Walmart donates $20,000 to fire department

Funds to help upgrade air handling system in Buck Creek Fire Station truck bays

HANCOCK COUNTY – Walmart made a contribution to help protect those who rush to protect their employees and neighbors on some of their worst days.

The company donated $20,000 to the Buck Creek Township Fire Department in Hancock County, Indiana to upgrade the air handling system in its station truck bays. Funds will help offset the cost of installing an Airhawk Air Filtration System, which will be placed in apparatus bays to actively filter and recirculate clean air, significantly reducing the exhaust fumes that can be absorbed into firefighters’ gear. Minimizing this contamination is critically important, as exhaust and residual byproducts from structure fires are widely recognized as potential cancer-causing agents.

Walmart has a robust presence in the area, including a fulfillment center with a footprint of over 2.2 million square feet in Buck Creek Township and a Supercenter not far away on Washington Street in Indianapolis. Representatives from both locations as well as Walmart’s headquarters in Arkansas visited Buck Creek Township Fire Station 71 not far from the fulfillment center earlier this month to present the donation as well as in-kind contributions.

Geoffrey Appleby, General Manager of Walmart’s fulfillment center in Buck Creek Township, said he believes strong communities are built on strong partnerships.

“Few partnerships matter more than the ones we share with first responders,” he told Buck Creek Township firefighters and officials. “Your work–answering calls at all hours; rushing toward danger; caring for our neighbors on their toughest days; keeping our associates, customers, and families safe–supporting you isn’t a one-time gesture, it’s a continuing commitment we take seriously here in Hancock County.”

Appleby called Station 71 “the cornerstone of safety in Buck Creek Township and the surrounding area” and noted many associates at the fulfillment center live in Hancock County.

“We see your engines and ambulances on the roads we drive, at the schools our kids attend, and at the moments when neighbors need help most,” he said. “Today’s investment–the donation from Walmart to upgrade the air handling system in the truck bays–is about supporting the environment you work in every day so you can focus on the mission without compromise.”

Doug Cermak, Store Manager of the Walmart Supercenter on Washington Street in Indianapolis, said the store was honored and privileged to make the in-kind contributions, adding he has a fondness for first responders, as his son-in-law serves as one.

“Walmart has a history of operating globally,” he said. “We have over 4,000 stores, but we love to give back, and that’s something that’s been very passionate for our store–is giving back to the community.”

Buck Creek Township Fire Chief Brandon Wilch said he’s appreciated the department’s partnership with Walmart dating back to the start of the fulfillment center’s construction and is thankful for the donation.

“Using some of those funds to help with the health and safety of our crews is of most importance to us,” he told Walmart officials. “We’re just grateful you guys are partnering with us on helping offset some of the costs for some of these projects as we move forward.”

Buck Creek Township Trustee Micki Simunek noted how imperative air handling systems are for the safety of crews working among contaminants that make their way into fire station truck bays.

“We are eternally grateful to free up some of our budget to be able to do other things as well,” she said. “The partnership we have gotten with the local distribution center, with the local store, and the folks in Arkansas–we’re forever grateful.”

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