Paris Hilton

Jimmy  Darts

Flavor Flav

SB Mowing

Kalina Silverman / @makebigtalk on Instagram

The Dogist

Patriotic Kenny Foundation

Pattie Gonia

Little Miss Flint

Carlos Eduardo Espina

Samuel Weidenhofer

Ben Saunders - Flawless Cleaning

Peter Bond

That Good News Girl

Ask Uncle Jack

Amy Jandrisevits

FowlMouthFarmer

Tess Bohne

Latonja and Taylor Richardson

Officer Richard Craig

<div><strong>WHO WE ARE</strong>
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<div>The National Response System sends local firefighters and specialty emergency workers to emergencies all over the nation. <a href="https://www.catf3.org/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CA-TF3</a> is one of the 28 Teams in the National Response System.
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<div>CA-TF3 is made up of firefighters and emergency workers from San Francisco Fire to San Jose Fire and from Milpitas Fire to Central Santa Cruz County Fire and is Sponsored in <a href="https://www.menlofire.gov/catf3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Menlo Park Fire</a>. 
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<div>With this fundraiser we hope to provide better support to our Canine Teams.
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<div><strong>OUR ASK</strong>
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<div><strong><em>1.	$100k, to better support the Canine Teams we already have: </em></strong>We feel it is necessary to increase the stipend provided to canine handlers as this dollar amount has not changed in over a decade. Canine Handlers currently receive $300 a month per dog to offset the cost of fuel and travel to maintain our Canines. If possible, we would like to double their stipend. To do this we need $50k a calendar year and would like to raise funding for at lease two years for a projected cost of an additional <strong>$100k.</strong>
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<div><strong><em>2.	$145k, to increase the numbers of Canine Teams: </em></strong>For canines obtained from the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation we provide up to $15,000 for training our members to be prepared with a canine. Up to $4,000 per Canine Team is provided once per Team to attend the Canine Search Specialist Course. We also provide up to $6,000 for each Canine Team to attend a Canine Certification Evaluation. This means a Live Find Canine Team can cost the Task Force as much as $35,000 and a Human Remains Detection (HRD) Canine Team can cost the Task Force up to $10,000. Three (3) Live find Canines Teams are expected to join the Task Force this year and we would like to recruit an additional four (4) HRD Canine Teams, the cost on such an improvement to our capability would be <strong>$145k.</strong>
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<li>Live Find Canine Teams. The goal is to be three deep in every position. We have four (4) deployment positions for Live Find Canine Teams on a Type 1 deployment, meaning our goal is to have twelve (12) Live Find Canines. We currently have nine (9) Live Find Canine Teams and have identified three additional canines to pair with canine handlers to make three additional Canine Teams by this summer. This will bring our numbers up to twelve (12) Live Find Canines. There are twenty-eight (28) Teams within the United States and if they all me the twelve (12) Canine Teams we would have three hundred and thirty six (336) Live Find Canine Teams in the United States and as of December 29th 2024 the Nation had three hundred and fifteen (315).
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<li>Human Remains Detection (HRD) Canine Teams. While Live Find Canine Teams are securely rooted within the National Response System, Human Remains Detection (HRD) Canine Teams are not. The National Response System recognizes the need for HRD Canines but allows each Task Force to determine how many they are going to support. Currently CA-TF3 supports two (2) HRD Canine Teams. These two (2) teams are part of the ninety (90) Certified HRD Canine teams that make up the response capability in the United States. We would like to triple that amount of HRD Canines Teams on our Task Force.  
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<div><strong><em>3.	$200k, to better equip our Canine Teams for Success: </em></strong>Our Canine Teams work best in pairs with a manager and at least one pair of spotters. We typically deploy them with at least one Medic and possibly a HazMat Specialist. This means while in the field we typically have five (5) to seven (7) personnel in a group to support two (2) canines along with everyone’s gear and dog crates. Vehicles are in high demand in disaster areas, and we would like to be able to purchase two (2) new high roof, extended, 4x4 Transit Passenger Vans to support Canine Operations. These vans have been appropriately specified and are $72k without tax and with taxes, radios and light packages they are roughly $100k each. We would like to purchase two (2) for a total cost of <strong>$200k.</strong>
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<div><strong>BACKGROUND</strong>
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<div>The Menlo Park Fire Protection District proudly sponsors California Task Force 3 (CA-TF3) Urban Search and Rescue (US&amp;R) Team. CA-TF3 is a local team that responds regionally, statewide and nationally as part of the National Response System. 
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<div>As the sponsoring agency, the Fire District has the responsibility of managing the team and ensuring it is able to respond to any incident it is requested to do so. CA-TF3 is a specially trained and equipped US&amp;R Task Force consisting of 17 participating agencies and approximately 40 civilians. CA-TF3 has made up of over 210 members who are available to respond to emergencies.
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Support CA-TF3 Canine Teams: Enhance Their Impact

