Vassalboro Fire Department receives canned drinking water for wildfire response

Vassalboro firefighter Lt. Donald Breton, right, accepts canned water donated by Anheuser-Busch, from Mike Crowell, left, and Nate Purington, both of Valley Distributors, Inc., of Oakland. (contributed photo)

The Vassalboro Fire Department recently received canned emergency drinking water to help provide critical hydration to its responders during this year’s wildfire season. On September 13, Valley Distributors, Inc., of Oakland, a local Anheuser-Busch wholesaler partner, delivered one pallet load to the department to help support its wildfire response needs. Maintaining firefighters’ hydration during long incidents or disasters such as wildfires is a major safety concern for many departments.

“Firefighters lose a tremendous amount of fluid during high-intensity response such as battling wildfires in addition to other fires. Proper hydration is critical to ensure the safety of our firefighters and to keep them performing at their best,” said Lt. Donald Breton. “Thanks to this water donation from Anheuser-Busch and the National Volunteer Fire Council, we have the resources to keep our firefighters hydrated and ready to respond when needed.”

The water was donated by Anheuser-Busch through a partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC). Anheuser-Busch has a longstanding tradition of providing emergency drinking water and supplies for disaster relief efforts. The company periodically pauses beer production each year to can emergency drinking water to be ready to lend a helping hand during natural disasters and other crises.

Building on this commitment, the brewer teamed up with the NVFC – the leading nonprofit membership association representing the interests of the volunteer fire, emergency medical, and rescue services – in 2019 to provide emergency drinking water to help firefighters stay hydrated and healthy when responding to wildfires and large incidents. To date, the program has donated over 3.2 million cans of water to volunteer firefighters across the country.

Learn more about the program at www.nvfc.org/water.