Skip to main content

Fire Family Foundation Establishes Erksine Fire: Rebuilding Lives and Community Fund


Fund Will Assist Fire Victims and Firefighters in Kern County
July  8, Los Angeles, CA:  Responding to the emergency of deadly wildfires that are currently blazing through communities in Kern County, Fire Family Foundation, the charitable hand of Firefighters First Credit Union, has created the Erskine Fire: Rebuilding Lives and Community Fund.
California’s largest wildfire so far this year, the Erskine fire erupted Thursday afternoon and continues to burn; two people have died, thousands have left their homes, 200 homes were destroyed with many others severely damaged. Four firefighters who were working on the blaze learned the sad news that their own homes were completely destroyed by the fire.
The Erskine Fire Fund will dedicate 100% of the funds raised to be distributed to firefighters and fire victims; funds will be used for short-term assistance to pay expenses for essential and immediate needs from food to mortgages/rent
"Our firefighters are battling this fire in awful conditions, with tremendous heat and heavy winds," explains Mike Mastro, Chair, Fire Family Foundation Board, and CEO/President, Firefighters First Credit Union.  "Our commitment is to support our firefighters as well as reach out to those fire victims who are injured or who have experienced a devastating loss from this wildfire. We really want to be that helping hand.”
            Fire victims can contact the Foundation via email at
info@FireFamilyFoundation.org or at (888) 533-4483.
All donations to the Erskine Fire: Rebuilding Lives and Community Fund are tax deductible. To make a donation, visit www.FireFamilyFoundation.org, or make checks payable to Fire Family Foundation, 815 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90041 with a notation: Erskine Fire: Rebuilding Lives and Community Relief Fund.

ABOUT FIRE FAMILY FOUNDATION

Fire Family Foundation responds when tragedy affects firefighters and fire victims.  A nonprofit founded by the respected Firefighters First Credit Union, Fire Family Foundation offers immediate assistance to firefighters and their families, fire victims, fire departments, and charities.  The Foundation believes that by coming together as a “Fire Family,” assistance can be provided to those impacted by fire.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Happy Holidays To All Who Serve

  Happy Holidays To All Who Serve 12/22/2025 10:28 am   By Grant Sheehan and Anthony Hernandez Every year, many Americans celebrate the joy of family and relief from work the holidays bring. Apart from the hustle and bustle, the holiday season is a special time to be with loved ones, engaging in family traditions and rituals, and making memories that will last a lifetime. However, not everyone gets to partake in the holiday gatherings.   There are over a hundred thousand military members serving in harm’s way or in 24-hour command center...

Sunday Reading - The gold standard, explained

  Gold Standard       The gold standard, explained A gold standard is a system where a country’s currency is pegged to, and can be converted into, a fixed amount of gold. It’s typically meant to create a sense of security in the country’s currency: When a government uses a gold standard , its currency can be exchanged for an equivalent amount of gold—although regulations around redemption vary by country.   After the Civil War, in 1873, America adopted the gold standard for the first time. At the time, if gold was priced at $100 an ounce, each dollar  rep...

Syracuse Fire Department Credit Union

Remember, you're not alone with  NCOFCU.org Join/Upgrade Check out some of NCOFCU's additional features: First Responder Credit Union Academy Financial Literacy Podcasts YouTube Mini's Blog Job Board

Is another housing bubble brewing?

While there have been fears expressed by some of a repeat of the housing bubble that led to the housing crisis just over a decade ago, numerous real estate analysts say they believe the market fundamentals are much stronger now and that the sharp increase in home prices reflects low rates, a lack of inventory, and demographics. To be sure, the market is hot in many markets, with home sellers receiving multiple cash offers, often over the listed price, on homes. Some analysts, including those at Swiss banking giant UBS, have published charts showing how home prices are outstripping both wages and rents, reported USA Today. Home prices have appreciated more than 60% since November 2012, incomes have only appreciated by 20% and rents by 30% over the same time period, the report added. “But unlike the real estate boom that led to the Great Recession, this nationwide price spike is not being fueled by a wholesale collapse in lender ethics,” USA Today reported “There aren't any low-doc o...

Buy Now, Pay Later Keeps Gaining Ground: New Study Shows Growth Surge

03/10/2025 06:31 pm Share         TROY, Mich.— A new study reveals the appeal of buy now, pay later is not waning, as the service saw significant growth last year. The J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Buy Now Pay Later Satisfaction Study shows BNPL enjoyed continued, significant growth in the number of consumers using the product year over year, with the highest usage among consumers from Generations Y and Z, and the highest growth period during the holidays. “The BNPL segment has undoubtedly grown in popularity, with more customers using these services than ever before,” said Sean Gelles, senior director of banking and payments at J.D. Power. “That’s been especially true around seasonal periods of higher spending, such as the holidays. Card-based BNPL products continue to lead the charge on satisfaction, as issuers are leveraging their existing brand awareness and equity to retain would-be defectors.” Following are some of the key findings of the 2025 study: Gene...

