At Anheuser-Busch, we have a long-standing commitment to support our neighbors during their times of need.

Last year, we built on this commitment by evolving our emergency drinking water program to support volunteer firefighters battling wildfires across the country.

We teamed up with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to donate more than 1 million cans of clean water in 2019 to support the efforts of these first responders and provide critical hydration to those who are volunteering to put their lives on the line to help others.

The program kicked off in May as our wholesaler partners delivered approximately 300,000 cans of emergency drinking water to 26 volunteer fire departments, located in some of the most vulnerable markets across the country, in preparation for the upcoming wildfire season.

This year, we are proud to continue this partnership in support of our volunteer fire service and are committing to provide 1.5 million cans of emergency drinking water in 2020 to fire departments across the country.

Starting this spring, volunteer fire departments across the U.S. will be able to request Anheuser-Busch emergency drinking water through the NVFC for their immediate or upcoming wildfire response needs. Additional information is available at www.nvfc.org/water. 

We’ve also joined forces with the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) to educate members of Congress about the needs of our nation’s fire and emergency services.

By donating these cans of emergency drinking water and helping to raise awareness on the challenges that firefighters face, we aim to do our part to support volunteers as they heroically protect their friends and neighbors.

Learn why we are teaming up with the National Volunteer Fire Council to donate emergency drinking water to volunteer fire departments:

Volunteer fire departments across the country are understaffed and under-supported. Approximately, 65% of America's firefighters are volunteers, and nearly 85% of the nation's fire departments are all or mostly volunteer.

Volunteer firefighters need plenty of support and hydration is not only a major concern, but it is an area in which we, at Anheuser-Busch, can help. It is crucial that our firefighters stay hydrated, so they can reach their peak performance when protecting our communities. 

Dehydration can result in decreased physical and mental performance, as well as serious health consequences – a major concern when lives are on the line. Firefighters lose between 50-70 oz of water in 30-40 minutes, compared to 8-16 oz of water per 60 minutes during average athletic activity. This means that firefighters can lose roughly 5 times the amount of water as athletes during a given period of time.

Learn more about how volunteer firefighters like Sheri’s family need our support:

As the country faces more natural disasters, it is important to have programs in place to help emergency responders.

Our program comes together through a national partnership between the NVFC, Anheuser-Busch, and our wholesaler partners, to provide this valuable support to our nation’s volunteer firefighters.

While there is still more work that can be done to support all of our country’s firefighters and first-responders, we are proud to take one step forward to provide necessary resources to the men and women who volunteer to risk their lives and protect the communities where we live and work.

From the production capabilities in our breweries to our expansive network of wholesaler partners, we always stand ready to deliver support to those in need at a moment’s notice.

Since the inception of our emergency drinking water program in 1988, we have worked alongside the American Red Cross and the NVFC to donate nearly 83 million cans of clean drinking water to U.S. communities affected by natural disasters.

To read more about Anheuser-Busch’s emergency drinking water program across the country, click here and here.

Supporting volunteer firefighters with emergency drinking water gives us purpose beyond brewing.