Fire Fighters (IAFF)  Local 230 invited elected officials and attendees of Netroots Nation, a conference for progressives and activists, to take part in a basic firefighting class at its training facility in San Jose, Calif. Participants climbed ladders, operated fire hoses and Jaws of Life, performed CPR and navigated through a warren of dark, tight corridors—all while wearing full firefighting gear.

Kevin Olguin, a 9-year-old boy with cancer in Louisville, Ky., wants one thing: to be a firefighter. Olguin's wish came true recently when members of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 345 made him an honorary firefighter for a day, complete with a uniform, induction ceremony, a proclamation from the mayor and a ride in the Louisville Fire Department's fire truck. 

On the evening of May 1, 2010, firefighters from Uniformed Fire Officers Association Local 854 in New York City got a call about a car fire in Times Square. Six minutes later, Lts. Mike Barvels and John Kazan arrived on the scene to find an SUV parked with one wheel on a curb, hazard lights blinking. The firefighters spotted a number of warning signs, most importantly the white, slow-moving smoke coming from the vehicle. They knew typical car fires involve dark, billowing smoke. Barvels and Kazan decided not to use their fire hose on the truck and instead called for experts to come investigate.

It's incredibly hard for restaurant owners to take the day off, especially around the holidays. But Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 141 made that possible for the owner of the Mill Town Café in Green Bay, Wis., who needed time off to receive a bone marrow transplant the Friday before Christmas. 

Working people up and down the East Coast are pitching in to alert people about the clean up efforts for Hurricane Sandy and provide information for transportation, shelter and other resources. Firefighters, public employees, utility workers, letter carriers, nurses, grocery store employees, hotel workers and others continued to work through the storm to make sure everyone is taken care of. Once again, we’re reminded that work connects us all, and we’re better together. Here are some unions and agencies you can follow on Twitter and Facebook who've been hard at work during the storm:

Check out the AFL-CIO's new In Our Communities website feature, "Firefighters Give Back to Their Communities On and Off the Job." 

It’s hard to miss a burly firefighter in a bright pink T-shirt. And for tens of thousands of Fire Fighters (IAFF) union members across the country, that’s exactly the point. When the public sees them in pink tees, they are reminded that breast cancer is a deadly disease requiring regular exams and mammograms. And they are urged to help women who can’t afford regular check-ups.

This is a cross-post from the Fire Fighters (IAFF) union. 

IAFF Local 48 member Doug Stern from Cincinnati spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday night.

Stern says for the majority of his life he identified as a Republican. But with last year’s political assault on Ohio’s public employees, he felt that the Republican Party left him and other members of the middle class behind.

We are saddened to report that Utah State AFL-CIO President and Fire Fighters (IAFF) member Jim Judd passed away Thursday from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. 

Read the AFL-CIO statement here. 

NASA firefighters and paramedics at Kennedy Space Center in Florida have spent half a century protecting America’s legendary launch site. But now members of the Transport Workers (TWU) in this unique fire department are in the middle of a struggle with one of the world’s largest security corporations that is demanding huge cuts in wages and retirement security. You can help.

When you think of minimum wage workers, it’s a good bet firefighters don’t come to mind.

Yet in Scranton, Pa., firefighters are risking their lives rushing into burning buildings, all for $7.25 an hour.