Dane County's firefighters raised more than $125,000 over the weekend for the families of firefighters and emergency medical personnel that died in last Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
More than 300 New York City firefighters are presumed dead in the attack.
Tim Healy, vice president of firefighters' union Local 311, said firefighters raised $75,000 at the city's 10 fire stations during open houses Saturday, and he estimated Dane County fire departments outside the city raised another $35,000. Although the open house was only supposed to last one day, the intense interest Madison residents expressed in helping out led some stations to continue their open houses Sunday, Healy said.
'People kept asking where they could drop money off,' he said, adding that people have been eager to do anything they can to help. 'If half of them could go to New York City and dig in rubble, they'd do it. The different array of people that are donating is unbelievable.'
With totals from half of the city's stations in, Healy said, the firefighters had raised at least another $15,000 Sunday. The final tally for Sunday's fund raising in the city of Madison will likely be between $20,000 and $25,000, he said.
Healy added that the stations will continue holding open houses to raise money for the victims' families through the weekend of Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 8 to 9.
Money raised by Madison firefighters will be donated to the New York Firefighters 911 Relief Fund, which has been set up 'strictly for the families,' Healy said. 'One hundred percent of that money goes to families of the victims, the firefighters and EMS personnel victims.'
Local 311 President Joe Conway will deliver a check for the money raised in Dane County to New York City firefighters union president Kevin Gallagher when Conway travels to New York next Thursday or Friday, Healy said.
'[Conway] told [Gallagher] that when he sees him next week, he's going to present him with a $150,000 check, and he said Kevin broke down,' Healy said.
The Madison police officers' union is also raising money for the families of victims in New York, according to Lt. Wayne Strong.
'They're collecting funds from officers to send to the victims' families,' Strong said. He said Madison residents should beware of a possible scam in which callers to people's homes ask for donations on behalf of either the Madison police or fire departments for victims of the terrorist attacks.
'We've just been telling people as they call us that the police do not solicit funds from private citizens,' Strong said. 'I took about three calls last week from people [who had received the phony calls].'
