Firefighters are often the first on the scene when crisis hits, and now local firefighters can be the first to offer financial help for families looking to rebuild.
The San Bernardino County Fire Department partnered with the California Fire Foundation to create the Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency program, or SAVE. The program offers gift cards for firefighters to give out to residents who have lost property and material possessions in an emergency.
"We can't restore all that they have lost, but a SAVE card can help victims feel less alone during that first 24 hours of the difficult process of recovery," Fire Chief Mark Hartwig said.
The program has all County Fire battalion chiefs carry $100 Mastercard SAVE gift cards to any incident that threatens "significant property damage." Chiefs can immediately issue the card to any family or residents with losses over 25 percent of the property's total value.
"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," Hartwig said.
The SAVE cards are funded through a partnership with the California Fire Foundation, a nonprofit that offers support to fallen firefighter families and their communities. The Foundation is still raising funds and seeking additional sponsorships to bring more SAVE cards to more communities and increase the value of the cards.
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 a local Union President.
"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," Professional Firefighters Association Local 935 president Jim Grigoli said.
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