Supervisor Bartlett Asks Public to Support Our Firefighters

(Orange County, Ca) — If you see the smoke, this article is for you.

In the wake of the horror of the #Holy Fire in the Cleveland National Forest — which has suffered significantly over the past decade from the Arizona-to-California firewood invasive species “Gold Spotted Oak Borer”, we here in the private sector can support our public sector counterparts to save lives, animals, property, structures.

Here’s what Orange County 5th District Supervisor Lisa A. Bartlett’s office just released on ways we can actively help our amazing Orange County Fire Authority Firefighters— who are doing all they humanly can, to fight against these exploding dead 150-year old giant oak trees:

Holy Fire Donations to OCFA Firefighters

There has been an amazing outpouring by the community in support of the ongoing efforts to combat the Holy Fire.

Many of the agencies involved in the effort, including the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), have been receiving emails and phone calls from the community, offering support and inquiring about how they can help.

Please know they appreciate all the support and have ensured all firefighter needs have been met; however, some would still like to contribute. If you are among those who still wish to do so, below are a few suggestions.

Donations of water, electrolyte drinks, and store bought sealed items:

• May be delivered to the Regional Fire Operations and Training Center at 1 Fire Authority Road, Irvine, CA 92602, during normal business hours; however, it is also closed today (due to regular every other Friday closures), and the facility is closed on Saturday and Sunday.
• Prospective donors can contact OCFA at coa@ocfa.org to see if there is any need for the type of donation they are considering, prior to coming in, as many of our supply needs have been met.

Gift Cards:

• We will be happy to forward any gift cards we recieve to the OCFA Firefighter’s Benevolent Association for fire members in need.

Monetary Donations may be made to:

• OCFA Foundation Website
• OCFA Foundation Donation
• Wildland Firefighter Foundation
• Wildland Firefighter Foundation

OCFA is also aware of a few “Go Fund Me” accounts; however, we cannot verify the legitimacy of these at this time and are currently not endorsing them until further notice.

“Well wishes” and “words of encouragement” emails are welcome and appreciated and may be sent to OCFA at coa@ocfa.org.

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Credit photo OC SUPERVISOR LISA BARTLETT’s OFFICE; YouTube NPR “Invasive Beetle Destroys 80,000 Oak Trees and Counting” https://youtu.be/fdwfwr_6tCY