BOISE, Idaho — The Wildland Firefighter Foundation has immediately stepped in to help the families who lost their loved one in the Esperanza Fire yesterday in California. Financial and emotional assistance is being provided to help pay for living expenses, travel, and any other needs that arise. The Foundation is also helping the firefighter currently fighting for his life in a California burn unit.

The Wildland Firefighter Foundation, through private donations and a fundraising membership program, provides critical immediate assistance to families of wildland firefighters who die or are seriously injured in the line of duty. This year, nearly 20 firefighters have lost their lives, and many others have sustained major injuries fighting wildland fires. These men and women are seasonal employees with little or no benefits. They risk their lives each summer protecting public and private land, lives, and the environment. When a death or injury occurs, families are left struggling with the loss of their main source of income.

In the event of a firefighter injury or fatality, monetary assistance is frequently very slow to arrive from agencies, if at all. The Foundation bridges the gap by granting monies directly to a firefighter’s family to make ends meet in the interim.  Ongoing support for families include counseling, legal assistance, and advocacy.

The Foundation is an IRS recognized 501(c)3 non-profit, that does not receive government funding. If you would like to help these four families reeling from the loss of their firefighter, please call the Wildland Firefighter Foundation at (208) 336-2996, or visit our website at www.wffoundation.org.