<div>The Toys for Tots Program is a well known toy collection campaign put on by the United States Marine Corps and is a registered trademark of the United States Marine Corp Reserves.  That program was the impetus for what has become the Menlo Park Firefighter Associations’ Annual Toy and Food Drive.
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<div>Our Association was a collection point for the Marines from the late 60’s until two of our members, Fire Captains Brad Steiger (USMC) and John Rohrer (USN), became heavily involved in 1979. In 1984, the Association’s Toy Drive stepped out on its own under the leadership of Ray Abel (USMC). It is important to recognize that the Toy Drive has operated on it’s own for four decades, is an effort of all Association Members and has the full support of the Fire District.
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<div>The Association normally collects toys, books, stuffed animals, food and monetary donations. We have used Saint Anthony’s Church, Stanford Hospital, the Menlo Park VA Hospital, Second Harvest Food Bank, Ecumenical Hunger Program and the Ronald McDonald House in the past to distribute the holiday charity.
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<div>In a typical year, the fortunate recipients included; patients on two floors of Stanford Children’s Hospital, 500 children at the Menlo Park VA Hospital, 850 – 1500 children receive toys at Saint Anthony’s on Christmas Eve, almost 500 children on Christmas Day at St. Anthony’s, and the Second Harvest Food Bank normally receives 20 barrels of food which aids in their efforts to provide a Holiday meal to members of our community.  Last Year due to COVOD 19 our efforts were limited to 419 Children at Saint Anthony’s and 200 children at the Menlo Park VA.
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Menlo Park Firefighters' Toy Drive 2021

<strong>Eleven years ago Growing Up Guide Pup embarked a mission of canine and multimedia discovery. We invented the first non-fiction web series in the world that followed a puppy growing up with webisodes published on a weekly basis. Although Ricki didn’t graduate as a service dog, tens of thousands of people learned that not all dogs choose to work and that is just fine.</strong><br /><br /><strong>There are many service dog organizations that don’t have their own breeding department and others who need additional dogs unexpectedly from time to time. The Service Dog Litter Project will breed, whelp and provide one litter of puppies to service dog organizations while serving our mission at the same time.</strong><br /><br /><strong>Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me. </strong><strong><br /><br />Mission Statement: Provide the public with service dog education to help people with disabilities live more independent and fulfilling lives.</strong>

