I want to thank Vice-President Jim Fossos for chairing the March meeting when I was away on a short vacation. Jim covered all the information that I had given him in an admirable manner as he maintained the order and kept the meeting moving. I also want to thank Pat and Karyn Bartlow for preparing the coffee and purchasing the donuts and Monica for her needed assistance.

The first thing I want to bring to your attention, and please don't say not again, is our monthly meeting location. We have been conducting our meetings at the Ballard Elks Club for the past eighteen months and there have been a number of problems, heat which has been resolved, lighting, second floor hall, microphone, and door not open or elevator turned on as we arrive. I fear that I will show up some Wednesday and won't be able to get into the building. In addition the meeting hall is large, the acoustics are not that good and the travel to the building is a little difficult whether coming from the north or south directions. As a result we have been discussing this problem for the last two months during our monthly meeting in an attempt to find a more cohesive location. Several locations were mentioned with the list being narrowed down to three locations:

1) Shoreline Fire Station (Aurora Ave N and N 175th Street)
2) Luther Memorial Church (Greenwood Ave N and N 132nd Street, Seattle)
3) City of Des Moines Fire Station (just off I-5).

Director Jim Fisher is a Fire Commissioner in Shoreline and was asked check out the room at the fire station to see if we would be able to utilize the conference room for our meetings and to get more information regarding room size, availability, parking, kitchen facilities, etc.

Vice-President Jim Fossos who is a Fire Commissioner in the Des Moines Fire District will also get the same information for the fire station in Des Moines.

I made a second call to the church to examine the facility, check on the rental requirements and to schedule an appointment. I believe the church fits our needs perfectly.

The room is just the right size, plenty of tables and chairs in good condition, a nice kitchen fully equipped, very modern and very clean, as is the entire building. Everything is on the first floor right adjacent to the parking lot with parking for 60 cars. We won't have to worry about the keys as we will have a combination for a key pad that will be preset for our use but only on the date and time of our meetings.

The church is located on the west side of Greenwood Avenue and N 132nd Street. The location is just west of I-5 with good access from the north or south. From the north you can take the 145th Street exit and travel west to Greenwood Ave N. From the south you can take the 130th Street exit west to Greenwood Ave N. On top of all the conveniences we will be saving $50.00 a month in rent. If the Board approves my recommendation we will have our April meeting at the Ballard Elks and the May meeting at the new location.

The legislative session is coming to the end. All the bills that were introduced in the House or Senate must be passed out of their respective chamber by March 25, 2011. The bills that have been passed out of the chamber where they were introduced have to be passed by the various committees in the second chamber and passed by the House or Senate by April
1st except for any bills dealing with appropriations or budget. Those bills will be eligible for any legislative action until April 24th when the legislative session comes to a close.

There are a few bills dealing with fire district annexation and mergers, ambulance service and other administrative issues that are still being considered. The major bills affecting L-1 and L-2 firefighters that were put forth by the LEOFF 2 Retirement Board are beyond further consideration, including: o HB 1445 that would add presumptive language to the L-2 Pension Act for firefighters who experience a stroke that occurs within
72 hours of exposure to smoke, fumes, or toxic substances or within 24 hours of strenuous physical exertion due to firefighting activities. 

• HB 1444 that would allow a surviving spouse of a L-2 firefighter who is killed or dies as a result of an occupational injury or illness to remarry and continue to receive the labor and industries survivor pension.
• HB 1377 that will affect L-2 and L-1, Prior Act members by changing the arbitration rules, thereby affecting future salary awards, is still being considered. 
• SB 5566 has passed the Senate and is scheduled for public hearings in the House. This bill could change to the Labor and Industries Rules to allow injured workers to select settlement options.

It's almost unconscionable how some elected officials and administrators across the country have allowed pension funds, Social Security, Medicare and other employee benefit programs to incur such large unfunded liabilities. Most of these individuals are long gone and there is no accountability.

Now we are being told that the Washington State Workers Comp (L & I insurance) Fund is insolvent and going broke. The prediction is that the L & I Insurance Fund will have a deficit of 1.2 billion dollars in two years.

Senator Hobbs who is considered as a friend of labor has introduced SB 5566 that has passed the Senate and is now being considered in the House in an attempt to salvage the fund. This bill will create settlement options for injured workers. The sole purpose of this bill is to reduce the unfunded liability to the fund. If this is the intent, where is the savings coming from? The injured workers. In the State of Hawaii the legislature is now considering a tax of pensions. They also want to reduce pension benefits by making all pension benefits based on base salary excluding all extra or overtime work which in our state would affect all L-2 retirees. It makes one wonder where do we go from here.

The Board has completed a study of our by-laws, rules of order and policy and procedures. They have suggested amendments to each of these documents. These amendments will be read at the April and May meetings and hopefully will be voted on at the first meeting after the summer recess in September.

Timothy P. Ozog who is President of Lodestar Wealth Management located at Northgate in Seattle has offered to sponsor a complimentary lunch at Anthony's in Edmonds for the members of the RFFOW. In addition to the luncheon he will give a talk on estate planning, discussing various issues and programs. He will answer all questions from those in attendance. The invitation is for the first 30 people who sign up. If you are interested please call Mr. Ozog at 206-523-9135. Time and date to be established based on response. Please identify yourself as a retired firefighter when you call. If you need any help with spring cleanup, yard work or small household projects call Jose at 509-475-4147. This number is a cell phone in Seattle. Jose is honest, a hard worker and very dependable. He charges $12.00 per hour (cash), must be picked up at the closest bus stop near the project and it would be nice if you can provide lunch. Jose has worked for me with rental property many times. He has also worked for Bill Ashe and his brother Bud Ashe on more than one occasion. We have all been very satisfied. If you need help, call Jose.