PFFA Pod: Recent Episodes
PFFA Pod
In my opinion, the most important PFFA Pod to date. TVFR's long time President, Rocky Haines, joins Kyle, Hutch, and Travis to talk about Health Care Trusts. If you ever wondered what it would be like for Portland Fire to get our own Trust, listen to him talk about how it has worked for our neighbors.
This is a hard one to describe. It was a round table discussion of sorts, with Tara Stein, Matt Coffey, John Harrell, Bozeb Beckwith and Kyle MacLowry. All with unique expertise and interest in fire service behavioral health, and how we can help one another. We start close to home talking about Bob Stere and then zoom out in an attempt to generalize some of the challenges faced by some fire fighters.
Anna Rozzi tells us about the bladder cancer research she is doing at OHSU. We need more fire fighters to take the survey. Click here https://ohsu.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aW5VrH58N60Of1I or on the QR code to help out.
A free style hour with President McLennan on the current events at Local 43. We sat down without an agenda to see what was top of mind for our Local president. It is always fun to spend a little time with Isaac, hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
What is the value of our SL benefit? We all know it accrues slower than VL and that the retirement payout is a variable percentage of final salary. However, there is more to it than that and members have a variety of thoughts about using vs saving this leave. It is an interesting topic to kick around the table, we hope you find something of value in the discussion.
Inspired by Matt Fullerton, Kyle and Matt sit down with VOYA experts Greyson Stefani and Dan Gregory. There is a ton of information to convey regarding VOYA and how we can utilize their services. Whether it is for deferred comp, either of our pension programs, investing goals and planing, or anything thing money related, VOYA is a great resource. This may the first of a two or three part series, but the hope is to help members be more knowledgable and engaged in managing their finances.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcast from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
A sit down with Chief Johnson and President McLennan. We wanted to learn a little about where Chief Johnson came from, some of the high points of her career in Dallas and where she is headed as the Chief of PF&R.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcast from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
For this PFFA Senior Fire Fighter podcast, host Josef Kuehnast organized a panel discussion with Matt Coffey, Eli Goldman-Armstrong, and Ryan Lougeay to offer some insight to the different phases of ones career.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcast from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
Portland Fire retiree and historian Don Porth talks with VP Jay Fink about the state of our David Campell Memorial Park.
Get the details of the changes to our healthcare benefits with Isaac and Rob. City benefits webpage below.https://www.portland.gov/bhr/benefit-offerings/events
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcast from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
This is an attempt to provide useful information to Local 43 members for accessing Paid Leave Oregon. I speak with Austin Kelly, Ryan Schenk, Tara Stein, and Jared Laws who each have a different knowledge base regarding the use of PLO. At the very least, several good resources are discussed for anyone who may need or want to apply for this state benefit that we all fund.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcast from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcast from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
Lt. Laurent Picard speaks with PFFA Pod host Kyle MacLowry about his experiences as an Oregon Licensed Psilocybin Facilitator. In 2020 Oregon voters passed Measure 109 legalizing and regulating psyilocybin use for therapeutic purposes. Enjoy.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcast from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcast from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcast from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcast from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
PFFA President Isaac McLennan and OSFFC President Karl Koenig share a synopsis of the 57th Convention and the debates behind the resolutions passed. If ever you wondered what the IAFF does for you, listen and you will know.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcast from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcast from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
PFFA's VEBA client consultant Christopher Carnahan, Secretary Treasurer Jacob Domeyer, and District Representative Brent Cavanias sit down with Kyle to talk about our VEBA plan. This is an informational discussion on how the plan works and what benefits VEBA offers to our membership. Enjoy.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcast from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
Oregon State Fire Fighters Council President Karl Koenig and Legislative Director Alan Ferschweiler start the discussion with a 10,000 foot view of the OSFFC and then go into more details on the latest legislative sessions. The second part is where they talk about some of the recent wins for PERS members. Enjoy.
PFFA's LMBC members Isaac McLennan and Rob Hutchens sit down with Kyle to talk about the current chaos surrounding our health insurance and some changes to open enrollment.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcasts from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcasts from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of Portland Fire & Rescue's high performing, dedicated members.
The Senior Fire Fighter Podcasts from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of PF&R's high performing, dedicated members.
The next installment of the Senior Fire Fighter Podcasts from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of PF&R's high performing, dedicated members.
A discussion with Travis Chipman acknowledging his 9 years of service as Secretary/Treasurer of our Union. Travis and office manager Nicole Jacobson sit down with Kyle to talk about his time on the executive board, and what is next. This also serves as an opportunity for me to thank Travis for his dedication to Local 43.
The next installment of the Senior Fire Fighter Podcasts from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of PF&R's high performing, dedicated members.
The fourth installment of the Senior Fire Fighter Podcasts from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of PF&R's high performing, dedicated members.
The third installment of the Senior Fire Fighter Podcasts from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews discuss the life and career of some of PF&R's high performing, dedicated members. In this episode Josef talks with Mike about his time at FDNY, September 11th, and his journey to Portland.
