The Larned Fire Rescue recently received a donation of canned emergency drinking water from brewer Anheuser-Busch to help keep its responders hydrated as they battle wildfires this season. On Aug. 4, 77 cases of water were dropped off by local Anheuser-Busch wholesaler partner. The water will help maintain firefighters’ hydration during long incidents or disasters such as wildfires, which is a major safety concern for many departments.
Larned Volunteer Fire Department serves 10.5 Townships in Pawnee County, covering 378 square miles in the rural district. The department responds to an average of 100 calls each year and provides mutual aid assistance to the cities of Burdett, Garfield, and Rozel as well as surrounding counties.
“Proper hydration is critical to ensure the safety of our firefighters and keep them performing at their best during high-intensity responses such as battling wildfires.” said Lieutenant Rachel Hill, Larned Volunteer Fire Department. “Thanks to this water donation from Anheuser-Busch and the National Volunteer Fire Council, we now have the resources to keep our firefighters hydrated and ready to respond. Thank you Firefighter Jane Bleakney for helping to make this possible.”
The water was donated by Anheuser-Busch through a partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC). Anheuser-Busch has a longstanding tradition of pausing beer production each year to provide emergency drinking water and supplies for disaster relief efforts. Since 1988, the brewer has donated more than 90 million cans of emergency drinking water to communities impacted by natural disasters and other crises.
The brewer teamed up with the NVFC – the leading nonprofit membership association representing the interests of the volunteer fire, emergency medical, and rescue services – in 2019 to provide emergency drinking water to help firefighters stay hydrated and healthy when responding to wildfires and large incidents. To date, the program has donated nearly 6.5 million cans of water to more than 1,400 volunteer fire departments across nearly all 50 states.
Learn more about the program at www.nvfc.org/water.