ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-SECOND EDITION
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It's time for the CAL FIRE Benevolent Foundation raffle!
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The 6th Annual CAL FIRE Benevolent Foundation raffle is in the mail! Keep an eye out for the tickets to arrive in your mailbox and be sure to get them turned in on time. They're due April 22, 2022, and the drawing will be held on April 28 at the Annual Golf Tournament. They have some great prizes again this year!
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CAL FIRE Local 2881
Communications Update - A Message From Communications Officer DeeDee Garcia
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It is bittersweet to announce that I have accepted a position with California Professional Firefighters. The past four years working with CAL FIRE Local 2881 has been an wonderful adventure. I enjoyed working with the membership and building the Communications program and feel lucky to have been part of this incredible team. I am thankful for the experiences CAL FIRE Local 2881 has afforded me.
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CAL FIRE Local 2881 Wishes DeeDee Garcia All The Best With Her Next Adventure!!
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What does your CAL FIRE look like?
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Upload your photos and videos so we can show California and beyond how CAL FIRE is California's All Risk Fire Department!
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Blaze at Denver Broncos stadium scorches seats, suites
Capt. Greg Pixley, a spokesman for the fire department, said it appears the fire originated in the suite and spread to the stadium's plastic seats
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By Thomas Peipert, Associated Press
DENVER — Firefighters extinguished a blaze that torched several rows of seats and a suite area at the Denver Broncos' stadium on Thursday.
The fire broke out on the fourth level at Empower Field at Mile High just after 2 p.m. and spread to the third level, where it burned at least six rows of seats in two sections. Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control but were trying to determine if it had spread to other areas of the football stadium, which seats 76,125 people.
Stadium officials said in a statement on Twitter that the fire occurred in a construction zone near the East Club Lounge. At least 100 people were attending an event on the second level, but the stadium was otherwise empty.
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New CAL FIRE Director said they may bring on up to 10 more helicopters
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Fire Aviation, March 23, 2022
In his first interview since he started as the new Director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Joe Tyler told Fire Aviation on Wednesday that the state of California may have up to 10 additional firefighting helicopters in 2022 to assist firefighters on the ground.
Director Tyler said the current approved budget enables CAL FIRE to issue 120-day exclusive use contracts, based on fire potential, for up to three large air tankers, eight Type 1 helicopters, two Type 2 helicopters, and two lead planes. That budget authority lasts until the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2022 and the Director’s staff is working on implementing the option now. The Governor’s proposed budget for the following fiscal year beginning July 1, 2022 includes exclusive use contract funding over the next three years for 10 Type 1 helicopters, but that budget has not yet been passed by the legislature.
CAL FIRE also has access to a San Diego County Type one helicopter through a cooperative agreement.
These numbers are in addition to the 10 helicopters already operated by CAL FIRE.
Director Tyler told Fire Aviation that he was offered the Director position on March 3 and he started the next day. He is overseeing an appropriated budget of $3.7 billion and more than 9,600 civilian and uniformed staff who responded to more than half a million emergencies in 2021. His predecessor, Thom Porter, retired in December.
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CAL FIRE Local 2881 Honor Guard and Pipes and Drums to March in San Diego St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival
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From the CAL FIRE San Bernardino/Inyo/Mono Unit Facebook
***2021 Yucaipa Firefighter of the Year Kenton VanTassel***
Yucaipa Fire Chief Grant Malinowski presented Kenton with the 2021 Yucaipa Firefighter of the Year at the annual Yucaipa Chamber awards ceremony. Kenton was selected by his peers based off who best exemplified the following traits- Dependability, Honesty, Professionalism, Customer Service Oriented, Servants Heart, Compassion, Fit for Duty, Passion for the Job, and Knowledge of the Job.
Congratulations Kenton well deserved!
Congratulations Kenton!
