Firefighter Credit Union Newsroom

WASHINGTON–As many had forecast, the Federal Reserve opted to leave interest rates unchanged, but also gave a strong hint that it could raise rates and tighten monetary policy before the year is out. In a statement, the Fed said U.S. economic activity had picked up and job gains were "solid" in recent months. The vote was 7-3 to keep rates where they are. "The case for an increase in the federal funds rate has strengthened," the Federal Reserve said following its two-day policy meeting. It added that its rate-setting committee had decided against raising rates "for the time being," until there was more evidence of progress toward its employment and inflation objectives. The Fed has held its target rate for overnight lending between banks in a range of 0.25 percent to 0.50 percent since December, when it raised borrowing costs for the first time in nearly a decade. Two Fed presidents--Kansas City Fed President Esther George, Cleveland Fed Presi

PTSD and substance abuse are pandemic among fire fighters. The International Association of Fire Fighters decided it was time to give them their own treatment center to help them deal with these behavioral health issues. Keeping in mind the 20 percent of fire fighters who struggle from post-traumatic stress disorder, the International Association of Fire Fighters is establishing the first behavioral-health treatment center designed strictly for the profession. IAFF, with the help of behavioral healthcare management company Advanced Recovery Systems, has created in-patient programs for the new Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery to support fire fighters with PTSD and associated substance- and alcohol-abuse problems. “Fire fighters and paramedics are subjected to stresses and trauma that can be life-changing, but until recently, mental health issues have largely been in the shadows,”   IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger said in a state