Anheuser-Busch will deliver approximately 300,000 cans of emergency drinking water to 26 of the country’s volunteer fire departments, in partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), to provide critical hydration to first responders in advance of wildfire season.
Anheuser-Busch announced the expansion of its 30-year-old emergency drinking water program in April, and has committed to donating one million cans of clean drinking water in support of volunteer fire departments in 2019.
“Eighty-three percent of the nation’s fire departments, which protect our communities from hazards of all kinds, are all- or mostly-volunteer,” said Steve Hirsch, Chair of the NVFC. “Funding for needed resources is a constant challenge for many of these departments, making this donation even more important as it directly supports the health and safety of our firefighters and the communities they serve.”
Delivering water to vulnerable markets
We have utilized our production strengths to can water throughout the year to support communities at a moment's notice"To officially kick off the expanded program, the brewer has worked closely with the NVFC to identify and select some of the most vulnerable markets across the country to receive this initial water delivery to help prepare for the upcoming wildfire season.
“As the country faces more natural disasters, like wildfires, preparation plays a major role in ensuring fire departments across the country have the resources they need to protect their friends and neighbors,” said Adam Warrington, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Anheuser-Busch.
“In the same way, we have utilized our production strengths to can water throughout the year to support our communities at a moment's notice; these water donations – in advance of wildfire season – will provide critical hydration to help our nation’s volunteer firefighters stand ready for our communities in times of need.”
Supporting volunteer departments nationwide
The program will also implement a rapid-response approach to support volunteer departments nationwide actively fighting wildfires throughout the year. Starting in June, volunteer fire departments across the U.S. will be able to request Anheuser-Busch emergency drinking water through the NVFC for their immediate or upcoming wildfire response needs.
Through their local wholesaler partners, and in connection with the NVFC, Anheuser-Busch will be delivering emergency drinking water to the following volunteer fire departments this week:
- Arizona: Pinal Rural Fire & Medical District (Mammoth, AZ)
- Arizona: Hayden Volunteer Fire Department (Hayden, AZ)
- California: Mi Wuk Sugar Pine Fire Protection District (Twain Harte, CA)
- California: Suisun City Firefighters Association Inc. (Suisun City, CA)
- California: Graton Fire Department (Sebastopol, CA)
- California: Geyserville Volunteer Firefighters Association (Geyserville, CA)
- Colorado: Southwest Washington County Fire Protection District (Anton, CA)
- Colorado: Brush Volunteer Fire Department (Brush, CO)
- Colorado: Hillrose Snyder Volunteer Fire Department (Hillrose, CO)
- Idaho: Donnelly Rural Fire Protection District (Donnelly, ID)
- Iowa: Harlan Fire Department (Harlan, IA)
- Kansas: Girard Fire Department (Girard, KS)
- Kansas: Linn County Rural Fire Department (Pleasanton, KS)
- Massachusetts: Carver Fire Department (Carver, MA)
- Montana: South Kalispell Volunteer Fire Department (Kaispell, MT)
- Nebraska: Chadron Volunteer Fire Department (Chadron, NE)
- Nevada: Lovelock Volunteer Fire Department (Lovelock, NV)
- New Hampshire: Brookline Fire Department (Brookline, NH)
- Oklahoma: Darwin Volunteer Fire Department (Antlers, OK)
- Oklahoma: Konawa Volunteer Fire Department (Konawa, OK)
- Oregon: Ontario Fire & Rescue (Ontario, OR)
- South Dakota: Rockerville Volunteer Fire Department (Rapid City, SD)
- Texas: Hallsville Volunteer Fire Department (Hallsville, TX)
- Texas: Edinburg Fire Department (Edinburg, TX)
- Washington: Grant County Fire District 3 (Quincy, WA)
- Wyoming: Goose Valley Fire Department (Sheridan, WY)
Providing help during natural disasters
Anheuser-Busch has a longstanding tradition of providing emergency drinking water and supplies for disaster relief efforts in partnership with the American Red Cross. Every year, the brewer periodically pauses beer production to can emergency drinking water, to be ready to lend a helping hand during natural disasters and other crises.
Since 1988, Anheuser-Busch and their wholesaler partners have provided more than 80 million cans of water to U.S. communities affected by natural disasters nationwide.