Sacramento, CA, November 9, 2013–The National Firefighters Endowment, a charity focused on supporting fire departments that lack the necessary resources they need, has mobilized a national effort to provide assistance to the Detroit Fire Department. Detroit Fire Mutual Aid is a nationwide call and response of individuals, fire departments, organizations and corporations with one common goal; to put life-saving equipment in the hands of Detroit’s Bravest.
Detroit firefighters respond to the highest number of structure fire calls in the Nation. This is mainly due to the numerous vacant buildings throughout the city caused by Detroit’s economic crisis. The cause for most of these structural fires is arson.
“Detroit’s firefighters lack many of the basic equipment and tools they need to protect their neighbors and return home safely to their own families,” says Shane Parkins, president of the National Firefighters Endowment. “Despite a lack of proper safety equipment, they continue to answer the call during times of crisis. Fire departments will often call in neighboring departments as mutual aid on large scale incidents. Well, now they need our help and the fire service as a whole is coming together to answer their call. This is a matter of life and death, and no firefighter would leave a fellow firefighter behind. There are lots of ways anyone can get involved with the Detroit Mutual Aid initiative.”
Individuals, corporations and firefighters can get involved by:
- Purchasing a Limited Edition Detroit Mutual Aid Shirt — Proceeds from the sale of this shirt will help purchase wish list items for each fire company listed. To order: teespring.com/detroitmutualaid
- Join the Response — Get the word. Companies can sponsor the campaign or donate product. Individuals can browse the website to purchase individual items like gloves, flashlights or fire-proof hoods. They can even change your Facebook profile image to the Detroit Mutual Aid logo to show your support. Visit DetroitMutualAid.com or contact the National Firefighters Endowment for ideas of how you can assist in providing “mutual aid” to Detroit firefighters.
- Donating Equipment — Fire departments with surplus, usable equipment are urged to contact the National Firefighters Endowment to see if their equipment will meet the need of the Detroit Fire Department.
At the core of this unprecedented initiative is another key organization, The Detroit Public Safety Foundation. DPSF will be overseeing compliance of all donated equipment with the safety standards and protocols of the city, as well as ensuring the tools get into the hands of the firefighters.
About the National Firefighters Endowment
National Firefighters Endowment is a non-profit, public charity whose mission is to support fire departments that may lack resources to effectively do the job. Through collaborations and grant-making, the National Firefighters Endowment works to ensure that firefighters have the proper equipment to respond in times of crisis and come home safely to their families. The National Firefighters Endowment is headquartered in Sacramento, California. For more information, visit www.thethinredline.org or call (916) 572-1502.
About the Detroit Public Safety Foundation
The Detroit Public Safety Foundation is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization formed in 2011 dedicated to providing world class public safety to the citizens, businesses and visitors of Detroit. The mission of the Detroit Public Safety Foundation is to promote safety by enhancing the capabilities of the Detroit Police Department and Detroit Fire Department by facilitating access to world-class processes and operational tools. The Foundation serves as a liaison between the public and private sectors of the City of Detroit and seeks to engage all on the core issues of public safety and serve as advocates for the police, fire and public safety departments. For more information, visit www.detroitpublicsafetyfoundation.org or call 313-628-2160.
