Schumer, Slaughter Unveil Measure to Help West Webster Firefighters and Families Access Funds Raised in Aftermath of Shooting

Press Release

Today, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY) introduced legislation to assist the victims and families of the West Webster Fire Department (WWFD) volunteers that were injured or killed in the Christmas Eve tragedy in Webster, NY. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Western New Yorkers and people from across the country showed an outpouring of generosity by donating over $900,000 to the WWFD in order to assist the victims. However, due to IRS Code, the WWFD is currently restricted in its abilities to distribute these donations to their intended recipients. Slaughter and Schumer's legislation will allow the West Webster Fire Department to distribute the donations directly to the affected families, fulfilling the wishes of those that donated.

"In the wake of the West Webster Fire Department tragedy, I am heartened by the outpouring of support from friends, neighbors and concerned citizens who have donated to assist the families of the victims in their time of need. It is only right that the families of these brave heroes receive the funds that were donated on their behalf," said Senator Schumer. "That's why we are introducing legislation to allow these funds to be swiftly delivered to the families without putting the West Webster Fire Department's tax-exempt status at risk."

"When tragedy strikes, Americans rush to help their neighbors, and that's exactly what happened here," Rep. Slaughter said. "The families of the brave first responders who were killed and the firefighters who were injured in this awful attack deserve all of the generosity their fellow Americans have shown, and we need to make sure that these donors' wishes are honored."

"On Christmas Eve 2012, the West Webster Volunteer Firemen's Association faced an unimaginable tragedy when four of our brothers were wounded, two fatally, when they responded to a fire and instead faced an ambush," said Chief Ken Smith. "In the aftermath of this tragedy, people from around the state of New York and the nation rallied to support these brave first responders and their families through generous donations designed to help the victims and families of this tragedy. Unfortunately, as a result of IRS limitations, the WWFD cannot distribute these funds to the victims and their families without risk to its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. The legislation introduced by Senator Schumer and Congresswoman Slaughter fixes this situation and will allow the heroes and their families to receive these donations."

Due to IRS Code on 501(c)(3) organizations, the West Webster Fire Department is limited in its ability to distribute these funds directly to the affected victims and families. Similar legislation was necessary to distribute charitable donations in the aftermath of 9/11 and an incident in 2006 that resulted in the deaths of several California firefighters.

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