Representing over 12,000 Union Fire Fighters across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. On December 12, 1945, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) granted a charter to the newly formed "Associated Fire Fighters of Massachusetts". On that day, there were twelve Massachusetts IAFF Locals in the newly formed "AFFM", they included: Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Gloucester, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lynn, New Bedford, Newburyport, Northampton, Quincy, and Springfield. The "Associated Fire Fighters of Massachusetts" held their first State Convention at the Hotel Kimball, in Springfield, Massachusetts, on September 10, 1947. It was attended by sixty-two delegates and six alternates representing Locals from fourteen cities and towns including: Attleboro, Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Everett, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Newton, Peabody, Quincy, Springfield, and Waltham. During the first AFFM Convention, the delegates elected Arvid G. Anderstrom of Springfield Local 648 as their first President and Joseph F. O'Brien of Boston Local 718 as the first Secretary - Treasurer. For the next twelve years the Associated Fire Fighters of Massachusetts met annually until 1959 when the delegates voted to hold their Biennial Conventions (every other year) which is the current policy in place today. During the early years of the Associated Fire Fighters of Massachusetts was originally comprised of four districts; Southern, Northern, Metropolitan and Western areas of Massachusetts. In 1975, at the Biennial Convention held in Hyannis, the delegates voted to change the name to the current Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, effective January 1, 1976.