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Living With Addiction Is More Dangerous Than Overcoming It
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Addiction and mental health problems are difficult for anyone to admit. But when you’re a fire fighter or first responder, they can feel impossible to accept, especially when it seems like the world expects you to be invincible on and off the clock.
If you’re a fire fighter or paramedic struggling with behavioral health issues, there may be a voice in your head telling you it’s not OK to talk about how much that horrible accident you saw last week is affecting you, that those memories and others can be dismissed with a drink or pushed down with a pill. No one else in your department seems to be bothered by the things you see on a daily basis, so you should just shut up and get over them, right?
Wrong. It may feel like your inner turmoil is yours and yours alone, but it’s not. Countless fire fighters/paramedics have been in your boots, struggling to figure out what to do about the horrific things they’ve witnessed on the job. In the short term, it might seem less risky to use substances to dull the pain of your experiences than to confront them head on. But that can only help for so long before it does more harm than good. Trauma affects you on a deeply psychological level. The memories, the nightmares and the stress won’t go away by using drugs or alcohol. In the long run, they’ll only get worse — along with your substance use disorder — without proper treatment and rehabilitation. When it comes down to it, dealing with addiction and the struggles that drive it head on is far better than continuing to suffer in silence.
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If you or your family uses Amazon for shopping, shop Amazon Smile and support your Local 2881 sisters & brothers!
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Head to Smile.Amazon.com and select the CAL FIRE Benevolent Foundation as your charity and start shopping!
*The Foundation may also be found listed under its previous name,
CDF Firefighters Benevolent Foundation
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Connecting with
CAL FIRE Wellness
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On April 1st we will officially begin our “60-Day Wellness Challenge” and we would love for you to join us!
Guidelines:
60 DAYS
5 HEALTHY HABITS
GOAL: complete 3/5 healthy habits to win the day 💪🏽
The health-focused tasks include:
1. 10-minute mindfulness activity
2. 30-minute workout
3. 10K steps in the day
4. Read 20 pages of a self-improvement book
5. Specified nutritional-focused change (we will provide great examples of things you can do!)
You may not always have time for each of these tasks in one day, so we have created options for you.
10K steps may be too time-consuming, so a 30-minute workout is a great substitute. Looking to finish your reading? Go for a walk with an audiobook! Headed to bed with a lot on your mind? Journal for 10-minutes to reach your mindfulness activity goal. Have a nutritional goal in mind that you’ve considered? Try it now!
Oftentimes challenges are focused mainly on physical fitness, so we wanted to bring awareness to all dimensions of wellness in our lives. We know completing all 5 tasks in a day can be tough, so we encourage you to mix and match to complete what works best for you!
Along the way, we will share some of our favorite resources, tips, and tricks to help you complete your 60-day journey!
The wellness unit hopes you will join us in this challenge! 🔥
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Mark Your Calendars!
Click the image below for more info
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CALPERS just announced the COLA rates effective April 1 to be paid starting with the May first payroll
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SacBee: Cost-of-living increases for CalPERS pensions rise to highest level in 30 years, driven by inflation
CalPERS is adding the largest cost-of-living increases to retirees’ pensions in 32 years due to high inflation.
Public employees who retired between 2006 and 2014 and some others will receive a 4.7% bump this year, according to figures the California Public Employees’ Retirement System posted to its website Thursday.
That’s the largest increase since 1990, according to federal Bureau of Labor Statistics figures on which CalPERS’ calculations are based.
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Did you know the
CAL FIRE Benevolent Foundation is on Instagram?
Give them a follow today!
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From Your State Retiree Director,
Brian Burger
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Transitioning to Medicare health insurance as a CalPERS Retiree
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As a CAL FIRE employee, you are automatically a member of CalPERS. therefore, it is always important to keep your beneficiary or beneficiaries up to date. Early in your career, you are usually more concerned with learning how to do your job better, paying bills, becoming permanent, or promoting.
