Oliver Bianchi Elected President of Hampden Professional Firefighters (IAFF 4903)
Last week, 25-year old Oliver Bianchi started his first term as the new President of the Hampden Professional Firefighters (IAFF 4903). Bianchi, who grew up in Rockport, comes from a union family. His father was in a teachers union, one of his grandfathers was an officer in Iron Workers Local 172 and the other was in IATSE Local 1. Bianchi says he fell in love with the job at the age of 18 while serving as a volunteer on the Camden Fire Department.
“I had considered going into the military or law enforcement, but what really drew me to the fire service is the brotherhood and traditions of fire departments,” he said. “It’s such a close knit group. You live with these people, you eat dinner with them and spend holidays with them. It really becomes an extended family and I wanted to be a part of that.”
During Bianchi’s last year of high school he learned about a program at Eastern Maine Community College where he could study to be a firefighter/paramedic and live and work at a fire station.
“I was like sign me up!” he recalled. “As soon as I started at the Hampden Fire Department, I knew that’s where I wanted to spend my career. It’s a great group of guys.”
As the new local President, Bianchi says he plans to do more fundraising to support people in the community who are less fortunate. He said he also plans to get more involved with the Professional Firefighters of Maine to improve conditions in the fire service and push for legislation that will protect first responders. One of his main priorities is to develop a cancer prevention program to encourage members to receive annual physicals with blood work and chest X-rays in order to catch any potential occupational cancers early.
“At the end of the end of the day my mission and the union’s mission is the safety of IAFF members and the fire service in general,” he said.
Recently, Bianchi has also gotten involved in the broader labor movement by supporting Cummins workers on the picket line in Scarborough.
“Before I had any involvement with the IAFF and unions, I didn’t realize how many companies are unionized and how many union members provide services that people rely on on a daily basis — from UPS drivers to Cummins workers and Hannaford warehouse employees,” he said. “As unions, we need to help all workers fight for good careers and achieve what they deserve.”
He recalled hearing a striking grocery store worker recently complaining that she doesn’t even have a vehicle to drive to work because she isn’t paid enough.
“Being able to have a car to drive to work should not be a luxury,” said Bianchi. “A lot of times when union members go on strike, what they’re asking for are just to help them meet their basic needs.”
Bianchi says he encourages other young people to get involved in their unions so they can be the next generation of leaders in the labor movement. He says a lot of young people might be wary of running for office because they they don’t want to deal with the negativity from some members, but his advice is to never take anything personally.
“The key is to accept that there are going to be conflicts and that people are going to come to you with concerns and be upset, but the reward is worth it,” he said. “You just have to work through those occasional conflicts to make your union better and draw more people to get involved. People fought before us to improve wages, benefits, workplace safety and working conditions and it’s our job to continue that tradition for the next generation.”