The Leary Firefighters Foundation was founded in 2000 by actor Denis Leary in response to a fire that broke out in an abandoned warehouse in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts, his hometown, in December of 1999. Over 75 firefighters ran into what some have called “the perfect fire” and six of them never came out. One was Denis’ first cousin, Jerry Lucey and another Lt. Tommy Spencer, was a childhood friend and high school classmate. In an effort to find a positive way to deal with this overwhelming loss, Denis established The Leary Firefighters Foundation in the spring of 2000. The Leary Firefighters Foundation is dedicated to providing fire departments with funding and resources for up-to-date equipment and training.

A lifelong hockey fan, Denis teamed up with Boston Bruins legends Bobby Orr and Cam Neely to organize The Celebrity Hat Trick, “Hockey’s Greatest Skate for America’s Bravest,” a two-day event that features two teams made up of hockey legends and Hollywood celebrities. Thousands of New England residents turn out to enjoy the game and to honor the memory of the “Worcester 6”. The Leary Firefighters Foundation has directed total of $2 million dollars to The Worcester Firefighters Local 1009 Equipment Fund to support the equipment and training needs of firefighters in Central Massachusetts. These funds have been used to design and build a new burn tower and training facility and to purchase a new rescue boat and an SCBA Response Unit, a mobile maintenance unit to service and repair air tanks.

The success of the Celebrity Hat Trick allowed the LFF to expand its reach to the city of Boston. Our first gift to the Boston Fire Department, a Tactical Command Unit, was presented to Boston Fire Commissioner Paul Christian on August 11, 2004 at a special ceremony outside City Hall. Built into a retro-fitted Ford Excursion SUV, this emergency management vehicle is capable of increased communications control and improved maneuverability on Boston’s narrow streets. To date, $425,000 has been raised and directed towards the equipment needs of the Boston Fire Department, including the Tactical Command Unit and the acquisition of a new Fire Rescue / Diver Support Boat for the Department’s protection of Boston Harbor, was deployed in the summer of 2006.

In the wake of the events of September 11, 2001, The Leary Firefighters Foundation established The Fund for New York’s Bravest to raise money for the families of the 343 firefighters who perished in the line of duty. With enormous support from friends in the entertainment community, we threw a landmark New York City benefit, The BASH for New York’s Bravest, to celebrate our local heroes. Through the success of The BASH and the overwhelming support shown by donors throughout the nation, The Fund for New York’s Bravest raised over $1.9 million before it was closed in 2003. Every dollar collected went directly into the hands of the families without any administrative costs. The BASH for New York’s Bravest is now an annual, celebrity-studded event that continues to honor New York’s firefighters while raising funds to support their equipment and training needs.

In 2002, we expanded our focus to include assisting the FDNY with their critical need to enhance operations and advance first responder training. An in-depth working relationship has been formed with senior commanders and it is through their expertise that we prioritize the disbursement of funds received from donors. Using dollars raised at The 2003 BASH for New York’s Bravest, we partnered with the FDNY’s Fire Safety Education Fund to purchase a Mobile Command Center for the FDNY. This emergency management vehicle, which was deployed on July 19, 2004, is equipped with state-of-the-art audio and video monitoring capabilities and directly answers the call for a heightened level of communications and planning at large-scale events and emergencies. It serves as a visible point of contact for communications between the FDNY, NYPD, FBI and OEM, as well as media and local officials, and as a staging area at major events such as last year’s Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden. We have also donated two Flashover Simulators to the FDNY Fire Academy on Randall’s Island. In January 2005 these Flashover Simulators were incorporated into the training regiment of both probationary and veteran firefighters to help them understand progression of fire, which will increase their chance of survival in the field.

Every community relies on their firefighters to keep their population safe. Their bravery and commitment to saving lives is indisputable and is demonstrated on a daily basis. Our current development campaign is focused on the completion of two major projects: building a technologically advanced High-Rise Training Simulator at the FDNY Fire Academy to combat the potentially catastrophic high-rise fires. In early 2009 we will fulfill our pledge to the New Orleans fire department of rebuilding 11 firehouses in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The Leary Firefighters Foundation remains dedicated to keeping the needs of firefighters in the forefront of the country’s awareness and to upholding our pledge to provide them with funding and resources to acquire the tools necessary to maintain the highest level of public safety.