Former NYC fire commissioner stumps for Bush at Coburg rally.

Byline: Jeff Wright The Register-Guard

COBURG - The man who served as New York City fire commissioner on Sept. 11, 2001, praised President Bush on Thursday as a firefighters' friend who deserves re-election.

Tom Von Essen, speaking at a "Firefighters for Bush" rally in front of the Coburg fire hall, said the president has funneled millions of federal dollars to help train and equip firefighters across the country.

"There were years when the government did nothing, and that would probably still be the case today if it hadn't been for 9/11," said Von Essen, who retired as New York's top fire official in 2002.

Von Essen acknowledged that the International Association of Fire Fighters has endorsed Democratic candidate John Kerry, but he said he believes that a majority of rank-and-file firefighters across the country are Republican and predisposed to support the president.

The union, which represents 263,000 firefighters across the country, including in New York City and Eugene, says Bush has routinely sought to cut federal money for firefighters and other emergency first-responders.

But Von Essen and other rally speakers - including Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey and state Rep. Jeff Kropf - said Bush supports firefighters and is the candidate best suited to continue the fight against terrorism. "It's necessary to fight this battle here and everywhere," Von Essen said.

His appearance fell on the same day that the national Sept. 11 Commission issued its final report on the terrorist attacks of 2001. While the report shows a clear breakdown in intelligence operations, "I don't think blaming really helps too much," Von Essen said.

He said he questions the commission's recommendation that the government create a new intelligence agency and intelligence czar. "That seems to me a waste of time and energy and money," he said. "We need to spend money training people to speak different languages so they can infiltrate (suspected terrorist groups), not spend more money on bureaucracy."

Von Essen later headed for a rally in Spokane. He said he's also traveled to Pennsylvania on behalf of the Bush-Cheney campaign. He urged firefighters "to get out there and mobilize. This state makes a difference. It's important."

Chris Hefner, a contract wildlands firefighter from Springfield, said he attended the rally because he supports Bush's call to log more forest underbrush as a safeguard against wildfire. "It's a big thing, trimming the forests," he said. "I'm all for it."

The rally, which drew more than 30 people, was staged at the Coburg fire station because of its aesthetics and easy access from Interstate 5, said Tucker Bounds, communications director for the Bush-Cheney campaign in Oregon. The campaign wanted a volunteer fire department for its backdrop, he said.

The Coburg Rural Fire Protection District has two paid staff members and 22 volunteers, and takes in both the city of Coburg and outlying areas.

Coburg Fire Chief Chad Minter said he is "personally a Bush fan," but was unable to take part in the rally because he was on-duty at the time.

Minter, whose department isn't unionized, said he believes that the national firefighters' union is squawking because smaller fire departments are now getting a bigger piece of the federal budget pie.

He said several area fire departments have received substantial federal grants for firefighting upgrades since the 2001 attacks.

But Gary Nauta, president of the Eugene Firefighters Association, said he was mystified by the rally. "I find it somewhat astonishing that any firefighter would be supportive of President Bush, given his track record on firefighting issues," he said.