An Open Letter To The Uniformed Firefighters Association

Dear Uniformed Firefighters Association Members, September 11, 2014, Thirteen years ago, three hundred million Americans, and millions more throughout the world, united for one purpose: to help the thousands murdered at the World Trade Center. A former president and treasurer of the Uniformed Firefighters Association took advantage of their generosity when they accepted $81 million in donations for the Widows’ and Children’s Fund. They ignored donors’ reasonable expectations that their donations would be given exclusively and expeditiously to the widows, children, and families of the 343 firefighters who died on that day. Instead, the UFA hoarded the donations, intending to establish an investment in the future, and to distribute small stipends over time to the children of all firefighters who died in the line of duty. Contrast that with what the International Association of Fire Fighters did after 9-11. They collected $210 million and, within months of the tragedy, began the distribution of funds to the widows and families of the firefighters who died. They distributed the bulk of donations to the estates of the deceased 9-11 firefighters within two years. The behavior of the UFA’s Widows’ and Children’s Fund trustees prompted the New York State Attorney General to intervene in 2002 to encourage them to distribute their 9-11 money as donors had intended. Article 7-A of the Executive Law of the NY State Attorney General (Solicitation and Collection of Funds for Charitable Purposes) prohibited “using contributed funds for purposes inconsistent with those for which they were solicited.” When the A. G. resolved the matter: $12.5 million went to all widows in the Fund, $4.7 million went to the estates of the single firefighters who died on 9-11, and $25.84 million went to all children in the Fund. The trustees then invested the remaining $23 million in risky equity and bond markets. The investment portfolio is now the primary source of income for the Fund. That’s not where donors thought their donations would end up. For a while the investments did well – then they didn’t. In the fiscal year ending July 31, 2009, the portfolio lost 5.5 percent. To lessen the impact of that loss, the trustees reduced payments to dependents by 41.5 percent. A small investment loss resulted in a much larger reduction in fund services, which leads one to believe that investment returns take precedence over services to the children in the Widows’ and Children’s Fund. After 9-11, trustees of the Widows and Children’s Fund abrogated their fiscal responsibility to donors and took advantage of the widows, children and families of our fallen brothers at a time when they were vulnerable. Instead of helping them, the trustees chose to take their money and gamble it on Wall Street, so that they and future UFA officials could use the proceeds to throw an annual Christmas party, parcel out small stipends to children, and look like “good guys” to the membership in perpetuity. What happened should have never happened, and investing 9-11 money in risky markets should no longer be allowed. The trustees’ primary responsibility is to protect the Fund’s assets, and not gamble them when stock and bond markets are as risky as they are today. Joseph J. Hehir FDNY Retired For further information, questions or input, jjhehir@excite.com