On April 1, 2009 Ms. Cynthia Little of the Elizabeth Bruyere Foundation attended a meeting of the OPFFA to present a plaque to the Association. The Association had undertaken a 5 year support of the Saint-Vincent hospital.
The OPFFA Benevolent Fund supports many charities in the local Community.

By Peter Kennedy
President,
Ottawa Professional Fire Fighters' Association, IAFF Local 162

After hundreds of hours of research and investigation, the Ottawa Professional Fire Fighters' Association's Health and Safety Committee worker representatives have produced an extensive report in response to a fire on February 12, 2007, that critically injured five Ottawa firefighters. The report has been presented to the Ministry of Labour in Ontario and outlines more than eighty recommendations that seek to change the way Ottawa Fire Services does business.

Forward Avenue Report

Forward Avenue Hotshots February 12, 2007

Forward Avenue Revisited July 2008

With more Fire Fighter Associations and Cities moving toward a 24 hour shift arrangement in Ontario we wanted to post some information concerning such. It is in two parts, the first being some of the available information on the health and quality of life for Fire Fighters based on the current shift as compared to a 24 hour shift as well as other background information. The second part consists of examples of 24 hour shifts OPFFA members have presented for consideration.

Background Information

Dr. Glazner Presentation - 2005 ONTPFFA Health and Safety Conference
Dr. Glazner letter – 24 vs 10/14 hour shifts
Dr. Glazner Letter – response to TPFFA request for 24 hour pros and cons
TPFFA response to City of Toronto Ergonomist Department report on 24 hour shift
Toronto 24 hour Shift Committee Report
Health Affects of Shift Work – Stats Canada report July 2002 read more »

During the recent Firefighter Educational Seminar in Niagara Falls, Ontario the OPFFA launched its Graphic License Plate Program to the delight of the 200 delegates present and thousands of active and retired members. After years of discussions with the Ministry of Transportation, it was announced at the OPFFA Convention in Blue Mountain, Ontario this past June that an agreement had been arrived at that allowed active and retired professional firefighters in the Province of Ontario to purchase the special plates.

All active and retired professional Ottawa firefighters are encouraged to visit the site listed below for more information and to follow the directions closely in filling out the various forms in the appropriate manner. Please visit the OPFFA site at www.opffa.org.

The current licence plate numbers in stock and on order will be listed on the website and we will be conducting our first draw on November 4, 2008.

OPFFA Graphic Distribution Policy (see more complete document on website): read more »

Ottawa, Ontario, September 4, 2008
Ottawa firefighters without a pay raise for almost five years finally got relief with the handing down of Arbitrator Kevin Burkett’s award on September 3rd. The award, which is binding on the firefighters and City, provided for parity with Ottawa Police as has been the case for the last 50 years, and phased in responsibility pay for more senior firefighters. Responsibility pay is the norm for 80% of firefighters throughout Ontario and Ottawa was the last major fire Association to receive it.

“Professional firefighters are relieved to finally get this award,” stated Association President, Peter Kennedy. “The last five years have been both a financial and mental drain on firefighters and we can now turn the page and move forward.”

Due to the fact that firefighters have had only one contract renewal since the 2001 amalgamation and the length of time of the present negotiation and arbitration process, the Arbitration Board was faced with more than 50 issues to deal with. “Overall, it’s a very balanced award,” said President Kennedy, “that accurately reflects where bargaining in the fire sector would have taken us.” President Kennedy further added, “It’s unfortunate that we had to involve a third party to essentially arbitrate what the Association’s position was in bargaining, but that is the nature of negotiations.” read more »

In 2007, as a direct result of political action and your hard work, the Canadian government agreed to fund the IAFF Haz-mat and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) training programs in Canada.

And now, as we work to design and implement the Canadian HazMat CBRN Training Initiative, the IAFF announces an exciting opportunity for members with a knowledge of hazardous materials response and proven training skills to help make history and to help lead HazMat and CBRN training sessions across Canada.

The IAFF is currently seeking applications for hazardous materials and CBRN response Master Instructors, who will work with established IAFF Instructors from the U.S. in direct training and train-the-trainer sessions as the program is rolled out across Canada. Applicants should have five years experience as HazMat-CBRN training and should possess Operations Level skills and knowledge. We’re looking only for dynamic individuals who know how to captivate a class and get a message across, who stand out as top-notch trainers. We’re looking for the ‘best of the best.’

Encourage your qualified and union-active members to apply to be an IAFF Master Instructor by making them aware of this message and the application instructions below. The IAFF requires at least one bilingual (English-French) instructor, and women and minorities are also encouraged to submit an application. Click here for application instructions.

We lobbied extremely hard to get federal government funding for this program in Canada. Let’s prove they made the right decision and pave the way for future funding by identifying a dynamic group of Master Instructors who will ensure the Canadian HazMat CBRN Training Initiative is a major success.

For more information, e-mail hazmat@iaff.org or call the IAFF Canadian Office, 613-567-8988. read more »

April 17, 2008
363 Members came out and voted at the 2-Shift Special Meeting on Tuesday, April 15th to consider a Resolution expressing our lack of confidence in Chief Larabie and Deputy Chiefs Montone, Ullett, and Mills. This number far exceeded our expectations on such short notice and in view of the fact that the vote was conducted in a meeting format. The unanimous vote is a testament to the direction and agenda this membership wishes to take and we look forward to the coming weeks in moving that agenda forward.

Time with the Mayor has been requested to present the Resolution and discussions will be forthcoming with Senior Staff of the City. The Resolution will also be circulated to Council and we look forward to having brief discussions with all of our Councilors in order to further articulate our concerns with respect to Fire Administration.

Stay tuned!