The second installment of the Senior Fire Fighter Podcasts from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews dive into the life and careers of some of Portland Fire's high performing, dedicated members.
The first in a new series of podcasts from PFFA, hosted by Josef Kuehnast. These long form interviews dive into the life and careers of some of Portland Fire's high performing, dedicated members.
VP Terry Foster, FF Tom Houston and FF Marcus Donaldson talk about their experience in Colorado Springs at the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial weekend. Video of the service can be viewed at link below.https://www.iaff.org/fffm23/
Isaac McLennan, Travis Chipman and Kyle MacLowry go over the new PFFA contract. This is one of our longer recordings, we hope you find some of the information useful or interesting.
Jason Cunningham and Kyle talk about the Paycheck Committee. A newly formed PFFA committee organized to establish some best practices to address discrepancies or issues related to pay and accruals.
Tamara Eidler, Tom Clawson and Kyle talk about the Seattle Stair Climb experience. Find out how PFFA members faired in the worlds largest on-air climb last March.
What is the IAFF Legislative Conference? Why should we care? Who goes and what do they do there? Turns out these are important questions to ask. PFFA welcomes TVFR VP Chris Hart for our first multi fire union podcast. Isaac McLennan, Terry Foster and Kyle talk all things Leg Con.Issues Bookhttps://www.iaff.org/wp-content/uploads/LegCon2023_IssuesBook-Online-1-1.pdfJoe Biden Speechhttps://youtu.be/a6YJngN5sQw
E-board members Isaac McLennan, Matt Smith, and Amy Quinn talk with Kyle about how the CHD became part of Local 43, concerns with changes to our Union, and a day in the life of Chat/PSR members. The idea here, as always, is to start a conversation. Please reach out to Kyle with any ideas for future discussions.
A State of the Union address by President McLennan. . . Well, not really, actually a presidential update with Isaac, but I like calling it State of the Union. Enjoy, Kyle.
Tara Stein is our new Behavioral Health Coordinator. The position encompasses coordination of our EAP benefits and the Peer Support Team. Kyle and Tara sit down for an informal chat. The discussion is meant primarily to be an introduction of Tara to the membership.
FPDR Liaison Brent Cavainas and FPDR Trustee Kyle MacLowry talk about all things Fire Police Disability and Pension. We try to avoid going down too many rabbit holes and talk about the two positions responsibilities and how we can serve the membership.
Tom Clawson sent me a quick update for the 2023 Seattle Stair Climb. Registration is opening on Thursday, don't miss it.
An in depth update with PFFA President Isaac McLennan. Kyle and Isaac sit down for a wee sip of whiskey and a discussion of the issues of the day. This podcast will pair nicely with the two recent informational zoom recordings. Enjoy.
Vice President Mariya Fuge and Kyle sit down to talk about her assignments at Local 43. We discuss Wellness, EAP, Legislative issues and more. Thanks for listening.
Lisa Knight and Sofia Onstad sit down with Kyle to talk about all things Fire Camp. We discuss the history, the current state of affairs, how members can get involved, and other important elements of Fire Camp.
Matt and Kyle sit down to talk about the results of his survey and thesis project it informed for his Masters Program. The information is centered on behavioral health and suicidality in the fire service. Matt has done amazing work for his thesis. It was fascinating to hear about the data collected, the theories involved, and the conclusions made.
Kyle and Rob, both members of the Health Care Committee, discuss the merits of a health care trust. The committee members are making station visits, but are unable to speak with everyone personally. This pod is intended to be like one of those visits with the intent to get information out to all the membership.
Hear Tom Clawson, Kyle and two special guests talk about the Seattle Stair Climb experience, the significance of the fund raising, and all things PFFA stair climb team.
VP Terry Foster, Lieutenant Sean Fogarty, Retiree Don Porth and Kyle discuss the latest information regarding the David Campbell Memorial.
Most of us don't often think about our VEBA contribution and what benefit it offers. This is your chance to get a quick review of the program and some new ideas for the future. Cameron Homan, Travis Chipman, and Don Porth join PFFA Pod host Kyle MacLowry for this conversation.
Kyle and Isaac sit down for a coffee and a chat. This one wanders a bit from topic to topic. I just wanted to check in with Isaac to see how things were going a few months into sitting at his new desk, in a new office, with a newish executive board.
Kyle and Matt have a quick (ten minute) conversation to update the membership on his research project. You should have received an email recently about the project. We hope you will all take the time to sit down and fill out the survey . He can be reached for further questions at:
mattcoffey@lclark.edu
The Building Committee formed after the current building remodel vote did not pass. The group has done a tremendous amount of work and has an update for the membership.
Alan and Jason talk with Kyle about the future (and some of the past) of Local 43. Changes lie ahead for our Union and these two long standing leaders discuss their plans for the future as well as a little reminiscing about the past.
Vice President Rob Garrison and BHQ Captain Jeremy Paul talk about the Mandatory Overtime Policy. Kyle mostly sits and listens and learns about the challenges of Crew Sense, the work BHQ does every day, some future plans to make the policy better, and much more.
