International Fire Relief Mission Receives Donations from Wildfire Conference

April 27, 2011
  More than 430 people packed the house to watch the movie Red Skies of Montana and help raise money for The International Fire Relief Mission. The screening was part of the International Association of Wildland's 11th Annual Wildland Fire Safety Summit, held earlier this month.

More than 430 people packed the house to watch the movie Red Skies of Montana and help raise money for The International Fire Relief Mission. The screening was part of the International Association of Wildland's 11th Annual Wildland Fire Safety Summit, held earlier this month.

"The wildland fire-fighting community's generosity is amazing," said IFRM President Ron Gruening. "Nearly every fire department we work with in developing countries must deal with wildland and urban interface fires. The need is clearly there, and thanks to IAWF, we are gaining the resources to meet some of those needs."

The International Fire Relief Mission collects donated fire and EMS equipment for fire departments in developing countries; IFRM will earmark the funds donated by IAWF to improve wildland fire fighting capabilities in countries it visits. This is the second consecutive year that IAWF members have raised money for IFRM at the annual summit.

Red Skies of Montana was shown at the Wilma Theater in Missoula, Mont.-the same theater where the movie originally premiered in 1952. The movie depicts smokejumpers battling the Mann Gulch fire of 1949. The conference featured several noted speakers who addressed the role of stories in wildland fire fighting.

Those interested in donating equipment, time or money to the International Fire Relief Mission can do so by contacting Ron Gruening by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at +1 612-669-8500.

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