SAVE CARDS OFFER
IMMEDIATE AID TO VICTIMS
OF CATASTROPHIC LOSS
By Matt Anderson “3”
A young family stands helplessly
at the curb as firefighters battle
a blaze that has engulfed their
home. They’re alive, but heartsick
as they watch their life and
memories as they knew go up in
flames before their eyes.
As the first responders, it is firefighters who are called
upon to provide comfort to such a family on the worst
day of their lives. Now, a partnership which began this
July called Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency (SAVE)
allows our firefighters to help those victims take the
first step towards healing. Funded by the California Fire
Foundation through private donations, SAVE lets incident
commanders on scene of a disaster offer immediate
financial assistance to victims who suffer a substantial
property loss.
Photos: Dennis Weaver
“When someone loses their home in a fire or disaster,
they’re sometimes only left with the clothes on
their back—they don’t know where to turn,” says San
Bernardino County Professional Firefighters Local
935 President Jim Grigoli. “As San Bernardino County
firefighters, we’re in a unique position to offer a little
extra assistance to victims of fire or disaster in the
communities we serve.”
Under the innovative program, all County Fire battalion
chiefs carry $100 Mastercard SAVE gift cards on calls that
threaten significant property damage. If the property
loss is judged to be greater than 25 percent of total value,
the chief is authorized to immediately issue a SAVE card
to the individual or family affected by the disaster. At a
time when victims may have lost credit cards, IDs and
other essentials, the SAVE card allows them to purchase
medicine, a hot meal, clothing or maybe a place to stay
the night.
to fallen firefighter families and the communities they
protect. The California Fire Foundation continues to raise
funds and seek additional sponsorships to bring SAVE
cards to more communities and, eventually, increase the
face value of the cards.
The San Bernardino County Fire District is a multi-
hazard response agency, providing professional fire,
rescue and EMS service, as well as fire prevention,
investigation, public education and household hazardous
waste disposal. Specialty programs within the agency
include training, wildland fire suppression (hand crews,
dozer operations, etc.), helicopter-rescue/firefighting/
transport, Hazmat emergency response, technical
rescue (USAR) and escalated threat (terrorism, etc.)
The agency also features a Type 3 incident management
team, comprising County Fire members who assemble to
manage major incidents.
San Bernardino County Fire operates 67 fire stations,
including 49 with full-time career firefighters. It is the
largest fire district in the United States, covering an area
of 19,278 square miles and a population over 1 million.
County Fire serves rural communities, towns and larger
cities, responding to 166,544 calls countywide in 2017.
SAVE is open to all Professional California fire
departments. Participating departments must agree to
a Memorandum of Understanding-signed by both a Fire
Chief and Union President.
“Firefighters do what we do because of a desire to serve,”
said Brian K. Rice, chair of the California Fire Foundation
and a retired Sacramento Metro firefighter with more
than three decades of service. “By offering SAVE cards
to those who have lost so much, San Bernardino County
Professional Firefighters Local 935 and San Bernardino
County Fire are able to continue providing comfort and
support after the fire is out.”
Firefighter/Paramedic Matt Anderson is stationed at
312’s in Victorville.
“Our job as firefighters requires that we have a personal
investment in the outcome of every call—we want to be
there to provide whatever support we can for disaster
victims,” says Fire Chief Mark Hartwig. “We can’t restore
all that they have lost, but a SAVE card can help victims
feels less alone during that first 24 hours of the difficult
process of recovery.”
The SAVE program was developed in partnership with
the California Fire Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit
foundation dedicated to providing comfort and support
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FIREWIRE • FALL 2018
FALL 2018 • FIREWIRE
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