Back to Previous Page

A NIGHT WITH HOTSHOTS!

THE FLYER...		The Band "Hunker Down"

Thank you Molly Turk and friends for putting together an awesome event that raised $4,300 for wildland firefighters and their families!
The night was a huge success. More than 200 people came through the door. 60 prizes were donated from local merchants for door prizes. A 2006 video of the Craig Hotshots was shown for the entire bar. The group hopes to make this an annual event. People came from all over the county including the Front Range up to Ft. Collins.

Molly, far right, and friends Teva and Jeff

As this year comes to an end, the Wildland Firefighter Foundation wishes to thank each and every one of you who were so touched by the tragedies, that you helped support our Firefighters and their Families. Because of people like you, the Foundation can make a difference in the lives of Wildland Firefighters.

Thank you Santa's Helpers:

Ricky G. visiting the Wildland Firefighter Monument this summer.
His father was killed in March last year.

Now that Christmas has passed and we are all preparing to start a new year, the Foundation wishes to thank all of you who made Christmas a little brighter for the little ones. What a wonderful community of people who give so much of themselves to help so many others.

.....................................................................................................................................................

ELDORADO HOT SHOTS - YOU ROCK!
These determined wildland firefighters raised more than $60,000 for the Foundation. Their donation will go into our general funds so that we can keep the lights on, the heat paid, and help many different families of injured and fallen wildland firefighters in the coming months.

This wonderful gift from the Eldorado Hot Shots will go far in helping the Foundation meet many needs. And, we want everyone to know that we still need Santa's Helpers as there are always needs to be met and more than one way to give and to help.

.....................................................................................................................................................

El Dorado Hot Shots

Link to wildlandfire.com for photos, pledge list, and posts on They Said during the walk Dec. 9 and 10.

"In support of the 52 Club and inspired by Ken Perry, the El Dorado Hot Shots will walk 52 miles in and around Sacramento, CA. Tentative date is December 9th, 2006, rain or shine. The Foundation assisted us this season when we went through our own incident on the New York Peak Fire in which we had 6 injured firefighters. An event like this will take some work and we need your help in getting this message to as many people as possible to raise donations and pledges. We are excited about this opportunity to give back to our community, get the public, media, and other agencies involved, and most of all, support our fellow firefighters and their families that need our help. If you are interested, please respond ASAP via email to: Aaron Humphrey  aphumphrey@fs.fed.us, Nick Matheson  nmatheson@fs.fed.us, Mike Sandoval  msandoval@fs.fed.us, Will Harris  wharris@fs.fed.us, Mike Beckett  mbeckett@fs.fed.us, or phone at the link below. Thank you in advance. Visit our website at eldoradohotshots for more details and updates."A Note From WFF: Because we want to give the El Dorado Hot Shots every credit they deserve for this walk, we ask that you earmark your donations to the "52 mile walk". The El Dorado Hot Shots are dedicated to this fundraiser to help all fallen firefighters and their families with needs. Please note on paypal, or your checks "52 mile walk". Thank you for your support.

Prior to the Esperanza Fire, Molly Turk (wife of a Craig Hot Shot from Colorado) put together a fundraiser for the WFF and raised over $4,300! See Fundraising Events.

The Foundation has received numerous requests, news, and information regarding Mark, Jess, Jason, Daniel, and Pablo the five firefighters killed on the Esperanza Fire. We will attempt to capture as much as we can on our website. For the very latest news in our fire community, visit They Said on wildlandfire.com.

WFF staffmember, Burk Minor, receives a $10,000 check from a Wendy's owner, who donated a full days' receipts to the Anaheim Fire Department for the Esperanza Fire fallen firefigher's famililes.

U. S. Forest Service Fire Management Officer Lance Noxon, engineer Bryan Rosennow, firefighter Antara Betrich, engine captain Beth Melville, and Linda Ferguson of Tahoe National Forest Fire Prevention hold out a pair of boots in front of an engine outside the Truckee Ranger Station in Truckee Thursday afternoon. Tahoe National Forest is having a fundraiser Sunday to raise money for the families of the five firefighters who died in the Esperanza Fire. Emma Garrard/Sierra Sun

Magician Raises $300 And Plans To Raise More
Jerry Sheen, a professional magician, performed November 10 and 11, at the Historic Antlers Inn in Twin Peaks located in the San Bernardino mountains, raising $300. Joining Jerry was Reggie Bannister, star of the Phantasm series of horror films and a talented magician, along with Bruce Fitsimmons of Shadowdogs, and blues talent Fast Eddie, among others. Everyone had a great time and the decision was made to host the event every weekend in November to raise more money. For more information, you can contact Jerry at licamac1@hotmail.com.