Think back to the day you were first and a personnel clerk or hiring coordinator shoved so many forms in front of you do not remember half of them. One of these you should have completed was called a Pre-Retirement Lump-Sum Beneficiary form which is part of the hiring package If you were single, you may have designated a parent or your spouse if married.
While an active employee, this designates who will receive you accumulated CalPERS contribution you made while employed, who will receive your lump-sum contributions, and the CalPERS death benefit should you die before you retire, the Public Employees’ Retirement Law provides for payment of specific benefits to your surviving beneficiaries.
If you do not have a valid beneficiary designation on file at the time of death, the benefits will be payable to your survivors according to California Law according to the Statutory Member Beneficiary Order. Benefits are then paid to the closest surviving family members in the following order:
- Spouse or registered domestic partner
- Children (natural or adopted)
- Parents
- Brothers and sisters
- Probated estate
- Trust, if one exists
- Stepchildren
- Grandchildren (including step-grandchildren)
- Nieces and nephews
- Great-grandchildren
- Cousins
This may be what want you want, but often with drugs, alcohol, or some other problem that exists and you may want someone else to receive your benefits. This is why you want your beneficiary designation to be up to date and match your wishes.
Be aware the beneficiary designation on file with CalPERS becomes invalid or revoked when any of the following events occur:
- Annulment
- Birth or adoption of a child
- Dissolution
- Marriage or registration of domestic partnership
- Member received a refund of contributions
- Termination of a registered domestic partnership
A beneficiary designation filed after the initiation of a dissolution of marriage, an annulment, or termination of a registered domestic partnership is not revoked when the dissolution, annulment, or termination is finalized.
CalPERS will determine who the death benefits are payable to after they receive and review all the required documents from the Death Benefits Application Packet they send a beneficiary.
Naming or Changing Your Beneficiaries
You can change your CalPERS beneficiary two ways: by downloading a form from the CalPERS publication website and mailing it to CalPERS or logging in to MyCALPERS to name, review, or change your beneficiary. I encourage all members and survivors should register for MyCALPERS. This is a private section of the PERS website where you can access real-time details about your CalPERS account. You can view your health information, plan for retirement, enroll in educational offerings, or schedule appointments.
Beneficiary designations made after August 5, 2013, are available in myCalPERS. If you submitted a previous beneficiary designation, it may still be valid, but not viewable online. Contract CalPERS by phone or mail if you would like a copy.
As an active employee, you also signed another form when were hired. This form is from the State Controller called: Designation of Person(s) Authorized to Receive Warrants (STD 243). This is different from your beneficiary as it applies to warrants that may be due to you for hours worked and unused holidays, vacation, PLP, or funds the State may owe you in the future due to lawsuits and other decisions. Since this form does NOT change with the other life events listed above there may be occurrences where unclaimed checks must be paid to a divorced spouse instead of another intended family member because the form was never updated. Your personnel office should have a copy on file. See STD. 243 if you need to download & update your std 243 on file.
You may be surprised to see how many different places you have beneficiary information as an employee or retiree of Unit 8 or CAL FIRE plus a few others from our private life. These are NOT revoked by any of the events listed above as CalPERS beneficiaries are.
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Local 2881 requested you name a beneficiary for the $2000 death benefit the union contracts for Active members from Harry J Wilson. See L2881 Beneficiary Designation or download it from the Local 2881 members section of our Union website.
If later sign up with Deferred Compensation - the State Savings-Plus Program, you have to notify them on your own for any beneficiary changes for any life event changes. If you start making tax-deferred contributions to this program, you may easily have over $100,00 in your account by mid-career. See ENROLLMENT FORM (PDF 11/2015)BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION FORM (PDF 11/2015)
Other institutions require you to name a beneficiary:
· Banks.
· Brokerage firms
· Life insurance companies
· Fraternal organizations or anyone that pays a benefit when you pass.
