December 12, 1945              -           December 12, 2005

SIXTY YEARS OF PROGRESS

 The Massachusetts State Federation of Labor convention was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 27,1945 and at that time and place the fire fighter delegates held a meeting of their own for the purpose of forming a state fire fighters association. It was during this meeting that six bold, determined and very progressive Massachusetts I.A.F.F. Local Unions agreed to organize and join a state association. The six locals represented the fire fighters from the communities of Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Gloucester, Lynn and Springfield.

On December 12, 1945 the International Association of Fire Fighters granted a charter to the newly formed Associated Fire Fighters of Massachusetts. At the time the International Association of Fire Fighters granted the charter there were twelve locals in Massachusetts that were affiliated with the IAFF and they were: Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Gloucester, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lynn, New Bedford, Newburyport, Northampton, Quincy, and Springfield.

The Associated Fire Fighters of Massachusetts held their first State Convention at the Hotel Kimball, in Springfield, Massachusetts on September 10, 1947. Sixty-two delegates and six alternates were in attendance and they represented locals from fourteen cities and towns. The members attending were from Attleboro, Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Everett, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Newton, Peabody, Quincy, Springfield, and Waltham. The delegate body assembled elected Arvid G. Anderstrom of Springfield Local 648 as the first President and Joseph F. O'Brien of Boston Local 718 as the first Secretary - Treasurer of the Associated Fire Fighters of Massachusetts. For the next twelve years the Associated Fire Fighters of Massachusetts met annually and in 1959 the delegates assembled voted to hold their State Conventions every other year which has been the policy we continue today with our biennial conventions.

The Associated Fire Fighters of Massachusetts was originally comprised of four districts to serve the Union Fire Fighters of the Commonwealth and those districts represented the Southern, Northern, Metropolitan and Western areas of Massachusetts. In 1975 at the Convention held in Hyannis the delegates voted to change the name to the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts as of January 1, 1976. At the same convention the delegates voted to open a State office. On June 4, 1975 the P.F.F.M. office opened at 130 Bowdoin Street, Boston Massachusetts. 

 In 2005 we celebrated our 60th anniversary.   We now have nearly two hundred IAFF locals in eight districts and represent over 12,000 union fire fighters across the Commonwealth. We are one of the most respected and revered Labor Unions in the Commonwealth with a powerful Beacon Hill lobby built upon the hard work of our predecessors. For their tireless efforts, astute leadership and infinite wisdom, we gratefully thank them!