Posted by Jim on September 14, 2018
IAFF DISASTER RELIEF FUND
The IAFF Foundation seeks to provide aid to IAFF Union Firefighters and their families during times of need. Part of the IAFF Foundation’s efforts to help members and their families following natural disasters is the IAFF Disaster Relief Fund, created to provide assistance to members living in disaster areas who have also experienced losses of their own.
The Disaster Relief Fund provides immediate financial assistance and disaster relief efforts to help displaced firefighters and their families while they continue to serve the surrounding communities.
The Disaster Relief Fund has provided more than $5 million dollars in assistance to IAFF members and families in times of need since its creation in 1993. The Fund has worked to provide disaster relief efforts throughout the years to members and their families affected by some of the most devastating hurricanes, floods and tornadoes that have affected our country. In addition to financial relief, The Fund works to assist members and their families in the disaster areas, providing incident command staff, communications, evacuation, food, medicine, behavioral health and counseling, building materials, crews for house repairs, transportation, and housing support.
To learn more about the IAFF Foundation, visit https://foundation.iaff.org. For a list of frequently asked questions about the Disaster Relief Fund, please visit https://foundation.iaff.org/iaff-disaster-relief-program-f…/.
To donate to this crucial fund to help IAFF Union Firefighters and their families in the face of Hurricane Florence, please visit https://foundation.iaff.org.
Posted by Jim on September 13, 2018
The UFA and MSG have partnered up for a 2018 First Responders Night with the New York Rangers. The Rangers are pleased to provide special access to tickets to first responders, their families, and friends for Rangers First Responders Night on Tuesday, October 16th, as the Rangers host the Colorado Avalanche at 7:00 PM at Madison Square Garden.
For savings off of individual game tickets that can be shared with your friends & family, please visit https://www.fevo.com/edp/2018-First-Responders-Night-nM1xRta. Additionally, $10 from every ticket purchased through this link will be donated to the UFA Widows and Children’s Fund.
For questions or more information, please reach out to Evan Doyle at evan.doyle@msg.com or 212-465-3915.
Posted by Jim on
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Monday, September 17, 2018
All Off-Duty Members should attend in Class A Uniform.
Posted by Jim on September 10, 2018
Ballymurphy Massacre update
The high praise for the new documentary on the terrible British Army massacre of innocent, unarmed civilians has been greatly welcomed on Capitol Hill.
Fr. Sean McManus, President of the Capitol Hill-based Irish National Caucus, introduced the Ballymurphy Massacre Committee to Members the US Congress in 2010 and arranged for them to testify before Congress on March 16, 2011.
Fr. Mc Manus explained:”On August 9, 1971, the British Government introduced Internment (imprisonment without charge or trial for, in effect, Catholics in Northern Ireland). That abhorrent—but all too common Northern Ireland policy— was brutally implemented by the British Army. Over the next three days, the marauding storm troopers, including the murderous Parachute Regiment, slaughtered eleven Irish Catholics, including a Catholic priest, in the Ballymurphy area of West Belfast.
The Massacre left 46 children without a parent. The Massacre was condoned and covered up— giving the murderous Parachute Regiment license to massacre another 13 innocent, unarmed civilians at a Civil Rights March in Derry on Bloody Sunday, January 30, 1972.”
Fr. McManus continued:” I was deeply impressed and inspired by the extraordinary dedication of the Ballymurphy Massacre Committee. These ordinary working -class men and women, without funding or any great resources, kept at it—relentlessly, doggedly, fearlessly. They brought their message to the U.S. Congress, and now, this documentary will vindicate their struggle before the whole world. I am proud to have helped them in their struggle. Indeed, I was happy to delay the 2011 Ireland publication of my Memoirs: My Struggle for Justice in Northern Ireland in order to include the attached photo of Alice Harper, Briege Voyle, John Teggart and me.This photo is also in all later American editions of my Memoirs.”
Fr. McManus concluded:”The Ballymurphy Massacre Committee is a perfect example of the indomitable Irish spirit that British injustice can never vanquish. I am delighted this documentary film acknowledges and vindicates their long, relentless and inspiring story. God bless them, and God rest their massacred loved ones.”
Praise for film shining light on Ballymurphy massacre
Allison Morris. Irish News. Belfast. Monday, September 10, 2018
There has been huge online reaction to the network premiere of Massacre at Ballymurphy, the hard-hitting documentary by award-winning film-maker Callum Macrea which screened on Channel 4 at the weekend.
The film, which was previously premiered at Féile an Phobail, was shown on Saturday, with a reconstruction and forensic examination of the events which started on August 9, 1971.
The documentary contains personal stories from relatives of the 10 people shot dead in west Belfast by members of the parachute regiment over three days of horrific violence.
Paddy McCarthy, considered the 11th victim, died of a heart attack after British soldiers fired shots over his head.
Among the dead were mother-of-eight Joan Connolly and Fr Hugh Mullan, who was shot dead going to the rescue of another victim.
The film details a shocking re-enactment of the circumstances of Daniel Teggart’s death.
He was shot 14 times, and most of the bullets entered his back as he lay injured on the ground.
Following the programme Unionist Irish language activist Linda Ervine posted on Twitter: “Before watching #MassacreAtBallymurphy I had no knowledge of what took place all those years ago. A terrible wrong has been done”.
