Please Follow us on Gab, Minds, Telegram, Rumble, Gettr, Truth Social, Twitter
Firefighters represent the very best in government, risking injury and death for the communities they serve. When someone calls 911 — whether for a heart attack, car accident, or fire — the fire department just shows up. One would think their union would fight as hard for them.
Unfortunately, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has been marred by controversies and alleged corruption.
Members have complained that the union seems more intent on filling its coffers and amassing personal gain than defending its members’ interests. This betrayal erodes the trust firefighters place in their leadership.
In early April, at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC), the nation’s largest firefighter conference, I approached IAFF General President Ed Kelly courteously, commending the union’s shift on removing toxic “forever chemicals” from firefighting gear and urging him to advocate for firefighters fired over COVID vaccine mandates. His response was shocking.
Kelly got in my face, hurled a homophobic insult, challenged me to a fight, and ominously warned, “If I don’t get you now, I’ll get you later” — along with boasting about being a “city kid.” This outburst occurred in a sober 8 a.m. green room, where dignitaries were set to address the conference, including Indiana’s governor, Indianapolis’ mayor, and fire service leaders from across the nation.
As Margaret Thatcher once said, “Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” Kelly’s ego-driven display diminished his command presence and betrayed the professionalism firefighters deserve. I calmly asked, “Ed, does this mean you won’t come on my show to debate?” He lunged again, requiring intervention to de-escalate the situation. This is not the behavior of a leader; it’s a playground tantrum.
While the pandemic is over, so are the careers of firefighters who were forced out or fired — from Seattle to New York City — over COVID vaccine mandates, even though the mandates are now lifted and were based on the faulty premise that the vaccinated could not contract or transmit the virus.
“Not only did the IAFF ignore the pleas of its membership when they were being terminated or forced to retire because of vaccine mandates, they turned around and continued their support for President Biden, someone who publicly affirmed his own unequivocal support for these terminations,” said Battalion Chief Tom Lapolla, who was forced to retire from New York City Fire Department (FDNY).
Davy Dahlin, the former Senior Driver at Ladder Co. 5, Seattle Fire Department, added, “Ed Kelly came to our local meeting and told us they wouldn’t help us fight the COVID shot mandate, yet went home and helped his local fight and win against his city’s intended mandate.”
Steve Collins, Senior Driver at Ladder 6, Seattle Fire Department, who was fired, expressed his disillusionment: “This treatment wasn’t just wrong—it was betrayal. I watched the union defend all manner of lazy miscreants, but when I needed support, protection, and representation the most, I was cast aside. Now, after all the years I had served and all the dues I had paid, the only conclusion I could come to is someone is getting paid.”
The IAFF has provided only lip service, leaving these heroes to fend for themselves.
In the past, I’ve exposed how the union has been taking money from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), which many firefighters believed had been supporting kids and adults stricken with a debilitating disease.
These funds were collected through the “Fill the Boot” campaign, with most firefighters believing the money was to be used for research and to benefit sick kids — but these monies totaling over a million dollars were funneled back to the IAFF.
According to Real Clear Investigations, “since 2005 the charity and its affiliates have forked over more than $10 million to IAFF headquarters.” After this article I believed this practice was being curtailed, but 2024 LM-2 filings, required by the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, show that the IAFF received $9,000 from MDA in Canada and additional payments labeled "Service reimbursement FY23" totaling $162,500 from the MDA charity. This may warrant an investigation by the Department of Labor.
As a firefighter and former union president from New Haven, Conn., who collected money in the boot, I had no idea money was going back to the IAFF. And neither the MDA nor IAFF have public and/or press statements indicating that significant funds were going back to union coffers.
Ultimately, people should know how and where their charitable dollars are being utilized — because they give in good faith.
Upon returning to Washington, D.C., after the conference, I learned a federal court denied motions to dismiss a lawsuit against the IAFF-Financial Corporation (IAFF-FC), which underscores credible allegations of corruption, self-dealing, and betrayal of trust—allegations that demand accountability. This development may be the true reason for the threats of violence.
