Fire Fighters Foundation Launches Campaign to Raise Funds for Equipment for City of Houston Fire Department
WHO:
Bill King , Chairman of the Fire Fighters Foundation of Houston
HFD Chief Phil Boriskie
Jeff Caynon , president, Local 341, Firefighters
Rafael Reyes -- 47, whose life was saved by local fire fighter – he was at work, assisting off-duty HISD officer Sgt. Joseph Jackson with the arrest of a shoplifting suspect in a local grocery when he suffered a cardiac arrest. 911 was called right away and HFD Firefighters arrived and took over his care. Interestingly enough, four years earlier, Reyes' store manager Robert Nelson, also suffered a cardiac arrest and was also saved by the efforts of HFD Firefighters from Fire Station 27 in the Denver Harbor area.
WHAT : Launch of a New Media Campaign to reach Houstonians to donate via the foundation's website. The Fire Fighters Foundation of Houston is a nonprofit organization that provides non-governmental funding to Houston firefighters. The campaign will consist of radio, television, billboard and newspaper donated ads.
WHEN: 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, August 19, 2008
WHERE : Fire Station No. 8, 1919 Louisiana at St. Joseph Parkway
WHY : Every year it purchases tools, technology and equipment for firefighters – filling the gap between the needs of the HFD and limited government funding. The foundation raises most of its funds through an annual gala that is held every September 11 th to commemorate the courage and dedication of Houston fire fighters. This year 44 pieces of equipment valued at more than $99,000 including have been donated including:
8 Thermal Imaging Cameras that enable firefighters to see inside smoke-filled environments
32 E-Z-Radiocom II units , for fast, safe communication when a fire fighter is battling a fire
4 Blitz Monitors , which are small, portable monitors that can be deployed by a single person to increase the flow of water to 500 gallons per minute
VISUALS: Equipment demonstrations; unveiling of first billboards to be displayed; television spots in English and Spanish; radio spots and demonstration of new website (www.fffhouston.com)