Service Dog Litter Project

Want to join us in making a difference? We are raising money to benefit San Mateo County Firefighters Foundation, and any donation will help make an impact. <br /><br />Over three decades ago Menlo Park Firefighters responded to a Structure Fire that changed the Harris Family forever.  Because of this life altering event, Menlo Park Firefighters became lifelong friends of the Harris Family and started a relationship with the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation.  To learn more about the <a href="https://youtu.be/cf7jqjsSHJg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harris Family</a>  and their relationship with the AARBF please watch this video:<br /><br /><iframe media_type="0" media_id="cf7jqjsSHJg" class="youtube-replace" title="YouTube video player" style="margin-bottom:20px;width:560px;height:315px;" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cf7jqjsSHJg/?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="1"></iframe><br />The Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation (AARBF) is a California-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing burns and fires and providing services to those who have been affected by a burn injury. AARBF brings together health care providers, firefighters, emergency workers, burn care professionals, burn survivors, and our community to enhance the quality of life for burn survivors and to make burn injuries a thing of the past. <a href="https://www.aarbf.org/"><a href="https://www.aarbf.org/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.aarbf.org/</a> </a> <br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51872426_1602613549608128_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" alt="51872426_1602613549608128_r.jpeg" /><br />Over the past three decades there have been several fundraisers that the Firefighters have been a part of to help raise funds for the AARBF.  The most successful of these Fundraisers has always been the Annual Firefighter Pancake Breakfast which first started two decades ago in 2001. <br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51872426_160261362290091_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" alt="51872426_160261362290091_r.jpeg" /><br />The breakfast started because the Jr. League of Palo Alto Mid-Peninsula called the Menlo Park Fire Protection District and wanted to help with a service event and proposed a Pancake Breakfast.   That same year the attacks of 9/11 occurred and all the funds from the Pancake Breakfast went to the widows and their children of New York City.  Ever since, funds raised have been 100% donated to the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation.<br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51872426_1602613696472075_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" alt="51872426_1602613696472075_r.jpeg" /><br />The Annual Menlo Park Firefighter Pancake Breakfast is truly an event that is jointly sponsored by the Menlo Park Fire Protection District and the Menlo Park Firefighters Association.  But without the major stakeholders of: the Jr. League and the Stanford Park Hotel we would never be as successful in raising the amount of funds for the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation that we have been.  This is because the Jr League and Stanford Park Hotel provide most of the volunteers and the food.  Every year we have over 100 volunteers and more than 1000 people in attendance.<br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51872426_1602613646393635_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" alt="51872426_1602613646393635_r.jpeg" /><br />This year, due to social distancing because of COVID19 we cannot actually do our Pancake Breakfast.  Which is disappointing as it will be the first time in two decades that the Menlo Park Firefighters Pancake Breakfast will not occur.  What makes the situation it worse is that this fundraising breakfast will typically raise between $12,000 and $15,000.  The AARBF provides a vital service to the community of burn survivors, we can’t allow COVID19 to have a negative impact on their efforts.  We know the community will help reach our goal of $20,000 for 20 years.

Menlo Park Firefighter Virtual Pancake Breakfast

<strong>Our Ask</strong><br />For the past three years, Team 2400 has entered the Hayward Firefighters ‘Smash for Cash’ Demolition Derby and helped them raise funds for their non-profit. After doing so, San Mateo County Firefighters also stated a Fundraiser for our non-profit, the ‘San Mateo County Firefighters Foundation.’ The fundraiser was a success and we raised $4890 in 2017 and $4564 in 2018 which was used to launch our ‘Firefighter Behavioral Health Program.’ <br /><br /><iframe media_type="0" media_id="KZmX8LNVX6Y" class="youtube-replace" title="YouTube video player" style="margin-bottom:20px;width:560px;height:315px;" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KZmX8LNVX6Y/?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="1"></iframe><br />If you chose to donate, your donation will go to the ‘San Mateo County Firefighters Foundation.’ Because of your donation the Foundation will be able to fund Firefighter Behavioral Health Program in 2020. These funds will offset the costs of renewing the license with the Firestrong.org website and help pay to create short videos for our members as an outreach to explain to them that it is ok to talk about behavioral health issues. <br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/42375994_1569793595303624_r.jpeg" alt="42375994_1569793595303624_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /><br />If you are a business owner we would love to offer space on our Derby Car for your company logo. A donation of $500 will have your logo prominently displayed with a 12”x12” sticker on our vehicle and a donation of $1000 will get your branding on both sides of the derby car. We will also be sure to give you maximum exposure on our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and guarantee that the maximum amount of people know you helped us at the ‘Good Guys Autumn Get Together’ on November 9th, 2019.<br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/42375994_1569793647417498_r.jpeg" alt="42375994_1569793647417498_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /><br /><br />These funds were used to offset the cost of hosting a ‘Peer Support Class’ which trained select members how to deal with behavioral health issues within our membership. In 2018 we sent 30 members to this training and in 2019 we sent another 15. These 45 members are responsible for our Peer Support Team, our teams Mission and Goals can be found on our website,<a><a href="https://www.iaff2400.org/peer-support/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.iaff2400.org/peer-support/</a></a>  . These funds also were used to offset costs in purchasing licensing for the <a href="https://www.firestrong.org/department/?search=231"><a href="http://www.Firesrtong.org" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://www.Firesrtong.org</a></a>  website for our membership as well as printing fees for the flyers and magnets for distribution to our Firehouses that explain our ‘Peer Support Program’.<br /><br /><br /><iframe media_type="0" media_id="xTj0frlAZds" class="youtube-replace" title="YouTube video player" style="margin-bottom:20px;width:560px;height:315px;" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xTj0frlAZds/?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="1"></iframe><br />This is important to us because according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 2014, 2015, and 2016 had 64, 68 and 69 line-of-duty firefighter fatalities. <a href="http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/fire-statistics-and-reports/fire-statistics/the-fire-service/fatalities-and-injuries/firefighter-deaths"><a href="http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/fire-statistics-and-reports/fire-statistics/the-fire-service/fatalities-and-injuries/firefighter-deaths" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/fire-statistics-and-reports/fire-statistics/the-fire-service/fatalities-and-injuries/firefighter-deaths</a></a>  According to the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FFBHA) 2014, 2015 and 2016 had 118, 138, and 135 firefighter suicides. The FFBHA estimates that they are only able to track 40% of firefighter suicides. What this means is that there are more firefighter suicides every year then there are line-of-duty deaths. <a href="http://www.ffbha.org/"><a href="http://www.ffbha.org/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://www.ffbha.org/</a></a> <br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/42375994_1569793680651200_r.jpeg" alt="42375994_1569793680651200_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" />

