First responders receive donation from AT&T in Sisters for efforts during the Flat Fire
Claire Elmer
(Update: Adding video)
SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) — First responders for the recent, devastating Flat Fire received a large donation Wednesday morning in Sisters. A total of $25,000 was donated by AT&T and First Net.
Of the total, $15,000 was given to the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District and $10,000 went to the Red Cross of Central and Eastern Oregon.
Firefighters from across the state came to Central Oregon to fight the over-23,000-acre fire, saving hundreds of homes. The Red Cross also responded right away, providing resources to evacuees.
The donations are meant to recognize those heroic efforts, and help with both recovery and future preparedness.
Steven Lord, community risk manager for Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire, spoke with KTVZ about what they plan to do with the donated money.
“All the money that we get are going to go towards us developing a program that we can actually do some fuels mitigation to help out of our all of our constituents,” Lord said.
Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Chief Tony Prior echoed Lord’s sentiment, saying, “Funding in the plans that we have is is tough to do on a normal budget. It’s nice to see other agencies invest in that, because we believe it’s important, but they also do too, so we’re sharing that value together.”
Morgan Schmidt, executive director of the Red Cross of Central and Eastern Oregon, was also present to accept the donation on behalf of the organization.
Schmidt said, “We’re really grateful, and it helps us do what we do, not only during fire season, but also year round — which is show up on somebody’s hardest day and be a comforting presence, a safe place to rest, a place to get a hot meal.”
Both the fire department and Red Cross say preparation is key. As a reminder, you can book a free fire risk evaluation with the fire district for recommendations on preparing your property for fire season.