The IAFF-FC, a nonprofit tasked with providing financial services like auto insurance and retirement planning to firefighters, is supposed to act as a fiduciary, prioritizing members’ financial security.
However, a federal lawsuit filed by John F. Hughes, a Harvard-educated financial advisor with decades of experience, paints a disturbing picture. Hired to lead the IAFF’s “Wealth Management Initiative” to tailor investment portfolios for members, Hughes discovered that the union’s leadership was less interested in optimal returns for firefighters than in securing “pay-to-play” deals for itself.
According to the amended complaint, IAFF COO Kurt Becker allegedly demanded $250,000 in kickbacks per investment firm, favoring a privately owned financial-services company willing to comply, despite knowing such arrangements could violate Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations.
Acting with integrity, Hughes warned IAFF leadership that this approach risked “harm for the union’s members, embarrassment for the organization, and negative media exposure.” But rather than putting firefighters first, Kelly responded by firing him.
Hughes made it clear that his obligations weren’t limited to warning IAFF’s leadership of the risks inherent in their behavior; he also had a duty to report any illegal activity to the SEC. Instead of changing course, Becker allegedly spread false and defamatory claims against him in an orchestrated effort to silence him.
Hughes refused a gag order and filed a lawsuit alleging tortious interference, Dodd-Frank Act violations, defamation, and wrongful termination. His SEC complaint further details how the IAFF betrayed the trust of rank-and-file firefighters. This filing echoes historical union corruption scandals, like the Department of Justice’s investigation into Jimmy Hoffa’s Teamsters in the 1950s, which prompted the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act to curb such abuses.
Most union members are unaware of legal filings, and a variety of loopholes have allowed IAFF leadership to obscure financial dealings from members— left out of these reports are a broken down list of how union dues is spent on the union credit cards. The Department of Labor should close this gap.
The federal court’s recent ruling to deny the IAFF-FC’s motions to dismiss validates the seriousness of Hughes’ claims, allowing the case to proceed and exposing the union’s alleged misconduct to greater scrutiny.
Union leaders need to be ethical and avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Yet the IAFF has been plagued by ethical lapses and embroiled in a variety of controversies. These range from FBI investigation to allegedly using the talking points of a gear-and-textile manufacturer to address concerns of firefighters regarding potential cancer-causing PFOAs in their gear. Buried in federal filings, it turns out that the IAFF had accepted $100,000 sponsorships from the very companies.
It looks like the firefighter’s watchdog was being walked, fed, and paid for by the very companies they were supposed to be watching. However, this only changed Diane Cotter, a wife and mother from Massachusetts, exposed their conflict of interest to the membership.
The IAFF’s website quietly notes that the IAFF-FC receives 20% of gross commissions or fees from members’ purchases of insurance or investments. These funds should benefit dues-paying members, not pad union coffers. (That’s a “vig” the mob would be proud of!)
Hughes’ refusal to sign a gag order, despite pressure to secure severance and health insurance, sets a powerful example. Firefighters face physical flames daily; they shouldn’t fear being scorched by their union’s greed. Unions exist to stand up for the underdogs and protect the middleclass.
President Kelly is paid $423,747 a year well above what his hard working rank and file is being paid. Beyond this lucrative salary is he still getting paid by the taxpayers of Boston? I also found a payment or transaction listed in an older 990 tax form for $732,993 that I don’t understand, is this for a pension benefit?
Kelly wants to fight me when his energy would be better spent rooting out alleged corruption, fighting for forced out and fired firefighters who refused to take the shot or what about fighting for sick kids and ensuring every dollar put into the boot goes to MDA without payment on the back on — now that would be some things worth fighting for.
Frank Ricci is a Fellow at Yankee Institute, past union president for New Haven Fire Fighters, and a retired battalion chief. He was the lead plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case Ricci v. DeStefano. He is the author of Command Presence.
Sounds like a call for vote of no confidence, removal and elect a person who will fight for the FFs.