National Firefighter Registry
In 2018, Congress passed the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act, with the assistance of the I.A.F.F. among other fire service-related organizations. The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act directed NIOSH to develop a registry to study cancer among firefighters. A member of the Cincinnati NIOSH Office is heading up the program. There is a lot of information available on their website www.cdc.gov/NFR, that explains how the registry will work, what their goals are and how they will protect your information. The members of the local office have assured me that the information is for the sole purpose of studying the link(s) between fire fighters and cancer. They will not share information with anyone outside of the registry, including Worker’s Compensation, or the municipalities involved.
NIOSH plans to officially launch the registry in a few weeks at FDIC, through local connections they have reached out to ask our members to participate in a “soft rollout.” Their goal is to enroll 200,000 active and/or retired firefighters, again for the sole purpose of studying the link between fire fighters and cancer.
I have enrolled in the registry; it does take 20 – 30 minutes to complete the questionnaire. Part of the process is creating an account on their secure website, login.gov, that uses multi-factor authentication to verify and protect your information. You can complete the process in phases, after you create the login, it does not need to be completed in its entirety.
The website has a FAQ section, explaining how they will protect your information as well as a more in depth explanation of how the NFR will work.
Many of us, including myself, are all too familiar with the how devastating cancer can be when either yourself or a family member is diagnosed, especially when it is directly related to the fire service.
While many of our members have a healthy amount of skepticism regarding the government and the CDC (in particular), please keep in mind that while associated with the CDC, NIOSH also works on and is a driving force on programs such as the Firefighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Programs, the National Person Protective Technology Laboratory, the World Trade Center Health Program and many other programs related to firefighter health and safety.
This is a national effort to improve all our lives in the long run, and it is being run form our city. Please take the time to enroll and participate in an extremely worthwhile program.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Curtis Goodman
District Chief, Suppression Management
Cincinnati Fire Department
430 Central Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
In 2018, Congress passed the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act, with the assistance of the I.A.F.F. among other fire service-related organizations. The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act directed NIOSH to develop a registry to study cancer among firefighters. A member of the Cincinnati NIOSH Office is heading up the program. There is a lot of information available on their website www.cdc.gov/NFR, that explains how the registry will work, what their goals are and how they will protect your information. The members of the local office have assured me that the information is for the sole purpose of studying the link(s) between fire fighters and cancer. They will not share information with anyone outside of the registry, including Worker’s Compensation, or the municipalities involved.
NIOSH plans to officially launch the registry in a few weeks at FDIC, through local connections they have reached out to ask our members to participate in a “soft rollout.” Their goal is to enroll 200,000 active and/or retired firefighters, again for the sole purpose of studying the link between fire fighters and cancer.
I have enrolled in the registry; it does take 20 – 30 minutes to complete the questionnaire. Part of the process is creating an account on their secure website, login.gov, that uses multi-factor authentication to verify and protect your information. You can complete the process in phases, after you create the login, it does not need to be completed in its entirety.
The website has a FAQ section, explaining how they will protect your information as well as a more in depth explanation of how the NFR will work.
Many of us, including myself, are all too familiar with the how devastating cancer can be when either yourself or a family member is diagnosed, especially when it is directly related to the fire service.
While many of our members have a healthy amount of skepticism regarding the government and the CDC (in particular), please keep in mind that while associated with the CDC, NIOSH also works on and is a driving force on programs such as the Firefighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Programs, the National Person Protective Technology Laboratory, the World Trade Center Health Program and many other programs related to firefighter health and safety.
This is a national effort to improve all our lives in the long run, and it is being run form our city. Please take the time to enroll and participate in an extremely worthwhile program.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Curtis Goodman
District Chief, Suppression Management
Cincinnati Fire Department
430 Central Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
NATIONAL REVIEW
By BRYCE CHINAULT
&
FRANK RICCI
April 15, 2023 6:30 AM
The International Association of Fire Fighters union faces credible accusations of corruption and self-dealing.
