It’s Parade season again for Local 798 and this year we’re marching in both the Chinese New Year’s Parade in February and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in March.

Traditionally, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been a great and proud event. Not only does 2002 mark the 150th anniversary of the Parade, but this year we will be dedicating the Parade to the 343 firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty on September 11th. We’ve invited two NYC Firefighters to represent those victims. Together they will act as Grand Marshals. This should be a truly memorable and heartfelt event. Dan Terry, President of the CPF has given his okay to have the Bagpipe Team lead the Parade, and we encourage all of you to march with us. Our Italian friends at Station 8 have agreed to cook for the St. Patrick’s Day marchers again. Brothers Apostoli, Calonico, Russo and Rocco have done

Many of you have inquired as to the status of the CPAT exam. We’re still lobbying the Fire Commission to make this part of our entrance requirement. For those of you who don’t know, the CPAT stands for Candidate Physical Ability Test. This is a new standardized CPAT developed by the IAFF and the International Association of Fire Chiefs in conjunction with the Justice Department to create a nationally recognized entrance physical for firefighters.

How is CPAT different from the current physical used for entrance into our Department? The current physical for firefighters isn’t job related. It doesn’t really test or reflect the physical standards of our job. With the new CPAT, we’ll be certain that each and every brother and sister are physically capable of doing the job. Local 798 will do whatever it takes to protect our members - and that includes going to court to prohibit any entrance exam for the Fire Department that doesn’t include job-related criteria. To me, the whole physical entrance exam question is a “no brainer”. Even my son’s first grade class voted unanimously for the CPAT when given the video of both tests - it’s that obvious! Review both of the tests, then make your choice. Only in the San Francisco Fire Department could this decision be questioned. Individuals outside the Fire Department who are against a new CPAT must be pro death penalty! They’re giving the firefighters and the citizens we serve a death sentence by using a physical that doesn’t reflect the job of a San Francisco firefighter - or maybe the same people who are fighting us are former Enron executives who have now invested in mortuaries and construction companies in San Francisco. Now that would make sense. Maybe if we sent the video to John Walker Lindh in New York and got his endorsement, then those individuals who are fighting common sense will agree with us.

Another pressing issue is the ballot measure 3% at 55. Supervisor Tom Ammiano has agreed to bring this measure to the Board of Supervisors. The Executive Board of Local 798 and the Police Officers Association are now getting endorsement support for this measure. Sister Kerr from Station 7 is preparing a phone endorsement campaign. In the next Main Line we’ll devote an article on how the 3% at 55 campaign will be run.

Be safe and God Bless. Remember that it’s your Union. We welcome your input and are always available to all of you.

Keep the Faith,

John F. Hanley

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