By FireRescue1 Staff
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — American brewing company Anheuser-Busch and its wholesaler partners have partnered with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to donate emergency drinking water to local fire departments nationwide.
Now in its fifth year, the partnership is expanding its reach to provide 2.5 million cans – more than ever before – to over 600 volunteer fire departments (VFDs) across 48 states, with a goal of reaching more than 1,000 VFDs before the end of the year.
In Texas alone, more than 75,000 cans will be donated this summer to 34 fire departments across the state to help them prepare for and respond in times of crisis. The donations to Texas fire departments are designed to help VFDs that might not have the budget or resources, as well as to support the communities where Anheuser Busch’s customers and more than 1,000 employees live and work.
“Emergency drinking water is critical for firefighters’ safety and ability to respond to crises at home each year,” said NVFC Chair Steve Hirsch. “We appreciate Anheuser-Busch’s increased commitment to supplying our nation’s fire service with this much-needed resource and for their continued partnership in keeping our communities safe.”
Since 2019, Anheuser-Busch and its national network of independent wholesalers have partnered with the NVFC to donate more than 6.4 million cans of clean, safe drinking water to more than 960 fire departments across 49 states to support disaster response needs.
The emergency drinking water is sourced from Anheuser-Busch’s breweries in Cartersville, Georgia, and Fort Collins, Colorado, which periodically pause beer production to can clean, safe drinking water to support disaster relief efforts in partnership with the American Red Cross and NVFC. Since the creation of its emergency drinking water program in 1988, Anheuser-Busch has donated more than 90 million cans of clean drinking water to U.S. communities affected by natural disasters and other crises.
Learn more about the Emergency Drinking Water for Wildland Firefighters Program at www.nvfc.org/water.