Welcome to the Illinois Association of Retired Firefighters
In 1982, The Illinois Association
of Retired Firefighters was formed to assist retired
and/or disabled firefighters to continue being an
integral part of their community. The IARF allows the
retiree to maintain contact with friends and co-workers,
continue to be informed about problems of retirees, and
keeping up to date with solutions to financial problems
faced by Firefighters. IARF currently has 26 local Clubs
chartered throughout Illinois, in cities like Rockford,
Joliet, Peoria, Bloomington, Decatur, Quad Cities,
Springfield, and Belleville. Each local club continues
to work with and support area AFFI Locals, and we
continue to be members of the Associated Fire Fighters
of Illinois.
The local clubs plan activities
such as visiting elderly members, and staying engaged in
the community. They encourage the disabled and/or
retired firefighters to visit any brother or sister who
is hospitalized or is home bound, and to participate in
Silent Watch duties for any members who pass.
The Illinois Association of Retired
Firefighters began publishing a bi-annual magazine,
Disabled and Retired Firefighters, as a way of informing
retirees about other clubs activities in their
communities including charity work, public education,
visiting the sick and infirmed, and political
activities.
Local Clubs have engaged in such activities as; working with the AFFI Local to build a home ramp for disabled MDA spokesperson. IARF have donated to a retiree whose wife had a stroke, and donating to Operation Santa, an organization that sends Christmas stockings to deployed heroes. Our current focus is to encourage our retiree clubs to join with the active fire fighters in their community service activities, such as their “Fill the Boot” Drive for MDA, “Shop with a Fireman” for underprivileged children during the Christmas season, visiting hospital bound children at Christmas, placing flags on graves of brothers who have passed and many other charitable activities. This alliance between the active Fire Fighters and the retirees will be our focus moving forward. Our members have served their communities during their entire careers. They are continuing this effort into retirement. We need your help to continue these efforts, to help IARF protect our retired heroes and support our charities. Any sponsorships and/or donations will be greatly appreciated.
Follow us on
Facebook. Thank you in advance for your generous
support of our retired firefighters.
Friends of IARF Winners
Quarterly meeting Spring 2025
$500 Winner Dennis
Ahrens, Crystal Lake
$250 Winner WM Fey, New Port Richey, FL
$100 Winner Michael Douglas, Troy
$25 winners
David Zahn, Highland
Local #53 Bellevlle
Charles Przybylski, Sycamore
Peoria Retirees, Peoria
Coleman Ranahan, Lindwood
Local #53 Belleville
Labor Day Parade 2026
Labor Day Parade in Decatur IL. It's retired Captain Gary Workman driving, Decatur IARF secretary Dale Penn riding in front, and Decatur IARF President Steve Bingamon on the tailboard. It's Gary's 1933 Chevrolet fire truck, purchased in 1970 by Gary's father Phil, and Emery Newsham.
Chaplain's Corner
Brother Ed Arambasich Jr., OFM, the former chaplain for the Joliet Fire Department, passed away on March 26, 2025, at the age of 73. He was also a chaplain for the Quincy Fire Department and San Francisco's St. Anthony Foundation. Brother Ed was known by many as "Brother Ed". He served as a chaplain for multiple departments, including those in Quincy, IL, New Orleans, and San Francisco.
What IARF Does For You
The IARF was formed in 1982 by retirees with a mission - "Our Mission" is to help and seek ways for the betterment and well-being of Illinois Retired Firefighters and widows/widowers.
- IARF Magazine: This is our communication link to you twice a year. We are very proud of our magazine.
- Dues are only $25.00 per year, per member. Your dues allow us to keep you informed and work with Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois to protect your pensions.
- We are registered in Illinois as a "Non-Profit Organization" with an elected Executive Board and ruled by our Members through a Constitution and By-Laws.
- We are proud Members of the AFFI. We send delegates to the AFFI Legislative Conference and Bi-Annual AFFI State Conventions. We pay per capita dues to the AFFI. We have a voice and a very good relationship.
- IARF Quarterly Meetings are conducted around the State of Illinois for the convenience of our Members.
- The July Quarterly Meeting is always held in Peoria along with the Annual Picnic. It is free for you and your spouse or guest. A meal, drinks, and door prizes after the Quarterly Meetings.
- Quarterly Minutes are sent out to each Retiree Club Secretary, along with any other information after each Quarterly Meeting is held.
- We lobby in Springfield legislatively right along with the AFFI.
Firefighters Pension Investment Fund
The Firefighters Pension Investment Fund (FPIF)For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026, FPIF
delivered a preliminary pre-audit return of 17.1%,
surpassing the Fund's policy benchmark return of 16.0%
and substantially exceeding the long-term actuarial
assumption of 7.125%.
