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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2009)
Oregon Senate passes bill to Retired Painter named ‘Firefighter of the Year’ raise compensation for orphans, John Kirkpatrick (pictured right), a widows of workers killed on job retired union representative for Painters John Kirkpatrick of Estacada and Allied Trades District Council 5, was named “Firefighter of the Year” at Estacada Rural Fire District #69. A member of Painters and Drywall Finishers Local 10, Kirkpatrick, 56, took early retirement in 2007. He had toyed with the idea of volunteering for the Fire Department since moving to Estacada more than 20 years ago. But the long, irregular hours of his union job coupled with raising a family pre- vented it. A week after he retired, Kirkpatrick saw a sign at the fire station announcing a new recruiting class for volunteers. He checked it out, and decided to take the plunge. “I didn't know I was look- ing for one of the biggest and most re- warding challenges of my life,” he told the Labor Press. Estacada, like many rural fire dis- tricts, relies on volunteers to supple- ment its career staff in their fire and emergency medical operations. Kirkpatrick is a certified Firefighter I and holds an EMT B license. He has fought numerous structural, commer- cial and car fires, responded to car wrecks, helped in extrications, and in rope rescue operations. He has set up landing zones for Life Flight on dark APRIL 17, 2009 rainy highways in the middle of the night, loaded patients in ambulances, and experienced the times when there was nothing he could do but call the medical examiner. “It is an exciting, challenging, more rewarding experience than I could have ever expected it to be, and I get the chance to work with the best people you can ever hope to meet,” he said. His experience was topped off in February when, at the Fire Depart- ment’s annual banquet, he was named Firefighter of the Year for 2008. “You could have literally knocked me over with a feather,” he said. “With all of the other more experienced and capable candidates on the department, I couldn’t believe they chose me. But they did ... and they can’t take it back!” Kirkpatrick says the award gives him the incentive to continue to train and work harder to become a better firefighter for the City of Estacada. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS SALEM – Legislation to increase benefits provided to the families of Oregon workers killed on the job or permanently and totally disabled from their work was approved by the Oregon Senate in February. “This legislation honors the memory of Oregonians who have experienced the tragedy of workplace death and dis- abling injuries,” said Sen. Diane Rosen- baum (D-Portland), chair of the Senate Commerce and Workforce Develop- ment Committee. “We have an obliga- tion to make sure that the loved ones left behind receive proper help in their time of need.” SB 110 makes changes to workers’ compensation law in three areas. First, SB 110 increases the current al- lowances for covering funeral expenses for workers killed on the job from 10 to 20 times the state average weekly wage. Second, the bill increases sup- port for college-aged children of single parents who lose that parent in a work- place accident. This will give students who have relied on the help of a single parent the resources to continue their college education. Third, SB 110 clari- fies that if a permanently disabled worker has no surviving spouse or de- pendent children, an insurer must pay the full remainder of a disability benefit to the worker’s estate. “Senate Democrats stand by their commitment to working families across Oregon,” said Senate Majority Leader Richard Devlin (D-Tualatin). “We are fortunate the number of these accidents a year is minimal, but the affect on Ore- gon families who face these circum- stances is life-altering and we need to compensate them accordingly.” The legislation is the product of SB 835 from the 2007 session. That bill re- quested the Workers’ Compensation Management-Labor Advisory Com- mittee (MLAC) to study the adequacy of death benefits in the workers’ com- pensation system. Those recommenda- tions were included in SB 110. “In 2007, we heard from Oregon families who had lost a loved one to an on-the-job injury or death,” said Sena- tor Vicki Walker (D-Eugene), who was the sponsor of SB 835 in 2007. “It was obvious we needed to do more. The legislation passed goes a significant way towards helping these families in their time of need.” SB 110 has been referred to the House Committee on Business and La- bor. The House has until May 20 to schedule a hearing. PAGE 11