L2400 Peer Support

Unfortunately on September 10th, our dear friend lost his only remaining immediate relative. Greg is fortunate to have the extended Trader Joe's family! Many people have reached out and we know Greg is feeling the love. <br /><br />During this time, we are asking for donations to cover some of the costs Greg is going to incur. It has not yet been determined, how much he is going to need and each day we are learning about more expenses. The financial goal is set high for that reason. His father did not leave behind a will or any legal documents that we have been able to locate thus far. <br /><br />If you are able to donate, please do. If not please offer your time as we will need "all hands on deck" for this new chapter of Greg's life. Some of the costs that Greg will need assistance with include, but are not limited to: <br /><br />Rent (until living arrangement is settled)<br />Utilities &amp; Laundry<br />Coroner's fee<br />Cost of Cremation <br />Cell phone bill<br />Groceries (freezer is full of ice cream)<br />Family storage fee (until we can empty it)<br />Medical copays &amp; medication(s)<br /><br />This page will be updated routinely and any questions for transparency of funds will be answered publicly or posted to the best of our ability. This is an unfortunate opportunity for a learning experience, but we hope it  brings people together in Greg's time of need. <br /><br /><br />-"Do it for me!"

Greg Gow's New Chapter In Life

<strong>Our Ask</strong><br />Last Year Team 2400 entered the Hayward Firefighters ‘Smash for Cash’ Demolition Derby and helped them raise funds for their non-profit. After doing so, San Mateo County Firefighters also stated a Fundraiser for our non-profit, the ‘San Mateo County Firefighters Foundation.’ The fundraiser was a success and we nearly raised $5000 which was used to launch our ‘Firefighter Behavioral Health Program.’ <br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/33487158_1538678188874530_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" alt="33487158_1538678188874530_r.jpeg" /><br />These funds were used to offset the cost of hosting a ‘Peer Support Class’ which trained select members how to deal with behavioral health issues within our membership. These funds also were used to offset costs in purchasing licensing for the <a href="http://www.Firesrtong.org"><a href="http://www.Firesrtong.org" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://www.Firesrtong.org</a></a> website for our membership as well as printing fees for the flyers and magnets for distribution to our Firehouses that explain our ‘Peer Support Program’.<br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/33487158_153867509962610_r.jpeg" alt="33487158_153867509962610_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /><br />Guess what, we won the demolition derby and we are doing it again!!  On November 10th at the Alameda County Fairground your firefighters will once again battle it out with other firefighters from the greater San Francisco Bay Area to defend our title of '2017 Smash for Cash Derby Champions.'<br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/33487158_1538674953135497_r.jpeg" alt="33487158_1538674953135497_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /><br />This is important to us because according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 2014, 2015, and 2016 had 64, 68 and 69 line-of-duty firefighter fatalities. <a href="http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/fire-statistics-and-reports/fire-statistics/the-fire-service/fatalities-and-injuries/firefighter-deaths"><a href="http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/fire-statistics-and-reports/fire-statistics/the-fire-service/fatalities-and-injuries/firefighter-deaths" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/fire-statistics-and-reports/fire-statistics/the-fire-service/fatalities-and-injuries/firefighter-deaths</a></a>  According to the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FFBHA) 2014, 2015 and 2016 had 118, 138, and 135 firefighter suicides. The FFBHA estimates that they are only able to track 40% of firefighter suicides. What this means is that there are more firefighter suicides every year then there are line-of-duty deaths. <a href="http://www.ffbha.org/"><a href="http://www.ffbha.org/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://www.ffbha.org/</a> </a><br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/33487158_1538675442246868_r.jpeg" alt="33487158_1538675442246868_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /><br /><br />If you chose to donate, your donation will go to the ‘San Mateo County Firefighters Foundation.’ Because of your donation the Foundation will be able to fund Firefighter Behavioral Health Program in 2019. These funds will aid us in supporting a second ‘Peer Support Class,’ offset the costs of renewing the license with the Firestrong.org website and help pay to create short videos for our members as an outreach to explain to them that it is ok to talk about behavioral health issues. <br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/33487158_1538675416496526_r.jpeg" alt="33487158_1538675416496526_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /><br />If you are a business owner we would love to offer space on our Derby Car for your company logo. A donation of $500 will have your logo prominently displayed with a 12”x12” sticker on our vehicle and a donation of $1000 will get your branding on both sides of the derby car. We will also be sure to give you maximum exposure on our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and guarantee that the maximum amount of people know you helped us at the ‘Good Guys Autumn Get Together’ on November 11th, 2018. <br /><br /><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/33487158_1538674870316517_r.jpeg" alt="33487158_1538674870316517_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /><br />Higgy Hesham, owner operator of the <a href="https://DecalDoctor.com"><a href="https://DecalDoctor.com" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://DecalDoctor.com</a></a>, has already donated his graphic design time and will be wrapping our Derby Cars at cost. However, he has asked that if you do donate and want your logo on our vehicles that we have your logo by October 20th as an ‘eps file.’ We need it by the 20th so there is enough time to lay out the graphics prior to printing. To coordinate with us you can also simply write a note on ‘Go Fund Me’ with your contact information if you do choose to sponsor our vehicle.

