Harold A. Schaitberger was re-elected General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) during the union’s 53rdConvention. It marks the fifth time Schaitberger was elected into office by acclamation.
Schaitberger, who will lead the union for another four-year term, is the 9th General President in the IAFF’s 98-year history. He was first elected to that post in 2000.
Beginning his career as a professional firefighter in Fairfax County, Virginia, Schaitberger quickly rose to the rank of lieutenant, organized and served as the first president of Fairfax County Local 2068 and was elected president of the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters, all before he had seven years on the job.
As general president, Schaitberger has transformed the IAFF into a growing powerhouse in politics, legislation, and health and safety issues across the United States and Canada.
“I know that we have made a difference. But no matter how strong we get, I have vowed to never put this union in neutral. We always need to be faster and stronger. The 302,000 members of this union deserve the very best,” Schaitberger said in keynote remarks to the IAFF convention in Las Vegas.
Edward Kelly was elected by acclamation as the IAFF’s new General Secretary-Treasurer.
The son, grandson, brother, nephew, and cousin of firefighters, Kelly joined the Boston (MA) Fire Department as a firefighter/EMT in 1997. He was elected president of Boston Local 718 in 2005 and in 2011 was elected president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts. During his tenure, Kelly worked hard for improvements in fire equipment and resources and aggressively defended the rights and benefits of Boston firefighters.