NAFCU Economist: U.S. Might Dodge Recession

Curt Long said a strong jobs report shows resilience despite the Fed’s escalation in interest rates. By Jim DuPlessis | January 06, 2023 CUTimes Source: Shutterstock. NAFCU Chief Economist Curt Long said Friday the continued strength in the job market has increased the odds the nation will dodge a recession this year. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday there were 153.7 million seasonally adjusted jobs in December, an increase of 223,000, or 0.1%, from November and up 3% from a year earlier. The unemployment rate was 3.5% in December, down from 3.6% in November and 3.9% in December 2021. Long said December’s rate was the lowest in more than 50 years, while the labor force participation rate rose slightly. Seasonally adjusted average hourly earnings were $32.82 in December, up 0.3% from November and up 4.6% from a year ago, a slightly lower rate of increase from previous months. Curt Long “This is an unambiguously positiv...

Sunday Reading - Lake Manly Returns

  Lake Manly Returns   An ancient lake has  reemerged in California's Death Valley National Park following record rainfall this year.  Between 128,000 and 186,000 years ago, meltwater from ice covering the Sierra Nevada fed rivers that emptied into Badwater Basin, North America’s lowest point at 282 feet below sea level. The steady flow sustained Lake Manly, nearly 100 miles long and roughly 600 feet deep. The lake disappeared as Death Valley evolved into the driest place in North America , with some areas receiving under two inches of rain annually. This year, however, the park received 2.41 inches between September and November, marking its wettest autumn on record and triggering the temporary return of a shorter, shallower Lake Manly.  Above-average rainfall periodically brings Lake Manly back, including in 2023 when Hurricane Hilary dumped 2.2 inches of rain on a single August day, allowing visi...

What the Apple Card High-Yield Savings Account is Really About

Don't think of the new Apple Savings account as a standalone competitive banking product. Analysts say it's one more brick for building a 'walled garden' of financial and other services for iPhone users that will drive the growth of Apple Pay, Apple Card, and more of the big tech's offerings. By Steve Cocheo , Executive Editor at The Financial Brand Many in banking may view the news of Apple’s latest consumer financial product — a high-yield savings account — as unlikely to be a game-changer. High-yield digital savings offers abound and tend to come out of the woodwork in rising-rate environments. Yet Apple being Apple, things are never that simple, or obvious. The Financial Brand dug behind the headlines to tease out key aspects of the rollout. Taken together, they present a compelling case that once again, Big Tech is taking incremental steps to dominate what it views as a financial ecosystem. The latest case in point is Apple’s October 2022 announcement that it ...

‘Soft Landing’ of Economy Appears More Likely, New Analysis Suggests

WASHINGTON–The U.S. economy grew more than previously thought in the second quarter, data released Thursday shows, “bolstering the case that the country may be experiencing a so-called soft landing,” according to one new analysis. Gross domestic product grew at a 3% seasonally and inflation-adjusted annual rate, the Commerce Department said in its revised estimate. That is up from the 2.8% rate reported last month, and it is far above the first quarter’s weak 1.4% expansion. Initial jobless claims for the week ended Aug. 24 also fell slightly, according to the Labor Department, another positive sign for the health of the U.S. economy, noted the Wall Street Journal in its analysis of the newest data. ‘All But Certain’ “Despite the economy's...

Trump Administration Begins Historic Mass Federal Layoffs Amid Shutdown, Sparking Economic Fears

  10/11/2025 08:15 am WASHINGTON—The Trump Administration on Friday began carrying out large-scale federal layoffs—formally known as reductions in force (RIFs)—marking the first mass terminations of federal employees during a government shutdown in modern U.S. history. The move, which multiple reports describe as “substantial,” has set off alarm bells among credit unions, financial regulators, and member advocates who warn that the economic fallout could be far-reaching.` Reports indicate that the Treasury RIF has eliminated all CDFI Fund staff. According to POLITICO, the Treasury Department alone was preparing to terminate roughly 1,400 employees Friday under White House direction. The confirmation came as White House Budget Director Russell Vought declared on social media that “the RIFs have begun,” a message later confirmed by the Office of Management and Budget. Bloomberg Law reported that thousands of additional layoffs were underway across multiple departments, including Heal...