Canton Township, mutual aid partners receive water donation from Anheuser-Busch
Courtesy of Sheila Renz
As part of Anheuser-Busch’s emergency canned water donation to Canton Township Volunteer Fire & Rescue earlier this week, South Franklin Volunteer Fire Department received cans of water. Pictured, from left, are Assistant Fire Chief Ed Miller, Chief Fred Hutson, firefighter John Fidazzo and Lt. Brian Sprowls.
Courtesy of Sheila Renz
In March, Canton Township Volunteer Fire & Rescue applied to Anheuser-Busch for canned emergency water, and on Monday the water arrived in Washington County. Here, firefighter Wesley R. Attwood and fire police officer Sheila Renz pose with a thank-you banner from the brewery, which each year provides emergency water to fire departments nationwide.
Courtesy of Sheila Renz
Taylorstown junior firefighter Cameron McDonough, fire Chief Josh McDonough and Lt. Herb Crouse pose with emergency canned water Monday. Canton Township applied for the annual emergency water donations earlier this year, and split the donation with six mutual-aid partners.
Earlier this week, a special delivery arrived at Canton Township Volunteer Fire Department: 2,352 cans of emergency drinking water, courtesy of Anheuser-Busch.
In partnership with the brewery, DeBlasio Beverage Co. spent Monday delivering water to Canton’s mutual-aid partners, including Claysville Volunteer Fire Department, South Franklin Volunteer Fire Department, Taylorstown Volunteer Fire Company, North Franklin Volunteer Fire Company, South Strabane Fire Department and Washington County Ambulance and Chair EMS, as part of its mission to keep firefighters hydrated during brushfire season, or while out on long assignments.
“Thanks to this water donation from the National Volunteer Fire Council and Anheuser-Busch, we are better prepared with resources to keep our firefighters hydrated and ready to respond to brushfires this season,” Canton fire Chief Chuck LaBella said in a news release.
All fire departments that received a donation of water Monday have experienced an increase in the number and intensity of brushfires, due to changes in fire danger forecasting and weather conditions in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Emergencies range from hillside fires to fires that engulf acres of land. Incidents like these increase the number of resources needed to battle the blaze and create complicated and dangerous situations for firefighters.
“Firefighters lose a tremendous amount of fluid during high-intensity responses such as battling brushfires. Proper hydration is critical to ensure the safety of our firefighters and keep them performing at their best to protect the communities we serve,” fire police officer Sheila Renz said in a press release.
Since 1988, Anheuser-Busch has paused beer production each year to send drinking water and supplies for disaster relief efforts to communities throughout the country. In 2019, Anheuser-Busch joined forces with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to create the Emergency Drinking Water for Wildland Firefighters program.
This year, 2.5 million cans of clean drinking water will be donated to fire departments and wildfire responders nationwide, according to Anheuser-Busch. Since its inception, Anheuser-Busch and the NVFC have donated more than eight million cans of water to more than 2,400 departments across nearly all 50 states, which equates to over a million dollars in savings for those local departments.
In March, the Canton fire company applied for an emergency drinking water donation, with the promise to share water with six of the mutual aid partners with whom it regularly responds to brushfires. The pallet of 98 cases of canned drinking water arrived Monday.