Finally, when you retire, a Beneficiary Designation is part of your Service Retirement, Disability, or Industrial Disability Retirement application you fill out. Somewhere in this application, you will be asked to name someone to receive:
1. An Option 1 Balance of Contributions and/or Temporary Annuity Balance Beneficiary(ies)
2. The $2000 CalPERS Death Benefit and
3. Your Lifetime Monthly Beneficiary. This can be the same person or several people depending on which retirement option you choose and your personal needs or desires. These are found in the CalPERS publications 43 & 35
Your union has a form in the member section of our website called SURVIVOR'S BENEFIT CHECKLIST you can print and fill out. It lists the name and contact information, policy numbers for many of the organizations that you may have named beneficiaries for along with other useful information your spouse or other beneficiaries should have. Please fill it out together update it often and make its location known.
Submitted by State Retiree Director Brian Burger. Email him here.
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Have you checked out the historical footage dating back to the 1940s?
The digitization of the California Revealed project is online and available to view.
More films will be added soon!
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IF YOU ARE AN CAL FIRE LOCAL 2881
ACTIVE MEMBER
YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR BENEFITS
PROVIDED FROM OUR AFFILIATION WITH PORAC
IN ORDER TO VIEW AND ENROLL IN THESE BENEFITS
(INCLUDING HEALTHCARE AND AFLAC PROGRAMS)
WE NEED YOUR DATE OF BIRTH.
PLEASE GO TO THE FOLLOWING LINK TO UPLOAD YOUR INFORMATION:
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Have you recently moved? Make sure your physical/mailing address is updated with us so you always receive the Fire Front magazine and other important docs.
Update your address here:
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CAL FIRE ESS 24hr Helpline: (916) 445-4337
EAP 24hr Helpline: (866) 327-4762
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FIREFIGHTER ADVANCEMENT AT
CSU SAN MARCOS
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Did you just retire?
Make sure to sign up to be a CAL FIRE Local 2881 Retired Member and stay in the know!
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With Personal Exposure Reporting from California Professional Firefighters, firefighters can document exposures to toxins that can produce job-related illness.
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Check out the Exposure Reporting section on the L2881 Member Benefits page. It has tons of links and information on the importance of reporting, how to report, and historical air quality data for to use in your reporting.
Check it out now and document your exposures!
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Is your physical/mailing address updated with us?
Did you get the Winter 2021 Fire Front magazine mailed to your home recently? If not, then we don't have your current address.
It's important for us to have it in case you are impacted or may be impacted by a wildfire or other emergency. Use the link below, call or email us to update it today!
(916) 609-8711 / dkelsch@L2881.org
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Crock-Pot Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
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Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
They're SO FLUFFY
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Has your marital status changed? Update your L2881 beneficiary information with us today and keep your loved ones secure. Fill out this form and send it to Danielle @ dkelsch@L2881.org
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Share your photos & videos with us.
What does your CAL FIRE look like? Help show the #AllRisk CAL FIRE. Send us a DM on social media or reach out to Communications Officer at
(916) 277-9889
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UPCOMING EVENTS
ADVANCED LEADERSHIP
APRIL 18-22, 2022
CAL FIRE BENEVOLENT FOUNDATION 10th ANNUAL INVITATIONAL
APRIL 28-29, 2022
ADVANCED LEADERSHIP
APRIL 18-22, 2022
SPACES STILL AVAILABLE!
MEMBER SUPPORT 101
MAY 16-19, 2022
CPF CONVENTION
MAY 18-21, 2022
L2881 PAC Training
May 23-25
CA MEMORIAL
JULY 30, 2022
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CAL FIRE BENEVOLENT
FOUNDATION
Provides funds for immediate life sustaining assistance to firefighters and their families who have suffered debilitating injury or loss of life.
Follow on Instagram!
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CAL FIRE MUSEUM
Look in the winter edition of the Fire Front magazine for an update from the museum.
Don't forget to sign up for their newsletter too!
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For more updates, events, and news visit our website:
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