FIREFIGHTERS CROSSING BORDERS ORG Firefighters Crossing Borders

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
331148556
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2024, Form 990-N 2007
Location
Gig Harbor, WA, USA
Phone
2538577282
Rating
26
Verdict
REVIEW
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Support N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$21,106
Expenses
$24,335
Assets
$5,130
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Joel Schwarz (Executive Director/President)

People named in this filing

  • Joel Schwarz (Executive Director/President)
  • Scott Booth (Training Director)
  • Marcelo De Casas (Director)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Charitable not for profit, non-governmental for public benefit. A charitable organization formed to provide humanitarian support to under developed countries in the form of Fire service and rescue training; to provide technical and professional assistance; to assist in the procuring of new and used fire, medical and rescue equipment to be donated to fire departments and other emergency agencies being assisted; to assist the family members of firefighters and rescue workers in the way of humanitarian aid; however not including the payment of sick or death benefits, and not including the care of neglected or dependent children

What it reported doing in 2025

In 2022 began coordinated efforts with new area in central Baja mexico partnering with Bomberos no Rescate. Providing technical assistance and guidance on establishing non profit status and help with instruction. In 2024 continued this activity along with facilitating donations to this location. Through this effort Bomberos no Rescate has been developing interagency cooperative relationships with the mexican state governments to facilitate equipment across the border.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
No current program activity. The filing reports no program spending for the current year.

The verdict

REVIEW - Revenue has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 0
  • Transparency & Controls: 55
  • Accountability: 24
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 0%; rating input score 0
  • Program expense ratio: 0%; rating input score 0
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -15.3%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.21; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 0% of revenue deployed · 0% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 6 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 38/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 13/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.