Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade™ Funds Life-Saving Equipment for Community Heroes

Grant program has contributed nearly $800,000 in support

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Oct 10, 2011, 11:07 ET

ATLANTA, Oct. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Child rescued from house fire. Crews contain wildfire. Driver pulled from crash. We see these news headlines all the time. And the common theme behind each is a band of heroes who put their lives on the line to protect their community – fire and rescue teams. At a moment's notice, they must be prepared to walk into dangerous situations, often using outdated equipment or without the specialized gear they need. Many are unpaid volunteers.

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Georgia-Pacific rewards this dedication to serve through the Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade™, a national program that contributes to fire departments in communities with Georgia-Pacific facilities. These grants are used to purchase much-needed equipment that helps protect the lives and property of residents as well as their firefighters.

"We are grateful for the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to keep our local communities safe," said Jim Hannan, chief executive officer and president of Georgia-Pacific. "The Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade program allows us to show our appreciation for their service and helps ensure that they are equipped with the critical resources they need to do their jobs."

Launched in 2006, the initiative has contributed nearly $800,000 to rural and small town fire units across the United States. The program supports firefighters with cash donations to purchase necessary equipment, and provides safety education materials for presentations in local schools.

The program is meeting critical needs during a time when increased demand for volunteer firefighters is putting additional strains on available resources. Volunteers comprise 71 percent of all firefighters in the United States, according to the National Volunteer Fire Council and the National Fire Protection Association.

From the nearly 150 units that applied for the grants, the following final recipients were chosen:


Department	Location	Grant Amount
Cromwell-Halsell Volunteer Fire Department Monroeville Fire Department	Lisman, Ala. Monroeville, Ala.	$10,000 $10,000
Crossett Fire Department Wilmot Fire and Rescue Gurdon Fire Department Fordyce Fire Department	Crossett, Ark. Wilmot, Ark. Gurdon, Ark. Fordyce, Ark.	$10,000 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000
Hollister Fire Department Palatka Fire Department Hosford-Telogia Volunteer Fire Department	Hollister, Fla. Palatka, Fla. Hosford, Fla.	$5,000 $5,000 $5,000
Guyton Fire Department Meriweather County Volunteer Fire Department	Guyton, Ga. Warm Springs, Ga.	$10,000 $5,000
East Dubuque Fire Department	East Dubuque, Ill.	$5,000
Waterville Fire Department	Waterville, Kan.	$5,000
Monticello Fire Department	Monticello, Miss.	$10,000
Au Sable Forks Fire Department	Au Sable, N.Y.	$5,000
Ceffo Volunteer Fire Department Roxboro Fire Department	Roxboro, N.C. Roxboro, N.C.	$2,000 $3,000
Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department Wind Gap Fire Company	Bradford, Pa. Wind Gap, Pa.	$5,000 $5,000
Indian Springs Volunteer Fire Department Onalaska Volunteer Fire Department	Livingston, Texas Onalaska, Texas	$2,500 $2,500
Camas Fire Department	Camas, Wash.	$10,000
Casco Fire Department Navarino-Lessor Fire Department GreenValley-Morgan Fire Company Inc.	Casco, Wis. Bonduel, Wis. Onconto Falls, Wis.	$10,000 $5,000 $5,000

Headquartered at Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of building products, tissue, packaging, paper, cellulose and related chemicals. The company employs 40,000 people at 300 locations in North America, South America and Europe. Georgia-Pacific is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Koch Industries Inc., a privately-owned company headquartered in Wichita, Kan. Both companies have a strong tradition of focused community investment in communities where they have operations. Georgia-Pacific and other Koch companies have contributed more than $140 million for charitable causes during the past five years.

SOURCE Georgia-Pacific