It is OK to ask for HELP

As your firefighters and paramedics you often call on us in your hour of need.  We assist not only because it is our job but because it is our calling.  We are called when you are having your worst day but after a while responding to personal tragedies builds on us.  Sometimes enough becomes enough and we feel the need to do a little more.  Recently Paramedic Firefighter Norman Bolanos had enough.  Norman has been a Firefighter in Menlo Park for nearly two years and was a Paramedic and EMT in our County working for two years prior to that.  Norman took the extra time to organize his fellow Firefighters Matt Pruitt and Brian Berger off dutry with the aid of Danny Giraudo's truck they helped out a mother in need.   We are sharing the following story in hopes that it motivates you to help us help a single mother who has fallen on hard times and is in need of assistance, any help would be greatly appreciated…      <br /><br />Last summer the collective crews of Fire Station 2 ran several medical aids on a man who had cancer that was missed by his doctors.  He was only diagnosed when his illness developed into stage 4 cancer.  The disease eventually took his life last October.  This man was a father who lived with his daughter and his three year old grand-daughter.  He helped to provide for his daughter who was a single mother.<br /><br />After her father passed away, the single mother continued to rent the apartment that was a converted garage in East Palo Alto.  In the months following her father’s death, this single mother ended up having to call 911 to have the crews of Station 2 respond to her home due to her daughter having respiratory issues on several occasions.<br /><br />On one such occasion, the firefighters of Station 2 made mention to the single mother that her home had a strong odor of mold and that the odor may be a factor in the child’s breathing problem.  They told her that the property should be checked for mold and Norman Bolanos went as far as to tell her that if she needs help that we had the ability to connect her to resources.<br /><br />This week the single mother came to Station 2 in tears.  She had recently found out that her home had ‘black mold’ and was advised that she needed to move for the safety of her child.  She made arrangements to temporarily move in with her brother in Richmond but she needed to store all of her furnishings as her brother’s home did not have enough room for all of her and her daughter’s belongings.  She had just enough money to pay for a single storage unit but did not have the funds to rent a truck or the assistance she needed to move.  <br /><br />She came to Station 2 looking for the ‘bald’ firefighter that told her we had access to resources.  Brian Berger immediately thought of Matt Pruitt but as it turned out Norman Bolanos was the firefighter in question.  It did not take long for Brian, Norman and Matt to agree to help this single mother move her possessions into storage.<br /><br />When Matt, Norman and Brian got off duty they attempted to secure a moving van from U-Haul in East Palo Alto.  U-Haul did not open until 9am so they recruited Dan Giraudo, who was coming on duty, to assist in the endeavor by loaning his personal truck to the cause.  <br /><br />After three hours of moving, it was apparent that the single rental space this single mother rented was not going to be large enough to house all of her belongings.  She went back to the rental office to attempt to rent a second space but was unable to do so because she did not have the $215 needed.  Our men not only spent their day off moving her and her child’s belongings into storage but came up with the funds to make it happen.<br /><br />Any funds to help this single mother get back on her feet would be much appreciated.  Her only income was being an UBER Driver, a job she lost prior to losing her father when she was in an auto wreck and lost her car.  She has two additional children that are living with her ex due to not being able to support them.  She needs enough money to place down on a car for work and a deposit on a new home.   All she wants is for her family to be back together.

