HINESVILLE, GA – Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation will celebrate equipment grants valued at $38,367 awarded to Liberty County Fire Services and the City of Hinesville Fire Department during a 2:30 p.m. dedication event on Tuesday, September 17 at Firehouse Subs, located at 556 West Oglethorpe Highway in Hinesville, GA 31313.  

“First responders are truly selfless,” said Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation’s Event and Outreach Coordinator, Nancy Palmer. “It’s an honor to be able to give back to these men and women who put all of us before themselves.”

            The event will incorporate a donation ceremony, as well as live demonstrations from receiving organizations, explaining the importance of the equipment and how it will be used to save lives. Residents and Firehouse Subs guests are invited to join the celebration and see firsthand how their generous contributions have come full circle to provide much needed equipment in their community. 

·      Liberty County Fire Services received 11 sets of new turnout gear, valued at $24,532. This awarded gear, which includes coats, pants, boots and gloves, will replace old, damaged gear, allowing firefighters to provide safe and efficient services to their community.  

·      City of Hinesville Fire Department was awarded a large group hazard house and accessories, valued at $13,835. This equipment will allow firefighters to teach citizens how to transition a hazardous household into a home equipped to withstand any emergency.

Event attendees include representatives from each receiving department, as well as Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation’s Event and Outreach Coordinator Nancy Palmer, and Firehouse Subs franchisees Eddie Wells and Mitul Desai.

Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation was founded in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Firehouse Subs co-founders, Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen, traveled to Mississippi where they fed first responders and survivors. As they traveled back to Florida, they knew they could do more and Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation was born with the mission of providing funding, lifesaving equipment and educational opportunities to first responders and public safety organizations. Since inception, the non-profit organization has granted more than $44 million to hometown heroes in 49 states, Puerto Rico and Canada, including more than $2.8 million in Georgia.

To raise money for the Foundation, Firehouse Subs restaurants participate in a number of fundraising efforts. Each restaurant recycles leftover, five-gallon pickle buckets and sells them to guests for $2. Donation canisters on register counters collect spare change, while the Round Up Program allows guests to “round up” their bill to the nearest dollar. Grant allocations are made possible thanks to the overwhelming support of Firehouse Subs restaurants and generous donors.