Firefighters are tasked with a vital role in our communities, risking their lives to save others and prevent homes and businesses from going down in flames. They shouldn’t also have to worry about their own union’s leadership — one that is more interested in lining union coffers and their own pockets than helping union members.
Unfortunately, that’s the situation they’re confronting. New information from a federal court case against the International Association of Fire Fighters-Financial Corporation (IAFF-FC) reveals alleged backroom deals, “kickbacks,” coercion, and greed by IAFF union leaders.
The IAFF-FC was chartered as a nonprofit with a fiduciary duty to safeguard firefighters’ finances by offering a plethora of financial services, ranging from auto insurance to retirement with a focus on wealth management. But a recent federal lawsuit filed by John F. Hughes describes a much different reality.
Mr. Hughes, a Harvard University graduate with decades of experience providing financial advice, is known for his integrity. He was brought into the IAFF to lead a “Wealth Management Initiative” that would tailor investment portfolios for every unique member of the firefighters’ union.
What Hughes wasn’t aware of when he started the process was that finding the “best” plan had little to do with investment returns. Instead, ensuring whoever landed the IAFF’s account was willing to “pay to play” was most important.
Hughes repeatedly told union leadership that this approach could result in “harm for the union’s members, embarrassment for the organization, and negative media exposure.” As a good fiduciary, he also informed leadership that he would need to notify the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) if illegal activity continued unabated.
Rather than a course correction at the union, IAFF’s COO Kurt Becker decided to make false and defamatory statements about Hughes, claiming that he was accepting side deals from other investment firms. Becker allegedly even took actions to push Hughes out of his employment at the union if he didn’t get on board.
After being fired by president of the IAFF, Edward Kelly, Hughes declined to sign a gag order and filed suit. He filed claims against the IAFF for tortious interference, violation of the Dodd-Frank Act, defamation, and wrongful termination. He also filed a complaint with the SEC, describing how the trust of rank-and-file firefighters has been betrayed.
Among other allegations, Hughes states that Becker demanded a quarter of a million dollars in kickbacks per investment company and was content with a privately owned financial-services firm that was willing to comply — despite knowing full well that this type of arrangement was potentially illegal and counter to SEC regulations.
Becker, who is supported by IAFF president Kelly, allegedly wanted to ensure that “unsophisticated” firefighter-union members would not know if union leadership shelved a company that would provide better financial services. He went on to explain that yet another firm had previously paid millions of dollars to the IAFF-FC to “play.”
This federal filing is reminiscent of the Department of Justice’s investigation into the criminal multi-billion-dollar pension-investment activity, Invisible Enterprise, under Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa in the 1950s. The scheme led to the establishment of the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act to curb union corruption.
But the act has not gone far enough. Unions such as the IAFF may still hide critical information from the public and keep important financial information away from even their members. In one instance, the IAFF has taken full advantage of the act’s loopholes by collecting millions from sick kids suffering from muscular dystrophy, knowing most union members are unaware of these public filings. Member outrage appears to have put this alleged backdoor scheme to an end.
It’s time for the IAFF’s leadership to think more about the 334,000 firefighters and paramedics it claims to represent across the United States and Canada and less about lining their own pockets. At the bottom of the organization’s website, there is actually a note that the IAFF-FC, “is compensated for its endorsement and will receive 20% of any gross commission or fee resulting from an IAFF member’s purchase of insurance, investments, or investment advisory services.” One would think this money would be better used by going back to the dues-paying members.
John Hughes is standing up against alleged corruption. When he was presented with a gag order from IAFF leadership in return for securing severance pay and health insurance for his family, he demonstrated integrity and grit and declined to sign it.
Hughes is setting an example for the rest of us. Firefighters face the danger of being burned every day for our sake. They shouldn’t have to worry about being burned by their union
ReplyForward
By BRYCE CHINAULT
&
FRANK RICCI
April 15, 2023 6:30 AM
The International Association of Fire Fighters union faces credible accusations of corruption and self-dealing.