Help us help a single mother

<strong>Our Ask<br /></strong>If you chose to donate, your donation will go to the ‘San Mateo County Firefighters Foundation.’ Because of your donation the Foundation will be able to fund issues like  Suicide Prevention through our Behavioral Health Program and Cancer Screening for our members.   We hope to attract small business and corporate sponsors and will be placing thier logo's on our vehicles using a wrap inorder to raise 'big money.'  Our Firefighters will be eternally greatfull for any help you provide.  <br /><br />If you are a business owner we would love to offer space on our Derby Cars for your company logo.  A donation of $500 will have your logo prominently displayed on one of our three vehicles and a donation of $1000 will get your branding on all three of our Cars. We will also be sure to give you maximum exposure on our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and guarantee that the maximum amount of people know you helped us at the ‘Good Guys Autumn Get Together’ on November 11th, <strong><a href="https://www.good-guys.com/agtdemoderby."><a href="https://www.good-guys.com/agtdemoderby." target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.good-guys.com/agtdemoderby.</a> </a></strong><br /><strong><br /></strong>Higgy Hesham, owner operator of the <a href="https://DecalDoctor.com"><a href="https://DecalDoctor.com" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://DecalDoctor.com</a></a>, has already donated his graphic design time and will be wrapping our Derby Cars at cost. However, he has asked that if you do donate and want your logo on our vehicles that we have your logo by October 10th as an ‘eps file.’ We need it by the 10th so there is enough time to lay out the graphics prior to printing. To coordinate with us you can also simply write a note on ‘Go Fund Me’ with your contact information if you do chose to sponsor a vehicle.<br /><br /><strong>The Demolition Derby in Support of Hayward Firefighters L1909 Charitable Fund</strong><br />Hayward Firefighters, <a href="http://www.haywardfirefighters.org/items/DerbyPacket.pdf"><a href="http://www.haywardfirefighters.org/items/DerbyPacket.pdf" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://www.haywardfirefighters.org/items/DerbyPacket.pdf</a></a>, have partnered with the Good Guys, <a href="https://www.good-guys.com/agtdemoderby"><a href="https://www.good-guys.com/agtdemoderby" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.good-guys.com/agtdemoderby</a></a>, to put on their first ever Demolition Derby at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.  They had 20 cars for the event and San Mateo County Firefighters purchased 3 of them to start "Team L2400 Demo Derby."  The $1000 per entry fee went their Charitable Fund to support the benevolent acts within the City of Hayward.   <br /><br /> San Mateo County Firefighters have never hosted a Charitable Golf tournament, but other firefighters in the area have.  Typically the firefighters do go out and solicit funds from the community to support the tournament by selling 'tee-sponsors'.  The idea came to us to sell space on our Derby Cars to support the ‘San Mateo County Firefighters Fund” similar to NASCAR.        <br /><img class="not-resizable" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/24129636_1506211684.503_funddescription.jpg" alt="" width="100%" /><br /><strong>The San Mateo County Firefighters Foundation</strong><br />In talking to the other Executive Officers of our Charter the Derby seemed like a perfect opportunity to raise awareness of our ‘San Mateo County Firefighters Foundation’ that we started as a nonprofit last year. Typically, we fund our Foundation with $5000 out of our general fund and only spends those funds in our comminuty. However, this year our foundation has chosen to do something important for our members in two areas. Those areas are related cancer screening and behavioral health for our members. <br /><br /><strong>Behavioral Health</strong><br />According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 2014, 2015, and 2016 had 64, 68 and 69 line-of-duty firefighter fatalities. <a href="http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/fire-statistics-and-reports/fire-statistics/the-fire-service/fatalities-and-injuries/firefighter-deaths"><a href="http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/fire-statistics-and-reports/fire-statistics/the-fire-service/fatalities-and-injuries/firefighter-deaths" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/fire-statistics-and-reports/fire-statistics/the-fire-service/fatalities-and-injuries/firefighter-deaths</a></a>  