Improved benefits proposed
Firefighters and law enforcement personnel should receive the same benefits as federal government employees, including hospitalization, insurance, and pension plans, according to Sam Paradice of Vidor, TX, who is the independent candidate for U S. House of Representatives, District 2.
Mr. Paradice has proposed a federally funded program that would provide improved benefits to law enforcement personnel (sheriffs, constables, policemen, state law personnel) and both paid and volunteer firefighters.
In addition, Mr. Paradice has called for federal government matching funds to be made available in order to upgrade present pay scales for policemen and firefighters to a standard designated by their state governments.
Mr. Paradice expressed concern that many law enforcement personnel and firefighters are leaving their profession for jobs in the private sector, which offers more attractive health and monetary benefits.
Mr. Paradice proposed reducing the amount of money spent on foreign aid in order to fund this program.
About 150 firefighters from 22 different agencies of the Colorado Mountain and Metro Denver Fire Departments participated in a recent two-day conference at the Manville World Headquarters in Morrison. CO. The highlight of the event was the rappelling training exercises.
Conference attendees included first-time rappellers and those who took the course last year and were seeking recertification. This was the second year for the event.
The firefighters were lowered by rope from a police helicopter to the roof of the Manville World Headquarters. From there, firefighters rappelled to the ground from a specially constructed facility on the rooftop. In the picture above, a Coal Creek, CO, firefighter is preparing to rappel down from a helicopter.
The training, which was designed to give both volunteer and career firefighters experience in being lowered by rope to emergency scenes, was conducted under the safest conditions possible, according to Fairmont Fire Department Chief Mike Avery, who was safety coordinator for the exercise.
In addition to these outdoor exercises, the firefighters attended workshops, which involved vertical wall and helicopter rappels, rock rescue, “chopper” safety, helicopter assist in forest firefighting, as well as high-rise rescue and evacuation.
“This was particularly vital training for the mountain departments that face the constant threat of forest fires, and for the urban departments that must combat high-rise fires,” said Larry Butts, deputy chief of Inter-Canyon Fire Department, sponsor of the Rope Tec Conference.
