Central Western Firemans Association Charity Fund

The Charity Fund is a benefit available to all CWFA members in the event of a line-of-Duty or Department / C.W.F.A. social function death of a Charity Fund Member. Any paid member of the Central Western Firemen's Association is eligible to become a member of the Charity Fund.

Payment from the Charity Fund will be made in case of death of a member of the Charity Fund, while on active duty. Payment will be made to those on the roster that was furnished to the Charity Fund Secretary. Death by heart attacks while on active duty shall be included. Payment will also be made upon proof of death resulting from injury, while on active duty, if such claims are filed within two (2) years of the accident.

Active duty shall mean from the time an alarm is sounded, until the officer in charge relieves him and until he returns home by the shortest route, or his place of business or work. All fire drills, schools and conferences and sporting or social activities sponsored or approved by the Chief of Department or organization shall be included in this category. Amount to be paid, the widow or surviving family of a member shall be three thousand-five hundred dollars ($3,500.00) base, with an additional one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each consecutive year the name appears on a Charity Fund roster sheet.

It should be impressed upon all chiefs that the Charity Fund was set up by its founders as an emergency cash fund for the widow or family of any member who lost their life in the line of duty, and as such with the expedient handling by the chief, the Charity Fund Secretary and Treasurer, the payment of the claim can and should be made within 24 hours of the accident. The Executive Committee reserves the right to make partial payments (totaling the original amount) in the event of major disaster.

The membership in the Charity Fund shall be five dollars ($5.00) per person per year for the first year, and one dollar ($1.00) per person each consecutive year thereafter. In the event that a member should leave the department, any replacements shall be classified as a new member and shall pay five dollars ($5.00) the first year only, and one dollar ($1.00) per year thereafter.

CWFA Charity Fund Death Benefit to include cancer clause.

In keeping with current finding by the medical community in reference to cancer being acknowledged as a recognizable and probable cause of cancer in firefighters, we have voted upon and passed the following changes to the Line of Duty Death clause of the Charity Fund to include the following wording to include cancer. Here in after referred to as “Cancer Clause”.

The death of a firefighter and or ems member who is a member of a department participating in said program of the charity fund who dies from cancer to be considered a line of duty death and a death benefit to be paid to the survivor(s) of said member using the following stipulations and guidelines if cancer was determined to be caused while engaging in duties as a firefighter or ems provider by the medical community.

1. As membership in the charity fund is voluntary on the parent department’s part, the department may opt out of the said cancer clause program by submitting in writing that they do not wish to participate. This leaves the decision to be made by the parent department as a whole on a home rule basis and continue in charity fund as written to current benefits at a rate of $1.00 per member per year, with the exception of $5.00 per member per first year.

2. In participating in said cancer program the parent department agrees and will pay $3.00 per each renewing member listed on their charity fund roster and $7.00 for new members. The additional $2.00 per member per year will help sustain the program in the future without creating a financial hardship on said department while helping to fund this new program.

3. As this program is a new venture and with keeping the viability of the charity fund in mind a death benefit for the cancer clause program will have a maximum cap of $3000.00 until such time in the future, the board meets and determination is made that said cap be raised or lowered so as not to endanger the charity fund financial viability as a whole in the future.

4. Said member considered for the death benefit must have been a member engaging in and performing the duties of the said department prior to the time of diagnosis of cancer. As cancer is at times slow to bring about death a 2-year window of time from diagnosis may be considered in the determination of said benefit.
The chief or secretary of the department, wishing to belong to the Charity Fund shall furnish the Charity Fund Secretary a roster of the personnel wishing to be covered, their first name, middle initial, last name, (no nicknames). Dues are due upon receipt of roster sheet sent by Secretary of Central Western Firemen's Association, after Central Western Firemen's Association dues are paid.