For Immediate Release:
May 27, 2008
Contact: Cam Savage
317-964-5048
cams@mymanmitch.com
Daniels Endorsed by Professional Firefighters
(Indianapolis) - The Professional Firefighters Union of Indiana (PFFUI) endorsed Governor Mitch Daniels today, citing unprecedented access to the Governor's Office and Daniels' creation of regional fire training centers.
"We have a Governor who will listen to the fire service and is responsive to the needs of firefighters," PFFUI President Tom Hanify said. "Mitch Daniels is a good friend to all of us and our families."
"I have valued, like nothing else over the last four years, getting to know firefighters all over this state," Daniels said. "My appreciation for what you do, how hard it is, and how risky it is, grows and grows."
In 2006, Daniels created and funded the Indiana Fire Training System, which will include 10 regional fire training centers long sought by career and volunteer firefighters.
"There's no reason Indiana's firefighters can't be the best equipped and the best trained anywhere," Daniels said. "In my judgment, since lives are at stake, we have to do the very best we can to support those and sustain those who take on these hazardous duties so the rest of us can sleep better."
"It's our responsibility to make sure everybody goes home at the end of their shift and to make sure they are as safe as they can be in a very dangerous occupation," Hanify said. "The only way to do that is training, and our friend, Governor Daniels, has dedicated resources for training and kept those resources in the fire service."
The Indiana Fire Training System provides:
* Access to important training tools for small and large fire departments
* Enhances working relationships with other area fire departments that may end up working together while responding on a large fire
Indiana, in coordination with local governments, plans to establish regional training centers in all 10 Indiana Homeland Security Districts.
The new system has three primary objectives:
* Deliver consistent, high quality training as closely to each firefighter's home as practical.
* Build collaboration among Indiana fire departments and strong partnerships between state and local government, as well as the private sector.
* Increase the response capabilities and expertise of the Indiana Fire Service Sector
Firefighters and their families can get more information, join the Firefighters for Mitch group or get involved in the campaign by signing up at www.firefightersformitch.com.
