Firehouse Subs donates $31K in rescue gear to Juana Díaz first responders
The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has awarded the Municipality of Juana Díaz’s Emergency Management Office a $31,182 grant for specialized rescue and emergency equipment.
The delivery includes 10 sets of water rescue vests, helmets, gloves, duffel bags, ropes, harnesses, lighting equipment, wetsuits, boots, first aid kits and a 12-foot raft.
“Puerto Rico is privileged to have excellent and well-trained first responders,” said Fernando Oliver, CEO of Latin American Subs, the franchisee of Firehouse Subs on the island. “Our commitment to first responders goes beyond words, putting in their hands the rescue equipment they need to perform their work in an agile and safe manner.”
Since 2011, the foundation has distributed $723,469 in equipment to 13 municipalities through 35 grants. Donations have included defibrillators, protective gear, extraction tools, thermal chambers and an inflatable rescue boat. Nationwide, the foundation has provided $100 million in support to 6,914 organizations.
“The key to a better island is in the union of purposes. Your contribution will result in a better response to the immediate needs of our fellow citizens,” Juana Díaz Mayor Ramón Hernández-Torres said.
The town’s 15-member Emergency Management team operates from the new Integrated Public Safety Center, handling rescues, missing person searches and emergency responses to accidents and natural disasters. The next national grant application period opens Oct. 9.
