Your union needs your help to provide needed emergency funds to our IAFF Disaster Relief Fund.

Over the last two weeks, you've seen your brothers and sisters in action in response to Hurricane Harvey, working around the clock to rescue literally tens of thousands of civilians, while risking their own lives and knowing their own homes were likely damaged or destroyed. And throughout, your union was on the ground helping them in their time of need, providing food and water, direct financial assistance, vaccinations, behavioral health support and anything else needed to make sure they get through the incident.

And now, as Hurricane Irma - one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever make landfall - is hitting Florida, where tens of thousands of members are in the storm's path, we are ready to mobilize a team to be the ground to support our members again with whatever they need.

The assistance we provide our members whenever they are displaced from their homes, whether it’s from a hurricane, floods, wildfires, tornadoes – any kind of disaster - is possible through our Disaster Relief Fund, which is resourced for normal levels of these kinds of disasters.

But we aren’t funded at a level to take on these multiple unprecedented consecutive events like Harvey and Irma. We have to rely on contributions to make up the difference – and that’s where this IAFF needs your help right now by donating to the IAFF Disaster Relief Fund as soon as possible.

You can send a check to:

IAFF Disaster Relief Fund
1750 New York Ave, NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20006

Or you can make a donation by credit card online at www.iaff.org/disasterrelief.

Thank you for generosity and support for your brothers and sisters in their time of need.

Our disaster relief efforts on the ground in Texas and Louisiana are nothing short of amazing. On behalf of our entire membership and the IAFF Executive Board, I want to thank our members in the disaster zone for their commitment to serving their communities despite dealing with their own personal losses. Literally thousands of our brothers and sisters have been impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

The unbelievable destruction wrought by this storm will have a life-changing effect on our members for months to come. The assistance our teams on the ground are providing is just beginning. As of the last briefing, we have processed 147 disaster relief applications – and that number will continue to rise significantly in the coming weeks.

On Friday, our teams made it to Port Arthur, Orange, Nederland, Port Neches and Beaumont. In Louisiana, 14th District Vice President Danny Todd and his team are up and running in the Lake Charles/Sulphur operation center. We have also deployed two teams from our 11th District operation to Beaumont to assist the 14th District with relief efforts, including food, water, clothing and financial assistance.

In the meantime, with the high levels of E. coli following a flood, we have purchased 4,000 Hepatitis-A and 2,000 Tetanus vaccines for our members who have been exposed to toxic waters from the storm, and these will be administered at several regional sites by a physician’s clinic group that provides healthcare to local fire departments. In addition, we have distributed the NFORS exposure app for all members in the affected area.

I am so incredibly proud of our leadership and membership who have stepped up to help their brothers and sisters in need as they remain on the frontlines helping others. I couldn't be more impressed by the work of the TSAFF, Houston Local 341, 14th District Vice President Todd and his team at the Lake Charles/Sulphur operations Center, our senior staff on the ground and our Peer Support squad during this very difficult time.

As a reminder, I ask that you please DO NOT self deploy. The best way you can help on a personal level is by giving to the IAFF Disaster Relief Fund to ensure our members get the help they need now and as they start to rebuild and recover. Thank you in advance for your support and generosity.

We will continue to provide more updates in the coming days and weeks.

In Solidarity,

Harold Schaitberger
General President