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Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Seasonal Firefighters Seek Health Care Coverage

They work the front lines of the nation's most explosive wildfires, navigating treacherous terrain, dense walls of smoke and tall curtains of flame. Yet thousands of the nation's seasonal firefighters have no health insurance for themselves or their families.

Many firefighters are now asking to buy into a federal government health plan, largely out of anger over a colleague who was left with a $70,000 hospital bill after his son was born prematurely.

Their request has been bolstered by more than 125,000 signatures gathered in an online petition during this year's historic fire season in the West and the ongoing national debate over health care.

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

If you want health ins. get a job that includes it.
Oh! That's right they don't pay as much because its included.

Anonymous said...

Look at what's happening to the Salisbury City Police department. They pay towards their own health insurance (not family coverage - INDIVIDUAL), did NOT get a COLA, and now their health insurance is going up. And guess what? the officers are seeking - and finding - employment elsewhere. One city officer went to Pocomoke Police Dept., is starting out at over $40,000 a year, has a take home car, AND they paid off his contract.

Anonymous said...

Ha Ha You don't know the half of it. SPD will decrease in manpower by 10% this month. Between retirements, promotions, and 6 people leaving to go to other agencies, the road patrol will be 8 people short. Salisbury, you only think you have problems now. Ireton has allowed your police department to be reduced to some ineffective, third rate security force. Oh, and they just gave away a huge amount of overtime work for it's officers by letting the State Police take all overtime assignments at the Mall. So now he won't even let them work overtime assignments paid for by the Center at Salisbury. Yes, no cost of living adjustment, no raise for who knows how long, take away their overtime, increase the amount they pay for employee health insurance which equates to a pay CUT, and surrounding agencies paying a lot more? I'd say your executive branch needs replacing. Maybe some of his administration too.

Anonymous said...

9:22 PM

I thought this was about fire dept.