WESTERN MONTANA INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                           

Presentation of Donation to Red Cross

Columbia Falls MT, September 21, 2001 At 10:00 A.M., Friday the 21^st of September a check in the amount of $3510.00 will be presented to the Red Cross Relief Fund from the firefighters and support personnel of the Moose Fire Camp.  The Moose Fire is currently the largest wild land fire burning in the United States. 

On Wednesday, September 12^th the first of many donations from the firefighters were given to Zack Bradley, the Air Base Radio Operator assigned to the Moose Fire.  Bradley, a member of the Red Cross National Disaster Action Team since 1991, organized the fund raising effort and began accepting the donations from the Helibase crews early that morning. 

By Friday, September 14^th the rest of the firefighters and support personnel on the Moose Fire had heard about the donation collection.  Coffee cans were placed in various locations around camp and crew bosses were given small boxes for donations from crews.  The money was collected every night and personnel and crews were informed of the total the following morning. 

An added bonus came when the Florida Fireworks Association donated $1,000.00 to the Red Cross to be used for the benefit of Florida firefighters working on Western fires.  Since the check had been donated before the September 11^th attack upon America, the Florida firefighters assigned to the Moose Fire decided to redirect the donation to the fund raising effort to aid the Red Cross in their relief efforts in New York City and Washington D.C. 

Zack Bradley (right) presents check to Rick Cunningham, Red Cross
at the 6:30 a.m. firefighter briefing.
Click on Photo for high-resolution image.