The Bon Secour Fire/Rescue Department received a boost to its firefighting capabilities after the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation presented the volunteer department with more than $21,400 worth of donated equipment.
Foundation representatives celebrated the donation during an event held for the Baldwin County department, which serves the Bon Secour community near Foley. The gift included a new fire hose, a fire nozzle and a thermal imaging camera, equipment that foundation officials said will help the department detect and extinguish fires more quickly and safely.
Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation officials said in a statement that the donated gear will directly improve the department’s emergency response capabilities, giving firefighters better tools for locating hot spots and knocking down fires before they spread further.
The foundation, founded in 2005 by the Jacksonville-based sandwich chain, has given more than $12 million to public safety agencies across 42 states and Puerto Rico since its inception. Of that total, more than $748,000 has gone to fire departments, law enforcement agencies and other public safety organizations in Alabama.
Much of the foundation’s fundraising comes from unconventional sources tied directly to its restaurants. Locations sell leftover five-gallon pickle buckets for $2 each, while donation canisters near cash registers collect additional contributions. The chain also runs a Round Up Program that invites customers to round their purchase totals up to the nearest dollar, with the extra change funneled into the foundation’s grant fund.
Rural and volunteer fire departments across Baldwin County have periodically relied on grants and equipment donations from organizations like the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation to supplement often-tight municipal budgets, particularly for specialized gear such as thermal imaging cameras that can be costly to purchase outright. Department leaders in Bon Secour said the new equipment will be put into service as part of the department’s regular firefighting operations going forward.