Aspen Breuer, Isaac McLennan and Kyle MacLowry sit down to discuss the vaccine mandate. We all recognize it is an emotional issue. This is just one conversation among three friends. Continued conversations with your Local 43 brothers and sisters can help us all understand one another better and hopefully bridge the gap that the mandate has created.
Kyle and Matt sit down to talk about the Masters Program Matt is finishing up and an ask for the membership to help with his research project.
This one is a round table discussion with Dr. Nicole Bowles, Shelby Watkins, Josh Ward, Travis Chipman, and Kyle MacLowry. We talk about the 2 different sleep studies OHSU and PFFA has conducted over the past year and a half as well as the exciting opportunity to capture more sleep data over the course of our upcoming schedule change. We tried to keep it brief, but there is so much good information that we went a little longer than expected. Please take the time listen to the end to get all the good stuff.
Discussion with Alan Ferschweiler and Kyle MacLowry. We talk about the past few months and much of the information that will be discussed at the informational meeting scheduled for this Monday at 09:00.
A wide ranging discussion with President Ferschweiler covering a number of the current issues being addressed at our IAFF Local 43. Topics Include: 0:00 Budget 6:30 Work Week Reduction 9:25 Schedule Change 15:50 PERS 19:55 Covid Staffing 24:40 VL Issues 28:50 Miscellaneous 38:10 Committees
Discussion with VP Terry Foster. An update on the history and the current state of Mandatory Overtime Policy negotiation.
Talking OPSRP with one of the Oregon's leading PERS attorneys. 0:00 - 4:17 Introductions 4:17 PERS acronyms - OPSRP 6:10 IAP and Defined Benefit 8:10 UAL 10:02 Employer Rates 14:25 EPSA 17:05 SB 1049 20:43 Tier 1 and 2 UAL effect 23:13 Voluntary Contributions 27:15 TDF 30:30 Current Negotiations for pension protection
This is a topical discussion covering Commissioner Hardesty's remarks, the protests in Portland, the recent Willamette Week article, the budget and more Local 43 issues.
A remote sit down with Peer Supporters Scott Pearson and Chris Riddell talking about our experiences during the quarantine.
The FRC website referred to in the 13th minute is: https://www.firstrespondercenter.org/behavioral-
The NORMALIZE acronym Scott talks about near the end is spelled out below: N - name the people you love and practice gratitude O - organize your schedule R - restructure negative thinking patterns (reality or anxiety based) M - manage difficult emotions A - accept difficult emotions knowing they are normal and will pass L - listen to yourself and others I - identify coping skills that work Z - zero in on things you can control E - elaborate on positive memories, experiences and future plans
More information about sleep hygiene can easily be found on the internets. Matthew Walker, Ph.D. is a very popular source for information currently, and has several interviews and books available online.
PFFA president Alan Ferschweiler and Kyle go into detail regarding the tentative agreement to the contract. We go through each article and address how the new language effects PFFA members.
Kyle sits down with retired fire fighter, and resident historian, Don Porth to discuss the Campbell Memorial and the Lone Fir Cemetery. We talk a little about history and more about a program Don is working on to enlist a few active members and a few retirees to help keep our hallowed grounds maintained and in better shape. Please think about stepping up and helping out, it is a small time commitment.
Kyle and Travis sit down to talk about some Sec/Treas topics from 2019 and whats ahead for 2020.
A sit down with President Ferschweiler for a contract update on November 1st. Also a quick discussion regarding our mandatory overtime issue.
Our pipers and drummers are kicking ass and need your support. This one is easy - they are committed to the band and are going to be representing all of us for years to come. Learn a bit about the group, it's organizers and the pride behind developing a professional level performing group.
Approaching mediation update. Roundtable discussion with Ferschweiler, Chipman, McLennan, Lehman, and MacLowry.
A short informational podcast detailing some PERS organizing efforts and the new LTD and STD from the city found in the current benefits open enrollment. Click on the link below to view the Salem/PERS signup calendar. Click, View, Sign Up.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080d4cacaa2da6fc1-portland
Supplemental insurance is a personal decision and this is quick discussion about a product that Portland fire fighters may find valuable. Mark can be reached at: mark@familyheritagenw.com or 503-341-4345
President Alan Ferschweiler talks about the non rep Unfair Labor Practice decision that was awarded on Friday.
Discussion with Sean Fogarty updating the progress with the David Campbell Memorial project and details about PFFA MDA camp for adults.
Update on bargaining preparation, initial proposals and time lines. Conversation with Ferschweiler, Chipman and MacLowry.
Short discussion and update with Travis Chipman about the Credit Union project.
Take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TWGW2MH
A brief 10,000 foot view of the budget process and information for the upcoming general membership meeting.
Discussion with Ron Kirkpatrick, CEO of LBG Advisors. We talk about the basic concepts and components of health trusts for about 30 minutes.
As discussed at the beginning of this podcast, here are a few helpful links: SEIU video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyafWjdor1Q
OPSRP IAP spread sheet - http://iaff43.org/images/shared/Podcasts/PFFAPod/IAP.pdf