INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS
Testimony of
Mr. Jim Tate, President
Fort Worth Professional Fire Fighters Association
International Association of Fire Fighters
Local 440, AFL-CIO
Fort Worth, Texas
on
H.R. 413, the Public Safety
Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2009
Before the
Subcommittee on Health, Employment,
Labor, and Pensions
Committee on Education and Labor
United States House of Representatives
March 10, 2010
Introduction
Thank you Chairman Andrews, Ranking Member Price, and distinguished members of
the Subcommittee for calling this hearing and for inviting me to testify. My name is Jim Tate
and I have served the community of Fort Worth, Texas for 25 years as a fire fighter in the Fort
Worth Fire Department. I have held the rank of Battalion Chief for the last 11 years. During my
time with the Department, I have had the privilege to serve as President of Fort Worth
Professional Fire Fighters Association, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local
440 for 14 years. I also bring experience serving on standards-setting committees, such as the
National Fire Protection Association’s Committee on Bunker Gear, which publish national
consensus standards on issues like personal protective equipment, minimum staffing, training,
fitness, incident command, and other fire service issues. I have experience peer-reviewing
homeland security grant applications, as well.
Let me begin by giving you some background on my department. The Fort Worth Fire
Department has a history of strong fire protection services. The City of Fort Worth is the fifth
largest city in the state of Texas. Our fire department dates back to 1873, and became a
professional department just before the turn of the century, in 1893. We protect a population of
over 700,000, and growing, spanning 344 square miles. We have 42 stations in 6 battalions. Our
department employs 468 fire fighters, 201 engineers, 122 lieutenants, 86 captains, 24 bat