When it comes to fires or medical emergencies, firefighters are often the first ones on the scene. But few may know that they are also there in a variety of ways after the smoke has cleared.
The Sedona Verde Valley Firefighters Charities was started in 2009 by operational firefighters looking to make a difference in their local communities. According to its mission statement, “We support the firefighters, public servants and residents in our local community and throughout the state of Arizona through charitable donations, events and Dedication to Service.”
The nonprofit, run entirely by volunteers, raises money in a variety of ways including $10 a month from many of the firefighters in the Verde Valley. They have assisted or donated funds to organizations such as Meals on Wheels, Little League, toy drives and food banks.
One of the newer arms of the SVVFC is its emergency relief program, which, according to its president Jeremy Lilly, began shortly after the Slide Fire. He said Diamond Resorts as well as the widow of a man Sedona Fire District once helped save each donated $1,000 to SVVFC. Instead of putting it into the general fund, the board created the relief program. According to its website, the program has grown to provide assistance in a multitude of circumstances. “First and foremost we provide 72 hours of support for families displaced by structure fires in the … area,” it states. “Through affinity relationships in the community, we provide 72 hours of hotel stays, food vouchers and gift cards at local stores to purchase food and clothing.”
Depending on specific needs, they can initiate impromptu clothing and food drives for the affected families. SVVFC is currently seeking clothing and other necessities for 11 members of a Village of Oak Creek family who lost the home they were renting to fire on April 23. The clothing drive ends Monday, May 9. A list of sizes and what’s needed can be found at svvfc.com by clicking on “relief fund.”
In addition, they support their own. The program helps local first responders, to include fire, police, and EMS professionals in their time of need. Finally, and perhaps the most somber, in the event of a line-of-duty death they provide financial support to the surviving family members.
Lilly said in 2015, 19 people benefited from the emergency fund and already this year there have been 30 but 11 of those stemmed from the VOC fire. These were not all victims of house fires, in fact only four of the 13 financial distributions were fire related. He said the organization didn’t want to pigeonhole itself by limiting who can receive funds. SVVFC has a panel to determine who receives funds and how much. But in the case of house fire, distribution of funds is immediate.
The organization continues to work with area businesses — specifically hotels and restaurants — to establish partnerships so that when an incident happens, guaranteed shelter and food are already in place. In some cases, he said recipients are given money while in others it may be gift cards.
“We are seeking to have partnerships in every community that we serve,” he said. “That way someone doesn’t have to drive 20 or 30 minutes to get a meal. So far, the network we’ve established has been very successful but we’re hoping it continues to grow. The business owners have been very helpful.”
Lilly said everyone who becomes a firefighter does so to serve their community and to help others. And while he said it’s exciting to use all their knowledge and training when they do have to fight fires, that excitement is quickly diminished when they see the destruction left in its wake.
“It’s a great feeling when we are able to put a fire out,” he said. “But then you see the kids who are crying and the parents who are in shock as they literally watch their life going up in flames. It’s crushing to see that. But when you have a mechanism in place like the SVVFC, it does make us feel good that we can help these people. Because helping others is why we got into this line of work in the first place.”
For more information, visit svvfc.com.
