Belmont fire department and politics

The Belmont fire department does not usually participate in political campaigns.  However, with the split of the Belmont and the San Carlos fire department, politics was at center stage.  They participated in the political scene by attending city council meetings and trying to influence the outcome of the split, but they did not endorse any candidate for mayor.  The new mayor Christine Wozniak was in favor of the split and establishing a standalone Belmont fire department.  The fire fighters had mixed feelings about the mayor’s plan because their pension and benefits would be cut.  The city had to let go of three firefighters because they did not have enough funding to keep them all.  The politics of the split greatly affected the department’s livelihood. 

 On a national level, FIREPAC is a political action committee that supports candidates and their campaigns.  It became the tenth largest political donor during the 2009-2010 elections.  They are a bipartisan political action committee that supports candidates who want to increase funding for fire fighters.  FIREPAC is not about political ideology or partisanship, but rather about finding support and funding for fire departments through political action.