Aug. 8, 2008 - The Wildland Firefighter Foundation is on the ground at burn centers in California assisting families and victims of the recent tragedy. The Foundation is working closely with Greyback Forestry, Inc and the United States Forest Service to provide financial, emotional and logistical support to the families of the injured and lost. Under the leadership of Tom Harbour, director of fire and aviation for the USFS, there are many people and resources at the incident, the hospitals and the hometowns making difficult humanitarian decisions and performing necessary and difficult tasks to manage this catastrophe.
The repercussions throughout the wildfire community from this disaster will be many, deep and long lasting. The financial resources needed to support the families' urgent needs and to provide long term emotional support are great. The Wildland Firefighter Foundation's primary mission is to provide the necessary economic, emotional and logistical support to help these families survive, cope with and heal from their personal tragedies. The services provided are immediate, extensive, long term and costly.
If you have ever thought about giving now is the time. Give big, give from your heart.
The Foundation is working closely with all the families of the recent fatalities and injuries. If you would like to make a donation to the Foundation to help, please go to this link. We thank you for your support.
About The Wildland Firefighter Foundation
Wildland firefighters represent the diversity of the land they protect. They are federal, state and local firefighters, private sector firefighters, interface firefighters, and volunteers from rural communities and towns across the United States. Many are long-time career professionals, some much newer to the job. They're ordinary people doing an extraordinary job - a community of committed individuals who work and train to protect our private and public lands.
The Mission of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation is to honor past, present, and future wildland firefighters by helping maintain and grow the national monument established for those who have lost their lives, operate a financial fund providing assistance to the families of fallen and wildland firefighters and to injured firefighters, and partner with private and interagency organizations to educate the public about wildland fires and promote excellence and safety in firefighting.
We provide financial assistance, immediate and ongoing emotional support, advocacy, and recognition to fallen and injured wildland firefighters. We present program information and in some instances, onsite crisis support, to government and private fire agencies and other organizations.
Survivor family members are forever a part of the Foundation's purpose. We continue to provide emotional support and in some cases financial support many years after a firefighter's death. Additional support may include holiday sponsorships for families with young children, travel expenses to attend survivor gatherings and recognition programs, and counseling for immediate family members.
We will not forget.
Our Story
Active volunteers and supporters of wildland firefighters established the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, a 501(c)3 to maintain the Wildland Firefighters National Monument at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho.
Since 1999, the Foundation has also provided emergency support services to the families of seriously injured and firefighters killed in the line of duty. Families left behind, many with young children, often find themselves with few resources, and the Foundation steps in to help.
Our Mission
Wildland Firefighter Foundation's main focus is to help families of firefighters killed in the line of duty and to assist injured firefighters and their families. We honor and acknowledge past, present, and future members of the wildland firefighting community, and partner with private and interagency organizations to bring recognition to wildland firefighters.
