Donations soar for Brins Fire firefighters

Greater Sedona shows generosity for Brins Fire efforts

By Chelsea DeWeese

LARSON NEWSPAPERS

On the afternoon of Friday, June 23, Village of Oak Creek resident Liza Dart pulled up in front of Sedona Red Rock High School to unload her vehicle.

As she pulled out boxes full of Wal-Mart shopping bags which contained travel-size toiletries, cough drops and other items, she greeted Shakwan Declay, a 19-year-old firefighter manning the makeshift donation station.

A couple weeks prior, fire-fighters had saved Dart's Pine Valley residence from the LaBarranca Fire, which had burned so close to her front porch that it melted her outdoor lawn chairs into unrecognizable pools of plastic.

So two weeks later, when fire-fighters had turned their efforts to the Brins Fire burning north of Sedona, Dart decided it was time to show her appreciation.

Dart is one of hundreds of Greater Sedona residents and businesses that donated food, clothing and other items to fire-fighting teams during the Brins Fire.

The fire, which ignited June 18 from an escaped campfire off Brins .Mesa Trail, burned more than 4,000 acres of wilderness north of Sedona and inside Oak Creek Canyon.

Like the La Barranca Fire, the Brins Fire caused large-scale evacuations when it began threatening more than 500 homes and business in Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon.

Distinct to the Brins Fire, however, has been a nearly unparalleled outpouring of community support for firefighting efforts.

The donations have come from all directions.

Individuals, such as Dart, provided batteries, clothing and stamped postcards for firefighters to send to loved ones.

In the commons area of Sedona Red Rock High School, which served as the incident command center during the Brins Fire individually wrapped brownies bore hand-written thank-you notes from local residents.

Businesses, such as Wal-Mart, Fry's Marketplace and Safeway, donated what amounted to thousands of dollars worth of bottled water and Gatorade. State Farm Insurance, with the help of its local agents, provided firefighters with 750 30-minute prepaid phone cards. And local construction companies, by opening up their parking lots, provided Brins Fire firefighting teams areas in which to wash off their vehicles a necessary precaution against spreading noxious weeds.

The Great Basin Type 1 Incident Management Team, which took over firefighting efforts on June 20, is stunned. I think this is unique, and very much appreciated," said Scott Carson, a public liaison with the Great Basin team.

"With other incidents, we mostly get 'thank-yous.' This has kind of been above-and-beyond, in terms of donations." The donations have come in such great quantities, in fact,

that the Coconino National Forest Red Rock Ranger District has started compiling a database of donors to enable them to thank everyone involved.

"People have been looking for ways to donate and to participate," said Connie Birkland, a spokeswoman for the Red Rock Ranger District. "It's just been great."

However, as the Brins Fire comes under containment and the number of personnel assigned to the blaze decreases her office is now asking those interested in helping firefighters to direct their donations to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, which aids the families of fallen firefighters.

In addition, the Sedona Friends of the Forest volunteer group, which also accepts donations, will be working on forest rehabilitation following the Brins Fire.

As for Dart, who'd made numerous donations to Brins Fire firefighters as of Friday she said the cost of her Wal-Mart drop off was small in comparison to the value of her Pine Valley home.

"They saved my house, so it's the least I can do," she said, "I'm really thankful."