Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts (PFFM)

What Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts (PFFM) does

Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts (PFFM) is a nonprofit state-level labor union affiliated with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), representing approximately 13,000 paid professional firefighters across 237 local unions throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded on October 27, 1945 and chartered by IAFF on December 12, 1945 (initially as the Associated Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, renamed in 1976), the organization is structured into eight geographic districts, each with a Vice President, and is governed by an elected President (Richard MacKinnon Jr.), Secretary-Treasurer (Billy Cabral), and Board of Trustees. PFFM delivers labor representation, collective bargaining support, legislative advocacy via its Committee on Political Education (COPE), health and welfare trust administration, member-assistance programming (behavioral health, PTSD, substance use), line-of-duty death support (Last Alarm), scholarships, and an EMS committee, and operates a separate 501(c)(3) PFFM Foundation for charitable activities including the Frozen Flop fundraiser and golf tournament.

The organization's technology footprint is modest and operational rather than product-oriented: the website and member portal run on the UnionActive platform (a third-party CMS/membership-database product provided by UnionActive with infrastructure hosted by Unions-America), supporting an online member database, a searchable LODD (Line of Duty Death) database, downloadable record-keeping spreadsheets, member login, scholarship applications, and event calendars. There is no proprietary AI/ML or software product; the merchandise store runs on Square and a co-op print provider.

Revenue mechanics are based on recurring membership dues (the only disclosed pricing is $100/year for Active-Retired membership) supplemented by charitable donations routed through the PFFM Foundation and modest merchandise sales. As a 501(c)-style nonprofit labor organization, PFFM does not disclose financial statements and is not subject to typical investor reporting; its customer base is its distributed membership across municipal fire departments, with named local unions including Boston L718, Springfield L648, and Worcester L1009.

Name

Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts (PFFM)

Legal name

Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts

Website

https://pffm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts is a nonprofit labor union and IAFF state affiliate representing approximately 13,000 paid professional firefighters across 237 local unions throughout Massachusetts, providing collective bargaining, legislative advocacy, member assistance, and related services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston, MA

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Active-retired membership dues at $100 annually, with regular member dues supporting organizational operations
2. Charitable Donations: The PFFM Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that accepts donations to support members and families in need
3. Scholarship Programs: Various scholarship programs (T. Dustin Alward Scholarship, PFFM Foundation Scholarship, John J and Nora Jennings Scholarship) funded through foundation activities and donations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PFFM is a nonprofit labor union that provides labor representation, collective bargaining support, legislative advocacy, and member benefit services for approximately 13,000 paid professional firefighters organized across 237 local unions in Massachusetts. It also runs a Member Assistance Program, scholarship programs, a Retiree Group, an EMS Committee, a PFFM Foundation (501(c)(3)), and Last Alarm/LODD memorial services for fallen firefighters.

Product overview

The Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts (PFFM) is a labor union representing approximately 13,000 members from 237 local unions across Massachusetts. The organization operates as a membership-based union providing services including member resources and database access, scholarship programs (T. Dustin Alward, PFFM Foundation, John J and Nora Jennings), Member Assistance Program for behavioral health support, Health and Welfare Trust benefits, EMS Committee representation, PFFM Foundation charitable services, COPE legislative/political education, Last Alarm/LODD memorial services, and Retiree Group programs. The union also operates a merchandise store. Built on the UnionActive web platform, the organization does not offer a traditional technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PFFM Membership Services
• PFFM Scholarship Programs
• PFFM Member Assistance Program (MAP)
• PFFM Health and Welfare Trust
• PFFM Last Alarm / LODD Services
• PFFM Retiree Group
• PFFM Foundation
• PFFM Legislative / COPE Services
• PFFM EMS Committee

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dana-Farber Cancer InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDana-Farber Direct Connect program providing PFFM members with access to cancer screening and early detection services. Addresses the elevated cancer risks faced by firefighters due to occupational exposure to carcinogens.
• UnionActivecoreOthersWeb platform provider for the PFFM website including membership database, member portal, event calendars, content management, and communication tools. Powers the member login, resource downloads, and organizational management features.
• Unions-AmericaminorOthersWeb hosting and technical services provider for UnionActive-powered union websites. Provides infrastructure but does not control, monitor, or endorse content on the PFFM website.
• International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)coreOthersParent international labor union organization. PFFM is the state-level affiliate of IAFF. Local unions hold dual affiliation with both PFFM and IAFF. IAFF provides support for line of duty death benefits, LODD notifications, PSOB claims, and represents firefighters across the US and Canada.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF): National parent organization of which PFFM is a chartered state affiliate; directly comparable as a labor union for professional firefighters operating under the same governance and benefit framework.
• Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association: IAFF state affiliate representing professional firefighters in Pennsylvania; direct structural peer to PFFM in operations, services, and advocacy.
• New York State Professional Fire Fighters Association: State-level IAFF affiliate representing professional firefighters in New York; structurally identical to PFFM — collective bargaining, legislative advocacy, member benefits — operating in an adjacent Northeast geography.
• Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters: State-level professional firefighter organization in Ohio; comparable as a state affiliate operating legislative advocacy, training, scholarships, and member assistance for its locals.
• California Professional Firefighters: Statewide professional firefighter association organized into locals across California; same IAFF state-affiliate structure and member-benefit model as PFFM at meaningfully larger scale.
• Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York (UFA): Represents FDNY firefighters, the largest single-city firefighters' local; offers a comparable model of legislative advocacy, health/welfare programs, and retiree engagement at city-scale rather than state-scale.

Broad incumbents

• SEIU (Service Employees International Union): Major national labor union with substantial public-sector membership including first-responder and municipal workers; comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlap in collective bargaining and member benefit programs.
• AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees): Large national public-sector labor union covering many government employee categories; comparable as a broad incumbent in public-sector collective bargaining, advocacy, and benefit negotiation with overlapping member services.

Regional players

• Massachusetts State Police Association (MSPA): Massachusetts public-safety labor organization representing state troopers; comparable in-jurisdiction as a state-level labor association for uniformed public-safety personnel with similar advocacy and benefit functions.

Emerging players

• Boston Firefighters Local 718 (IAFF): A constituent local union under PFFM and IAFF representing Boston firefighters directly; comparable at the local level with narrower scope but the same member-service, advocacy, and collective bargaining function.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pffm.foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/pffm.foundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/professional-fire-fighters-of-massachusetts-pffm-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts (PFFM)