To help departments struggling to obtain the water they need to keep their firefighters hydrated during long incidents or disasters such as wildfires Anheuser-Busch’s partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to create the Emergency Drinking Water for Wildland Firefighters program has returned for another year.

The Emergency Drinking Water for Wildland Firefighters program is an expansion of Anheuser-Busch’s commitment to providing clean, safe drinking water to communities impacted by natural disasters. Since the program began, 6.5 million cans of water have been distributed to more than 1,400 volunteer fire departments across nearly all 50 states.

In 2022, 1.5 million cans of emergency drinking water were delivered to 450 volunteer fire departments across 46 states to help them prepare for wildfire response.

Departments were selected through an application process and had to meet certain requirements, including being at least 50 percent volunteer and serving a population of 25,000 or less. Most water was allocated through the general application period in March, but departments actively fighting wildfires throughout the year could utilise the rapid response request to receive an emergency donation. All recipients of this year’s and previous years’ water donations can be viewed here.

‘Hydration is critical‘

NVFC chair Steve Hirsch commented: “We are proud to partner with Anheuser-Busch to make sure our wildland firefighters have the water they need to stay hydrated and functioning at their best.

“Hydration is critical to the health and safety of firefighters, and we thank Anheuser-Busch for recognising and addressing this critical need for our nation’s volunteer responders.”

The general application period for the 2023 Emergency Drinking Water for Wildland Firefighters program will be open March 15-31. Find more information at www.nvfc.org/water and stay tuned to the NVFC web site, Dispatch newsletter, and Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram pages for updates on the 2023 program.