According to the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FFBHA) 2014, 2015 and 2016 had 118, 138, and 135 firefighter suicides. The FFBHA estimates that they are only able to track 40% of firefighter suicides. What this means is that there have been more firefighter suicides every year in the past three years then there have been line-of-duty deaths. <a href="http://www.ffbha.org/"><a href="http://www.ffbha.org/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://www.ffbha.org/</a></a>  <br /><br />This year our Foundation has funded $1500 to allow us to join the ‘Fire Strong’ website that provides a portal for our members to access tools and help, however this will be an annual reoccuring cost and one that we need help with. <a href="https://www.firestrong.org/"><a href="https://www.firestrong.org/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.firestrong.org/</a></a>  While this site is a great start for our members, it is only a beginning and we hope to be able to use our Foundation to assist our members in becoming trained as ‘IAFF Peer Support Councilors.’ <iframe media_type="0" media_id="BC_7s5Mpu7E" class="youtube-replace" title="YouTube video player" style="margin-bottom:20px;width:560px;height:315px;" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BC_7s5Mpu7E/?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="1"></iframe><br /><strong>Cancer Screening </strong><br />The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has completed a multi-year study of nearly 30,000 fire fighters to better understand the potential link between firefighting and cancer. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pgms/worknotify/pdfs/ff-cancer-factsheet-final.pdf"><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pgms/worknotify/pdfs/ff-cancer-factsheet-final.pdf" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pgms/worknotify/pdfs/ff-cancer-factsheet-final.pdf</a></a> <br /> <br />What was found was the firefighters studied showed higher rates of certain types of cancer than the general U.S. population. Based on U.S. cancer rates. Fire fighters in the study had a greater number of cancer diagnoses and cancer-related deaths; mostly in digestive, oral, respiratory, and urinary cancers. There were about twice as many fire fighters with malignant mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Exposure to asbestos while firefighting is the most likely explanation for this. There were more cases of certain cancers among younger fire fighters. For example, fire fighters in the study who were under 65 years of age had more bladder and prostate cancers than expected. When comparing fire fighters in our study to each other: the chance of lung cancer diagnosis or death increased with amount of time spent at fires; and, the chance of leukemia death increased with the number of fire runs.<br /><br />Because of our increased potential of cancer, we have been looking for a cost-effective manner to screen our members. We believe we have found one with <a href="http://www.cancerdogs.ca/"><a href="http://www.cancerdogs.ca/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://www.cancerdogs.ca/</a></a> . <br /><br />Cancer-Dogs is a cancer screening service that uses specially trained dogs to detect the odor of all types of cancer present in a person’s exhaled breath. They developed an inexpensive and non-invasive breath sample kit that collects breath odor with a simple surgical mask that is worn for 10 minutes. Back at their facility, the breath samples are processed, placed into trays and loaded into our custom designed sniffing station where 4 dogs will systematically search, sniffing each sample multiple times. The kits are $20 US per person, plus return shipping.<br /><br />Our foundation has funded the purchase of 100 cancer screening kits. Some of our employers are funding the use of these kits for our members. However, not all Departments are as progressive as others and we have over 500 members and our Foundation cannot cover all of our members being screened once let alone on an annual basis. <br /><br /><iframe media_type="0" media_id="cXOfpBwJMRU" class="youtube-replace" title="YouTube video player" style="margin-bottom:20px;width:560px;height:315px;" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cXOfpBwJMRU/?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="1"></iframe>