Other Links...
Poetry, Shared Moments, and Stories
Engine 57 Memorial
www.towncrier.com
Firerescue1.com
The Desert Sun Newspaper

The Esperanza Incident on Inciweb with information on the Memorial Service on Sunday, including maps www.inciweb.org/incident/525/

San Bernardino National Forest Website www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/

LOSS OF A GREAT MAN
I met Doug in 1995 when we were working on the monument at the National Interagency Fire Center. He came to one of our meetings and he never left after that. He was the original co-founder of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. He and I both volunteered thousands of hours to the Foundation to get it started. I truly believe behind all the generosity he had in helping the Foundation get its roots in the ground was his compassion to make a better life for firefighters on the ground and in the air. Doug was a person who started so many things. He didn’t plant the seed, he was the seed, and he cultivated the ground that helped us all grow.

Doug always, always encouraged people to go beyond their own barriers. There were many times I would have quit doing what we were doing if I hadn’t had him as a therapist on the other end of the phone, telling me we could do this, we could change the lives of wildland firefighters. It wasn’t ever about what was in it for him. In fact, the less notoriety he received, the more active he became in helping firefighters.

Maybe the best way to remember Doug is in the words of one of those firefighters, who posted the following message on the TheySaid forum: “Doug Coyle was more than a friend. He was one of my mentors, and he taught me not to be restrained by my own barriers. I wish I had spoken with Doug more these past few years, but I will always remember him as the ‘Why can't we?’ type of guy he was … and I have long ago forgiven him for the money I lost to him in poker games and sucker bets.”

—Vicki Minor, Executive Director, Wildland Firefighter Foundation

Burk Minor from the Foundation visits the Lone Peak Hot Shots. They are one of the newest crews to become GOLD members! Thanks Guys!

"FOOSTEPS FOR FIREFIGHTERS "

Brian Janes ran more than one million footsteps for firefighters!
April 1st to the 6th, Brian Janes, a Klamath Hot Shot, will be completing a 220 mile run through the Klamath National Forest raising awareness and support for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. To help advertise the run at your station or place of work, please download and print this poster. Brian will start and end at the Klamath National Forest supervisors office in Yreka, California, and proceed in the following manner: April 1: 40 miles Yreka to Callahan (start at 8 a.m.) April 2: 31 miles Callahan to Cecilville April 3: 35 miles Cecilville to Somes Bar April 4: 38 miles Somes Bar to Happy Camp April 5: 46 miles Happy Camp to Klamath River April 6: 30 miles Klamath River to Yreka Inspired by Ken Perry and touched by the losses this past summer, Brian wanted to have his own "Power of One" opportunity to help. There is no pledge page. Just an appeal to our community to support physical endurance, one man's ambition, and ultimately giving a gift of assistance to a firefighter, or his family, down the road. If you want to support Brian, please indicate on your donation "Footsteps for Firefighters."

............................................................................................................

FOUNDATION HOSTS ROCKY MOUNTAIN & GREAT BASIN HOT SHOTS

.........................................................................................................

ANNUAL BOARD MEETING HELD JAN 25 AND 26

...............................................................................................................................................................

Our first Incident Management Team for
2006, Bob Anderson's PNW Team 3

"I don't want to ever tell a family I can't help them."
Vicki Minor, Executive Director, WFF

......................................................................................................................................................................

CRAMER MEMORIAL DEDICATED

The Jeff Allen and Shane Heath Monument
On Saturday, July 22,2006, a monument to Jeff Allen and Shane Heath was dedicated at Indianola Helitack near North Fork, Idaho. The two rapeller bronze statues pay tribute to Jeff Allen and Shane Heath who were killed July 22, 2003, on the Cramer Fire.