Firefighters are tasked with a vital role in our communities, risking their lives to save others and prevent homes and businesses from going down in flames. They shouldn’t also have to worry about their own union’s leadership — one that is more interested in lining union coffers and their own pockets than helping union members.
Unfortunately, that’s the situation they’re confronting. New information from a federal court case against the International Association of Fire Fighters-Financial Corporation (IAFF-FC) reveals alleged backroom deals, “kickbacks,” coercion, and greed by IAFF union leaders.
The IAFF-FC was chartered as a nonprofit with a fiduciary duty to safeguard firefighters’ finances by offering a plethora of financial services, ranging from auto insurance to retirement with a focus on wealth management. But a recent federal lawsuit filed by John F. Hughes describes a much different reality.
Mr. Hughes, a Harvard University graduate with decades of experience providing financial advice, is known for his integrity. He was brought into the IAFF to lead a “Wealth Management Initiative” that would tailor investment portfolios for every unique member of the firefighters’ union.
What Hughes wasn’t aware of when he started the process was that finding the “best” plan had little to do with investment returns. Instead, ensuring whoever landed the IAFF’s account was willing to “pay to play” was most important.
Hughes repeatedly told union leadership that this approach could result in “harm for the union’s members, embarrassment for the organization, and negative media exposure.” As a good fiduciary, he also informed leadership that he would need to notify the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) if illegal activity continued unabated.
Rather than a course correction at the union, IAFF’s COO Kurt Becker decided to make false and defamatory statements about Hughes, claiming that he was accepting side deals from other investment firms. Becker allegedly even took actions to push Hughes out of his employment at the union if he didn’t get on board.
After being fired by president of the IAFF, Edward Kelly, Hughes declined to sign a gag order and filed suit. He filed claims against the IAFF for tortious interference, violation of the Dodd-Frank Act, defamation, and wrongful termination. He also filed a complaint with the SEC, describing how the trust of rank-and-file firefighters has been betrayed.
Among other allegations, Hughes states that Becker demanded a quarter of a million dollars in kickbacks per investment company and was content with a privately owned financial-services firm that was willing to comply — despite knowing full well that this type of arrangement was potentially illegal and counter to SEC regulations.
Becker, who is supported by IAFF president Kelly, allegedly wanted to ensure that “unsophisticated” firefighter-union members would not know if union leadership shelved a company that would provide better financial services. He went on to explain that yet another firm had previously paid millions of dollars to the IAFF-FC to “play.”
This federal filing is reminiscent of the Department of Justice’s investigation into the criminal multi-billion-dollar pension-investment activity, Invisible Enterprise, under Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa in the 1950s. The scheme led to the establishment of the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act to curb union corruption.
But the act has not gone far enough. Unions such as the IAFF may still hide critical information from the public and keep important financial information away from even their members. In one instance, the IAFF has taken full advantage of the act’s loopholes by collecting millions from sick kids suffering from muscular dystrophy, knowing most union members are unaware of these public filings. Member outrage appears to have put this alleged backdoor scheme to an end.
It’s time for the IAFF’s leadership to think more about the 334,000 firefighters and paramedics it claims to represent across the United States and Canada and less about lining their own pockets. At the bottom of the organization’s website, there is actually a note that the IAFF-FC, “is compensated for its endorsement and will receive 20% of any gross commission or fee resulting from an IAFF member’s purchase of insurance, investments, or investment advisory services.” One would think this money would be better used by going back to the dues-paying members.
John Hughes is standing up against alleged corruption. When he was presented with a gag order from IAFF leadership in return for securing severance pay and health insurance for his family, he demonstrated integrity and grit and declined to sign it.
Hughes is setting an example for the rest of us. Firefighters face the danger of being burned every day for our sake. They shouldn’t have to worry about being burned by their union
ReplyForward
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