The Fund's success
extends beyond a single year. Over the most recent
three-year period, FPIF achieved an annualized return of
14.4%, compared with 13.7% for the benchmark. This
sustained performance underscores the value of the
Fund's diversified investment approach and long-term
focus.
Equity Markets Drive Strong Results
Global equity markets were the largest contributor to
fiscal year performance, with gains across both domestic
and international allocations.
- U.S. Equity returned 22.7%, closely matching the Russell 3000 Index return of 22.8%, as continued strength in technology and growth-oriented companies supported market returns.
- Non-U.S. Equity gained 30.6%, exceeding the MSCI ACWI ex USA IMI Index return of 26.6%.
- Emerging Markets Equity was a standout performer, returning 57.3% and significantly outperforming the MSCI Emerging Markets IMI Index return of 40.3%. Strong security selection and favorable market conditions contributed to the exceptional result.
Fixed Income Continues to Add Value
The Fund's
fixed income portfolio provided stability while also
generating returns in excess of benchmark expectations.
- Total Fixed Income returned 4.9%, outperforming the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index return of 4.2%.
- Credit and Emerging Markets Debt returned 13.9%, ahead of the benchmark return of 11.8%, driven largely by strong results within the Emerging Markets Debt allocation.
While fixed income serves an important
risk-management role within the portfolio, the asset
class also contributed meaningfully to overall Fund
performance during the year.
Growth in Private
Market Investments
FPIF has strategically expanded
its alternatives portfolio, growing from $814.1 million
in June 2025 to $1.368 billion as of June 2026—an
increase of more than $500 million through a combination
of OCIO partnerships and FPIF’s internally managed
investments.
During this period, real estate
holdings increased to $732.9. million, while
infrastructure reached $192.6million, private credit
grew to $332.0 million, and private equity totaled
$111.1 million.
Looking to Join the IARF?
If you would like to join the IARF, you need to fill out the form by clicking HERE. The information you need to be eligible to apply is listed on this form. We look forward to you joining us and seeing you at upcoming events!
Message From AFFI President
We also attended the IAFF Convention in Boston that saw 60 Resolutions pass. The IAFF Legislative department is working the US Congress hard to remove the social security Windfall Elimination Act. Those that worked a second job outside of their local government firefighter job and qualifies for social security, currently has their social security benefits reduced due to their government pension. HR 82 would remove that penalty and will be heard on the House floor sometime after the election. I am proud to inform you that all but 2 Illinois congressional members are co-sponsors. (LaHood and Miller are NOT).
We also had another successful AFFI/MDA baseball game fundraiser, bringing in over $15,000. A big thank you to the IARF for being a triple play sponsor. In addition to that, we also had our annual AFFI day at the State Fair with a few retirees joining us, and we recently returned from Colorado Springs and the IAFF Fallen Firefighter Memorial where 7 brothers from Illinois were honored, and their names placed on the wall. I would encourage all of you to visit the memorial if given the opportunity.
We are also proud to be a member of the We Are One Coalition of public employee unions with the sole purpose of improving tier 2 pension benefits. We participated in 8 different town halls all across the state that brought public employees and lawmakers together to discuss the unfair and demoralizing reduced benefits our tier 2 brothers and sisters are currently entitled to. Each town hall had a speaker representing the AFFI and they provided their own personal story on how tier 2 affects them and their family. Each one did a tremendous job. Thousands of public employees attended the various events and thanks to each of the IARF members who also attended and stood up for our tier 2 members. We have good momentum, but it is going to be a significant lift to get some much-needed tier 2 “enhancements”. With all of us in the We Are One coalition pushing in the same direction, we can have some positive results.
We are right in the middle of election season and our AFFI Political Education Committee is out in full force working for AFFI endorsed candidates in targeted elections. Any assistance you can provide is certainly welcome. You should be getting a schedule of events from Mark Chmura.
I could go on and on about the multiple and various things the AFFI is doing. Suffice it to say, we are extremely busy, but a good busy. We also welcomed Burbank and Thornton into the AFFI and IAFF recently, putting us at 232 locals.
I hope you had an enjoyable Summer and, as always, we are forever grateful for the work and commitment our IARF brothers and sisters did to make our jobs better.
In Solidarity,
Chuck Sullivan, President AFFI
Pension Reform Summary
Click HERE to read the summary of the task force analysis and recommendations.
Members of the IARF attend the 2019 AFFI Legislative Conference
Mike Levine, Dan Oaks, Jay Smith, Rep. Mike Unes and Roger Fardel.
