WFF fundraiser, Missoula, April 25

air tanker 42 fundraiserA fundraiser for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation will be held in Missoula on April 25 at the Neptune Aviation hanger at the airport from 1 to 4 p.m. (map). There will be a silent auction and a bake sale. Some of the auction items will be provided by Axemen, Cold Stone Creamery, Finn & Porter Restaurant, Lost Trail Ski Area, Pipestone Mountaineering, Quality Supply, The Little Scrub Shop, and others.

The event will be in memory of the crew of air tanker 42. All proceeds will go to the general fund of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, which provides support to the families of fallen firefighters.

Thanks Dick

Reminder: 10 days left to vote for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation

We first posted this on February 28, but remember, you need to vote every day until March 14. If it wins, in addition to garnering a great deal of priceless publicity for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, the designer is going to donate the cash value of the prizes to the WFF.

We have some serious competition… as of today another design has over 37,000 votes, compared to the 6,743 for the WFF design. (UPDATE March 6: As Ken explained in a comment below, if the car makes it into the top 10 in the first round we still have a great chance of winning.)
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Wildland Firefighter Foundation
NASCAR is sponsoring a contest in which you can design a paint scheme on one of their drivers’ cars, then anyone can vote once a day on their favorite design. The winning paint scheme will actually get painted onto a car and will help pace the field at the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 22.

Tom Stein and his wife, of Boise, Idaho, designed this car to benefit the Wildland Firefighter Foundation which assists the families of fallen and injured wildland firefighters. Tom’s father was an air tanker pilot at Hemet-Ryan air tanker base in southern California and Tom has been a big supporter of the WFF.

If this car wins it will result in a lot of recognition for the WFF and could help support the families of our fallen and injured firefighters.

VOTE once a day for the car.

Vote for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation

Wildland Firefighter Foundation
NASCAR is sponsoring a contest in which you can design a paint scheme on one of their drivers’ cars, then anyone can vote once a day on their favorite design. The winning paint scheme will actually get painted onto a car and will help pace the field at the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 22.

Tom Stein and his wife, of Boise, Idaho, designed this car to benefit the Wildland Firefighter Foundation which assists the families of fallen and injured wildland firefighters. Tom’s father was an air tanker pilot at Hemet-Ryan air tanker base in southern California and Tom has been a big supporter of the WFF.

If this car wins it will result in a lot of recognition for the WFF and could help support the families of our fallen and injured firefighters.

VOTE once a day for the car.

Silver State Hot Shots to host fund raiser for Wildland Firefighter Foundation

The Silver State Hot Shots, based in Carson City, Nevada, are hosting an event, called a “vertical drop competition”, to raise money for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. I have no idea what a “vertical drop competition” is and was unable to find out after some brief research, but it is being held at a ski resort at Lake Tahoe, so maybe it involves sliding down a hill, or dropping off a hill. Their flyer and registration form don’t provide any further clues, but the event is scheduled for March 19.

The Wildland Firefighter Foundation does GREAT work, and even if you, like me, are not interested in vertical drops, it is an organization worth supporting. Here are some examples of the work they do:

*Provide immediate travel assistance to get an injured firefighter’s family to their firefighter’s bedside and assist with expenses for families while their firefighter is recovering.

*Arrange travel for crews to be able to take their fallen brothers home.

*Network crews and families with information and support after an injury or fatality.

*Give financial assistance to families of firefighters killed in the line of duty, ensuring the home is maintained and children are provided for.

*Help an injured firefighter meet their financial needs until they receive benefits, or are able to go back to work.

*Track injured firefighters to ensure they are receiving worker’s comp benefits.

*Assist children returning to school after the loss of a parent.

*Ensure survivors are able to attend “Family Fire” the Foundation’s annual gathering of families, co-workers, and wildland fire service personnel. Families share their path of healing and their children meet other kids struggling with the loss of a parent.

*Organize a Disneyland trip for children of our fallen wildland firefighters.

Two other fund raising events to benefit the WFF are listed on their web site:

  • The Dalton Hot Shots are participating in the Ragnar Relay Series 180-mile relay race, April 23-24.
  • Sporting Clay Shoot, April 23-24, sponsored by the Fulton and Texas Canyon Hotshots.

Wildland Firefighter Foundation recognized by CNN

Vicki, Burke, and Melissa have been doing wonderful things at the WFF for a number of years.  It’s great that CNN is recognizing them.  Here is an excerpt from the CNN article, but if you go to the original HERE, you will be able to view some videos featuring Vicki and the work the WFF is doing.