Another documentary maker, Seán Murray, said he hoped the screening of the film by Channel 4 “awakens the British public to the actions of their government during the conflict. Well done to my friend Callum Macrae and all involved”.
Journalist and broadcaster Eamonn Holmes tweeted in support of Mr Macrea, saying: “Regardless of your political persuasion or views on the Northern Irish Troubles, I would urge you to both hear what this man has to say and watch his film if you can. The year is 1971. The subject is the killing of civilians by the Parachute Regiment in Ballymurphy West Belfast.”
Ian Katz, director of programmes at Channel 4, said: “Ashamed to say I knew nothing about the Ballymurphy massacre – the 1971 killing of 11 men and women by the British army in Belfast – till I saw Callum Macrae’s meticulous and shocking reconstruction of it.”
Scottish political activist Tommy Sheridan said it was “absolutely shocking”.
“I am ashamed that despite my limited knowledge of British army atrocities in Northern Ireland I didn’t know about these state murders in Ballymurphy,” he said.
“No wonder the British Establishment have hidden such massacres from the general public for 47 years.”
Former soldier Glenn Bradley said he had “met the Ballymurphy families some years ago and have supported their call for truth since”.
“I watched Massacre At Ballymurphy and my lasting thought is how docile and compliant were the media then”.
Belfast boxer Michael Conlan said: “Watching Ballymurphy Massacre and listening to what families have gone through and still going through, my eyes are filling up, very sad stories to poor innocent families”.
Former Antrim football captain Anto Finnegan said: “This is not rewriting history, this is shining a light into that dark place those in power want to keep hidden.”
Posted by Jim on September 8, 2018
After admitting to a parliamentary magazine that she hadn’t understood
how the North of Ireland is divided politically, British Direct Ruler
Karen Bradley has introduced legislation at Westminster to halt Six
County Assembly elections until 2019.
A judicial review before the High Court in Belfast this week could have
ordered Bradley to hold an Assembly election, which has been due since
April 2017. The new law legislation will now mean there is no
requirement for a Stormont vote until at least April 2019.
Her announcement on Thursday also brought the Six Counties a step
further towards full Direct Rule from London, with civil servants given
greater powers to make decisions. She also suggested the possibility of
an “external facilitation” for talks — an independent chair — and
introduced a measure which threatens to cut the salaries of Assembly
members from November.
The Stormont assembly has not sat since January 2017 when it collapsed
over allegations of corruption. However, assembly members have continued
to receive their annual salary of #49,500. The political deadlock has
left the Six Counties entirely in the hands of civil servants.
Introducing the new legislation, Bradley avoided declaring a return to
full Direct Rule or the abandonment of the democratic process at
Stormont.
“This will provide a further opportunity to re-establish political
dialogue with the aim of restoring the executive as soon as possible,”
she said.
Tony Lloyd, Labour’s spokesman on the north of Ireland, condemned what
he said was “governance by judicial review”, referring to the legal
dilemma which is understood to have provoked Bradley’s action. A judicial
review is currently before the courts on behalf of victims of historical
institutional abuse who had been promised financial compensation. One
argument the victims’ lawyers are using is that the British government’s
refusal to call a fresh assembly election is unreasonable.
Sinn Fein Deputy Leader Michelle O’Neill said Bradley had only acted
because of the imminent prospect of the courts ordering her to do so.
She said it was a “retrograde step”.
“Any attempt to move away from the Good Friday Agreement or towards
Direct Rule will fail,” she said.
“Clearly, the British government’s reliance on the DUP remains a central
problem and if any process around restoring the institutions is to be
credible, Karen Bradley must begin prioritising the rights of citizens
over Tory Party self-interest.”
She said that in the absence of rights-based institutions, the British
Irish Intergovernmental Conference is “the proper forum to ensure the
full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, to resolve the issue
of rights and to address the oversight of the political process.”
‘NO UNDERSTANDING’
Separately Ms Bradley, from Staffordshire in northwest England, revealed
that she had no understanding of the North of Ireland when she was
appointed to her role in January.
“I freely admit that when I started this job, I didn’t understand some
of the deep-seated and deep-rooted issues that there are in Northern
Ireland,” she told the Westminster parliament’s ‘House’ magazine.
Mrs Bradley, who ironically has the sole power to call a border poll on
Irish reunification under legislation dating from the 1998 Good Friday
Agreement, said: “I didn’t understand things like when elections are
fought for example in Northern Ireland — people who are nationalists
don’t vote for unionist parties and vice-versa. So, the parties fight
for the election within their own community… That’s a very different
world from the world I came from.”
She added: “That is so incredibly different and it’s when you realise
that, and you see that, that you can then start to understand some of
the things that the politicians say and some of the rhetoric.”
The comments have drawn cynicism and derision. Sinn Fein said they were
a reminder of where the North comes in the British government’s
priorities, but Downing Street insisted that the prime minister, Theresa
May, retains confidence in Ms Bradley.
Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said Ms Bradley
had “really made an effort to understand Northern Ireland” since taking
the role.
“She didn’t have a lot of experience of Northern Ireland before being
appointed there, but she’s an experienced, very smart politician,” he
said.
Sinn Fein’s former Stormont finance minister Mairtin O Muilleoir said he
had gone “beyond being shocked by the British government’s ignorance of
affairs” in the North. “When it comes to appointing their representative
in Belfast, the only requirement was that that person would take the
orders of Theresa May, who of course is taking her orders from the DUP.”