which oversees firefighter unions across the country, wrote in a letter to the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City that it would be placing the union under a conservatorship to properly manage its finances. The union represents more than 3,600 members of the Los Angeles Fire Department, according to its LinkedIn.
