'Fundraiser' doesn't represent C. Falls Fire Department

Phone calls from a representative of the “Firefighters Burn Fund” asking for a donation on behalf of the Columbia Falls Fire Department are part of a scam.

Columbia Falls Fire Chief Rick Hagen said the department does not solicit over the phone.

The department’s annual fundraising drive, which is via mail, is not under way at this time.

“If you get a phone call, it’s probably bogus,” Hagen said.

The address of the post office box on Ninth Street West to which donations were directed tipped off one woman before she sent in money. She told Hagen she had gotten a prior solicitation from a different organization using the same address.

But another Columbia Falls resident wasn’t so lucky.

Robert Ayotte said he got a phone call on Sunday asking if he could be counted on for a donation. He pledged $15. When an envelope arrived on Thursday, he sent in a check.

“I’ve got to go to the bank to try to stop it,” he said Friday.

Although the Firefighters Burn Fund is a legitimate nonprofit organization, it has no ties to the Columbia Falls Fire Department. The organization raises funds for fire victims, not fire departments, according to the Firefighters Burn Fund Web site.