
Sign up for our newsletter
Subscribe to our emails
Imagine you're fast asleep after a long day at work when suddenly alarms start blaring. The clock reads 3:08 a.m.; a dispatcher's voice dictating details of yet another 911 call. Jumping out of bed, you pull on all your gear, including boots, in less than one minute and run to join the team heading out to respond to the latest incident.
After spending grueling hours at the emergency, you return to the station, exhausted. It is now 5:30 a.m. and while your shift ends at 7, you know there’s a high probability that you will report to several more calls before clocking out. You go to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee and realize the machine is broken. Unfortunately, members of the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department do not have to imagine it. They live it every day.
The Fire Station Fund was created to improve the working and living conditions for firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics at all 36 Atlanta Fire Rescue Department fire stations, including the five located at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Atlanta firefighters and EMTs work 24-hour shifts, which means the stations are not only their workplace but also their second home. In fact, they spend one-third of their lives in the fire stations. All day every day, someone is using the washers, dryers, ice machines, coffee makers, kitchen faucets, and refrigerators while someone else is relaxing in a recliner watching tv. It’s no surprise that the heavy usage leads to breaks. What may surprise you is that the replacement may not be covered by the current city budget. Additionally, 80% of Atlanta’s fire stations are beyond their 40-year lifecycle, meaning they need major renovations or should be torn down and rebuilt.
Fire Stations are not just home and office to the 1,100 men and women of the AFRD, but also community resources. They serve as SafeZones for victims of commercial sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and domestic violence. They provide services to the community like car seat installation and blood pressure checks.
By supporting the Atlanta Fire Rescue Foundation Fire Station Fund (previously Adopt-A-Fire Station), generous donors assure that each of our 36 fire stations meets minimum standards for those who work, live, play, and serve from them. Prioritizing our frontline workers’ most basic needs, from a hot cup of coffee to a warm, comfortable bed, is a meaningful way to show our appreciation for all the ways they keep our community safe. Further, it improves morale, makes it easier to attract and keep top professionals, and inspires confidence in our city’s public safety departments.
You can support a fire station in need through our quick and simple online fundraising. Make your donation today and become a first responder to the first responders.
Subscribe to our emails