OUR HISTORY

The Professional Firefighters of Sherman Local 2002 was founded by the full-time members of Sherman Fire-Rescue in order to establish and maintain fair and safe working conditions for our members and to ensure that the citizens of Sherman and its visitors receive the best service possible.

Our Local is a chapter of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF). The IAFF formed in 1918 to unite firefighters and to seek improvements in safety, better wages, and greater service to their communities. Today the IAFF represents more than 270,000 firefighters and emergency medical professionals through more than 2900 locals. The IAFF is the “voice of the fire fighter” and is the driving force behind nearly every advance in the Fire Service in the 20th century!

Some of the first issues the IAFF took on were fair wages, benefits, and improved hours. At the turn of the century most firefighters worked 84 hour weeks with little or no time off, were paid $0.29/hr., had no pensions, and no benefits for widows and dependents.

In the early years the IAFF was directly responsible for such benefits and protection legislation as: the 1934 Heart and Lung Act, the Workers Compensation Act, and the Occupational Disease Law. All of these important pieces of legislation helped to improve the safety and benefits within the fire service.