By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY
Correspondent
WESTFIELD – A group calling themselves The Firefighters Support Foundation has been making phone calls to Westfield residents soliciting donations.
According to the organization’s Website, ffsupport.org, “FSF is a 501(c)(3)tax-exempt non-profit organization primarily dedicated to assisting firefighters and rescue personnel perform their jobs effectively and safely through free training.”
Deputy Chief James Kane of the Westfield City Fire Department said he has never heard of the Firefighters Support Foundation and the Westfield Fire Department does not see any of the funds the Firefighters Support Foundation raises.
Kane said the WFD is associated with the International Association of Firefighters Local 1111 and their fundraising for the department is done once a year and that ended in March.
The website give.org, which is the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, a site that helps donors make informed giving decisions, states that the Firefighters Support Foundation “did not disclose.”
Not disclosing means that either the company has not responded to BBB requests for information or has “declined to be evaluated in relation to BBB Standards for Charity Accountability,” according to give.org. Participation in BBB review is voluntary.
The Firefighters Support Foundation’s address is listed as 40 School St., Greenfield, on give.org. A phone number with a Florida area code is given, but the number is not in service.
The foundation’s own website lists the mailing address, 40 School St., Greenfield, along with an email address, but no phone number.
At press time, no reply was received from two requests for information from the Firefighter Support Foundation inquiring about fundraising efforts being conducted in western Mass.
