For most of the world, June of 1967 heralded the start of the "summer of love." For Ed Luttig, it meant something very different.
A Sacramento firefighter for only three years, the 31-year-old family man was working interior attack on a blistering apartment fire when his faulty and out-dated gas mask failed, allowing toxins to flood into Luttig's lungs. He survived, but suffered severe brain damage and was in and out of a coma for more than two decades before he died in 1990.
Seared by the public attention, Sacramento quickly updated its dangerous gear, which eventually produced a $1.1 million out-of-court settlement from the manufacturer. But for Ed's local and state unions, the fight was only just beginning.
In 1975, inspired by Luttig's case, CPF -- then known as Federated Fire Fighters of California -- convened a state advisory panel chaired by Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 member Cliff Haskell. The result: the nation's first comprehensive and permanent standard for firefighter PPE.
Nearly five decades later, the union is still on the job.
In 2014, Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 2146 by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner. The measure required that Cal-OSHA set up an advisory committee to review PPE standards and, if necessary, implement new updated standards. The measure also calls for a five-year review of PPE rules to ensure they keep pace with improving PPE technology.
In 2020, California Occupational Safety and Health Agency – Cal-OSHA – put forth that new set of draft rule changes which, when implemented, will help ensure that all firefighters have PPE that stays caught up with the times.
At the heart of the proposals is bringing them into compliance with modern standards from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The new rules call for compliance with NFPA 1971 (structural PPE); NFPA 1977 (wildland PPE) and NFPA 1581 (PPE cleaning and maintenance).
Standing tall for your safety on the job, in memory of a fallen member whose legacy lives on.
Because he Union is All of Us.
Edward Luttig's name as inscribed on the California Firefighters Memorial. A fallen hero who inspired a decades-long union commitment to better, safer PPE for all firefighters.