BAINBRIDGE, Ohio — The Bainbridge Fire Department has been selected to receive a pallet of emergency drinking water for 2026 through a national donation program that keeps volunteer firefighters hydrated during wildfires and other extended emergency responses.
“Keeping firefighters hydrated during long incidents or disasters such as wildfires is a critical need for fire departments, yet many volunteer departments struggle with limited budget and resources,” the department said in a Facebook post announcing the donation.
The water comes through a partnership between Anheuser-Busch and the National Volunteer Fire Council that has provided emergency drinking water to volunteer departments since 2019. This year, the brewer is donating 1.5 million cans of water to selected departments nationwide ahead of the summer wildfire season, rather than waiting until after a disaster strikes.
Since the partnership began, the program has delivered nearly 12 million cans of water to volunteer fire departments through 3,772 deliveries across nearly all 50 states, according to Anheuser-Busch. The brewer’s broader emergency water relief effort dates back to 1988, when it began donating canned drinking water to communities affected by disasters, and it has since donated more than 100 million cans nationwide.
To qualify, departments must be more than 50% volunteer, serve a population of 25,000 or fewer, and have responded to wildfires with plans to continue doing so, according to National Volunteer Fire Council guidelines. Selected departments each receive one pallet of water — 2,352 cans — with recipients chosen by an NVFC review panel.
Bainbridge Fire Department covers 77 square miles across Ross and Pike counties and is staffed by part-time and volunteer members under Fire Chief Branson Leisure.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Bainbridge Fire Department.
