The Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade™ grant program is fired up over its sixth year of honoring local firefighters.

The Zachary Fire Department and Fire Protection District One from St. Francisville were each awarded $5,000 and selected among 25 fire units across the country to receive a grant.

“Georgia-Pacific is proud to present both the Zachary Fire Department and the West Feliciana Fire Protection District One with these awards. The grant will not only help purchase much needed equipment to keep our communities safe, but it also serves as a token of our appreciation,” said Keith Wahoske, plant manager for the Georgia-Pacific Port Hudson facility. “In many cases, these units are first responders in an emergency, and we honor their commitment to serve.”

Since 2006, the Bucket Brigade program has supported local fire departments in Georgia-Pacific facility communities through more than $1 million in contributions. This includes awarding cash grants, providing safety education materials for school presentations and paying for memberships for all grant applicants to the National Volunteer Fire Council.

“We greatly appreciate receiving this grant. It will be used toward large diameter hoses for the Zachary Fire Department,” said Fire Chief Danny Kimble.

“This grant makes it possible for us to purchase portable fire pumps that will enable us to provide fire protection in problematic and remote areas of our parish, as well as on the Mississippi River. We’re extremely grateful to Georgia-Pacific for the Bucket Brigade program,” Fire Protection District One Fire Chief James Wood said.

The GP Bucket Brigade program meets critical needs particularly for fire departments in small and rural communities with a large volunteer base. In fact, of the one million fire fighters in the United States, 70 percent are volunteers, according to the National Volunteer Fire Council and the National Fire Protection Association.

“We have tremendous respect for firefighters who put themselves in harm’s way for the safety of our community,” said Jim Hannan, CEO/President of GP. “The Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade program is dedicated to helping local fire departments with the resources they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.”

This year, grant recipients spanned 15 states including: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Washington and Wisconsin. Grants were awarded based on critical needs ensuring firefighter safety, as well as proximity to a GP facility.

For more information regarding the Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade program, including photos and videos, please visit gpbucketbrigade.com.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of building products, tissue, packaging, paper, cellulose and related chemicals. The company employs 35,000 people worldwide. GP is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Koch Industries Inc., a privately-owned company headquartered in Wichita, Kan. Both companies have a strong tradition of focused community investment in communities where they have operations.