Help your Local 2400 Firefighters

I never thought I’d start a go fund me but last night my parents lost their house and barn due to the redwood complex fire in redwood valley, ca. Our family built this log cabin from scratch off the grid with our bare hands on weekends and whatever free time we had. It took us 5 years to build this house. They’ve lost 90% of all their possessions. To top it off, the house wasn’t 100% completed, witch meant they couldn’t get a final on permits which lead to not being able to get the best home owners insurance. We are not one to beg but in this situation anything would help and be very appreciated. Thanks to everyone.  I, Stavros Pardini, started this fundraiser for my parents dan and Vicky and the money will be transferred directly into their account. This money will help them survive for a while until they settle with the insurance which we all know will be a fight.

Dan and Vicky Pardini home loss 

My name is Dave Bragg, and I have created this fundraiser to helpout our dear friends Pete and Sallie Samis.  <br /><br />Pete Samis has been my right hand man for several years and has jumped at the opportunity to support and usually lead our community involvement programs. <br />Some of you knew him when he was the GM or PM at <a href="http://www.realsv.com/#re-team" target="_blank">Thor Construction (now at SVRV)</a> , some of you especially the <a href="http://mpffa.org/index.cfm?section=1" target="_blank">Menlo Park Firefighter's</a> met Pete while building playhouses, and several of you may have spotted him building the little league field. Over the past five years he has built 3 playhouses for <a href="http://www.rebuildingtogetherpeninsula.org/programs/dreams-happen/the-playhouses" target="_blank">Rebuilding Together Peninsula</a> , and managed the construction for the <a href="http://m-all.org/Page.asp?n=113983&amp;org=m-all" target="_blank">Willie Mays Ballpark</a> , while simultaneously running all of our field operations. None of this would've been possible with out the help and support of his loving wife Sallie<br /><br />Pete Samis, like most of us works hard every day to support his family. Unfortunately Pete does not have medical insurance for his family. Since they are not insured they have to pay for every procedure as it happens and Pete has been trying to volunteer for every opportunity at work to make more money, unfortunately there are not enough hours in the day, week or month for him to stay ahead of this.<br /><br />Recently Sallie was diagnosed with a cyst in her brain requiring an almost immediate operation. The picture above was taken at another charity event that they attended for <a href="http://bethanyhamilton.com/" target="_blank">Bethany Hamilton</a> just last month. Sallie's condition is called, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rathke's_cleft_cyst" target="_blank">Rathke's Cleft Cyst</a> .<br /><br /><strong>Sallie's surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10th and has to be paid for that day.</strong> The surgery itself will cost approximatley $13,000 and there are another approximately $2000 in follows up appt and medication anticipated. All the previous appts and tests they have paid out of pocket.<br /><br />Pete and Sallie are not the type of folks that would ever ask for this kind of help but I know they need it and I am donating the first <strong>$1,000</strong> please join me in helping Pete and Sallie Samis in there time of need as I know they would return the favor and more.<br /><br />Thank you all in advance for your support! We have less than 6 days to make this happen.<br /><br />Dave Bragg

John Wurdinger

John Wurdinger

What they care about

Featured causes

Support CA-TF3 Canine Teams: Enhance Their Impact

Menlo Park Firefighters' Toy Drive 2021

Service Dog Litter Project

Menlo Park Firefighter Virtual Pancake Breakfast

L2400 Peer Support

About me