Battery donation program launches to help fire dept.

Of the more than one million active firefighters in the U.S., 73 percent serve entirely as volunteers. Duracell, in partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), has launched a national battery donation program, Power Those Who Protect Us, to help equip these volunteer firefighters with supplies they need to help power their everyday tools and life-saving devices, such as flashlights, breathing apparatus and emergency personnel locators. A total of 819 volunteer fire departments in the state of Michigan will benefit through the new campaign. Sixty-four percent of volunteer firefighters surveyed report that their department is not sufficiently funded to sustain all areas of operations. In fact, 86 percent of volunteer firefighters report that they or their families invest their own money in purchasing supplies and/or equipment for their department, with most of them (73 percent) investing up to $500 per year. Duracell and the NVFC created the Power Those Who Protect Us program to raise awareness for the needs of these volunteers who selflessly donate their personal time and income to protect our communities. With the help of consumers, the program goal is to provide 10 million batteries to the 23,000 volunteer fire departments in the U.S. in order to help power devices and life-saving equipment used to keep volunteer firefighters and their communities safe. Consumers can participate in the Power Those Who Protect Us program by purchasing specially marked Duracell CopperTop battery packs at retailers nationwide. For every specially marked Duracell CopperTop 10- and 20-pack of AA or AAA batteries purchased, Duracell will donate one or two batteries respectively. Every department will receive a sizable battery donation, in some cases the equivalent of a year's supply depending on department size, and consumers can help increase the donation to their local volunteer departments even further by directing their battery donation by zip code at www.duracell.com/protect or by visiting facebook.com/duracell and clicking on the program tab. The majority of volunteer firefighters in the U.S. balance careers where they work 40 hours a week or more and their families, many of them with children, while the majority committing up to 20 extra hours a week volunteering at their fire station. Many work into the early hours responding to the majority of emergency calls that come in between 6 p.m. and midnight. Through the Power Those Who Protect Us Program, Duracell and the NVFC want to recognize the hard work these local heroes do everyday, encourage communities to get involved in giving back to them and provide a meaningful supply of batteries to help ease everyday operational costs. For more information or to get involved in Duracell's Power Those Who Protect Us battery donation program, visit www.duracell.com/protect and/or Facebook.com/duracell. Published: Thu, Feb 24, 2011