The Katie Couric show on Tuesday did something surprising. Not only did they interview three wives whose husbands were members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots killed on the Yarnell Hill Fire June 30, but they publicized efforts to donate large sums of money to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. The WFF assists firefighters that have been injured on wildland fires and the families of firefighters who have been killed. It is a wonderful organization that does great things for the wildland firefighter community.
In this first video Katie talks to the three wives.
Then three members of the Fire Department of New York mention how wildland firefighters helped them out by sending Incident Management Teams to assist them after they suffered the attacks on the World Trade center on 9/11. I have seen folks from the FDNY mention this several times — they talk about paying back the wildland fire community and “paying it forward”. They lost 341 firefighters and two paramedics on 9/11.
The FDNY has already raised $50,000 for the families of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, and on the show the brother of deceased firefighter Patrick Joyce, who runs a foundation in his honor, announced the organization was donating $10,000 to the WFF. Then Katie produced a second large check for the same amount contributed by the Safeway Foundation.
And it didn’t stop there. One of the FDNY gentlemen said they are hoping to get every firefighter in the country to donate $10 each to the WFF. If that happens, $10 million would be raised.
If you have not already, join the WFF’s 52 Club, which means you have donated the equivalent of $1 a week for a year.
Thanks go out to Angie
If I am correct, Type I teams were deployed to Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey, the Perntagon and Shanskville PA.
Very nice, but honestly a pretty small sum considering the amount of fire fighters in the occupation, in North America (not just the US, as this event also affected us in Canada).
I like the NYFD suggestion of $10 per year, every year from every fire fighter, estimated at $10 million/year… Wow… What could be accomplished with that for families in need.
Support the WFF or the Fallen Firefighters Foundation (Canada)… A small donation, when done on scale, can be huge.
Good work NYFD! Pay it forward…
Wow….I’ve held on to a real dislike for Katie since all her support for the current Administration election -and this wipes out all that …. I’m pleasantly shocked and pleased that she could pull off this support of the Granite Mountain Hotshots that is so sorely needed. Every one of us should support this cause – Those families must have support from us and not live out their days knowing we abandoned them, like the government.
All of us should be ready to give our gift to the WFF for the coming year. Even in retirement I’m giving as I always do.
Proof!!! Brotherhood doesn’t stop when you walk out of the field or leave the Firehouse.
God Bless.