BOISE, Idaho (CNN) — Firefighter Jonathan Frohreich had never heard of The Wildland Firefighter Foundation, much less its founder, until recovering from severe work-related injuries last month.
Vicki Minor’s Wildland Firefighter Foundation has granted more than $1.5 million in aid to more than 500 families.
As he lay in his hospital bed in Sacramento, California, Vicki Minor put her hand on his shoulder.
“She introduced herself and told me that she was there to help,” recalls Frohreich, who had been in a helicopter crash that killed nine of his colleagues. “She just said, ‘Anything.’ She was there to do anything for me.”
Since 1999, Minor has dedicated herself to providing emergency assistance and ongoing support to injured and fallen wildfire fighters and their families nationwide through her Wildland Firefighter Foundation. Wildland firefighters are called into action when the United States’ vast natural resources are threatened by fire.
For Frohreich, Minor’s foundation supplied lodging and food for family and friends who visited his bedside. It also provided emergency funds for medical and other expenses, arranged for Frohreich to meet with firefighters who carried him to safety, and brought his fallen comrades’ family members to a bereavement ceremony.
“She means everything,” Frohreich said. “She’s one of the best things to ever happen.”
Minor first became involved with the wildland firefighter community 21 years ago after witnessing a wildfire for the first time.
“I had never seen anything like it,” Minor recalls of the blaze in the mountains of Idaho. “All those firefighter units mobilized in camps that cropped up. It was like an invasion, and I was mesmerized.”
Minor started a fire camp commissary, providing dry goods, clothing and necessities to the firefighters. But it wasn’t until tragedy struck in 1994 at Storm King Mountain, Colorado, where 14 firefighters perished in a single day, that Minor was overcome with a need to assist the families.
The Storm King fire was a turning point. “Fighting fire is much like fighting a war. There’s no time to tend to the injured, or tend to the dead. The fire doesn’t stop raging,” Minor said. “I looked up at the heavens and I said to those kids, ‘Help me help your families.’ “
Grieving wildland families, like those of fallen soldiers, tend to be young and scattered throughout the country, often enduring their sudden loss in isolation from their firefighting community. Taking cues from a visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Minor spearheaded fundraising efforts for the erection of the Wildland Firefighters Monument in Boise, Idaho, which contains markers “for almost every wildland firefighter that has fallen,” Minor said.
“I had seen and felt the healing of those combat veterans that would touch a name of their friend,” Minor said. “Our wildland firefighters had nothing like that to process their grief. I wanted to create a place where our families could congregate, reach out in solidarity and comfort to honor their fallen and injured.”  Watch Minor describe the sculptures in the firefighter monument »
Since 1999, the foundation has continued to grow, assisting more than 500 wildland firefighters and their families with more than $1.5 million in emergency funds and services, including communication support; travel and lodging for the injured and fallen; and emotional and benefit counseling and advocacy.  Watch Minor describe how her foundation takes action to aid wildfire fighters »
“There is a need for these families to be taken care of, and a long-term need,” Minor said. “But most of it is to maintain that home until benefits come in.”
When survivors suddenly lose their income and don’t know how to apply for the compensation they’re entitled to, Minor’s foundation steps in to guide them, often fighting for them when benefits are delayed or denied.  Watch Minor explain why her foundation fights for firefighters and their families »
Minor says she hopes the wildland firefighters know “we have their back.”
“I hope that they feel they can go on and fight that fire and know that we’ll take care of their family and their friends.” 

Our site has a link to the WFF on the right side of every page.

"One Foot in the Black" Benefits Wildland Firefighter Foundation

One Foot In The BlackKurt Kamm, “after studying fire science and spending three years with L.A. County Fire Department and CalFire crews”, has written a book about wildland firefighters. “One Foot in the Black” is available on the Wildland Firefighter Foundation (WFF) web site. The proceeds from the book go to the WFF. I have not read the book, but the WFF is a wonderful organization that assists wildland firefighters and their families when they have experienced a serious line of duty injury or death. If you have read the book, leave a comment.

Here is an excerpt from a review of the book.

“After the gig ends, Greg drives south to Malibu, daring to survive the notorious four week training camp required to join a fire-suppression unit with the LA County Fire Department. Life in the academy is brutal, but it is here that Greg begins to discover the family he never had: fellow trainee Luis Zambrano, who dreams of a better life for his wife and newly born child; Hector Wells, a rootless Native American with years of service as a firefighter; and Capt. Tom Bratton, a gruff yet kindhearted superior who takes a liking to Greg, offering home-cooked meals and sage advice. An unpredictable wildfire in the middle of the dry season, raging over the hills north of Los Angeles, gives Greg plenty of firsthand experience but tests his resolve and dedication to the profession.”