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500 For Life: New Group Awards Thermal Imagers to Firefighters

Creatively Spreading The Message In New Jersey

Grant Round-Up

November/
December 2007

500 For Life: New Group Awards Thermal Imagers to Firefighters

The newly launched charitable organization, 500 For Life, the founder of which was inspired by a showing of "Into the Fire" last year, announced its first round of thermal imaging camera awards in late August. Thermal imaging cameras were awarded to 10 needy fire departments across the nation. Recipients each received a Bullard^® T4 Thermal Imager valued at $13,000. Announced at the 2007 Fire-Rescue International Conference in Atlanta, the recipients included:

Atlanta-area real estate entrepreneur Frank Buonanotte, founder of 500 For Life poses with the thermal imaging cameras his organization purchases for fire departments across the country. The organization is supported by tax-deductible donations.
 

Four more thermal imaging camera winners were later selected in October, including:

• Huntington Lake Volunteer Fire Department (Lakeshore, Calif.)
• Longview Volunteer Fire Department (Longview Ill.)
• White Haven Volunteer Fire Department (White Haven, Penn.)
• Bodega Volunteer Fire Department (Bodega Bay, Calif.)

Additional Grant Opportunities

Don't be disappointed if your department wasn't chosen for these first camera donations. According to Atlanta-area real estate entrepreneur and 500 For Life founder, Frank Buonanotte, there will be continuing opportunities for fire departments to receive thermal imaging cameras.

"500 For Life is an ongoing charitable organization dedicated to saving the lives of fire victims and firefighters by providing thermal imaging cameras to fire departments that lack the funding to purchase the cameras they need," said Buonanotte. "Thermal imagers have quickly become one of the most important pieces of equipment for any fire department. Our mission will not be complete until every fire department and responding unit has the thermal imagers they need to save lives."

500 For Life joined with Fireman's Fund^® and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to identify needy fire departments. The recipients are chosen from the 1,000-plus fire departments that responded to a request for proposals for funds raised through screenings of "Into the Fire," sales of DVDs, T-shirts, and other items.

"If your department submitted a proposal for the 'Into the Fire' grants, but your proposal was not selected for either the first round of those grants or for the initial 500 For Life camera donations, you can still benefit. Your proposal will remain in the pool being considered for upcoming 500 For Life cameras and ‘Into the Fire' grants, as well as for possible Fireman's Fund Heritage^® grants," says Danielle Cagan, Heritage program director for Fireman's Fund. "You do not need to submit a new proposal to be eligible for these grants or awards."
 

Chief Gary Dreyer (left) of Crockery Township Fire Department, Nunica, Mich., poses with 500 For Life founder Frank Buonanotte. Crockery Township was awarded a thermal imaging camera from 500 For Life in August.

Rescues in the Dark of Night

The 15-person fire department in Lakeshore, Calif. received their thermal imaging camera from 500 For Life earlier this month, says Chief Chris Donnelly. This is the first thermal imager the all-volunteer fire crew has ever had.

"There was a crying need for a camera," says Donnelly. The department covers a remote, forested area and lake resort in the Sierra Nevada mountains in central California. The resort, Lake Huntington, is at least one hour away from backup support.

"During the summer there is a population of about 14,000 people here enjoying the resort, and our crew are the main responders watching out for them" says Donnelly.

"If we have a fire and must go into a smoke-filled area to rescue people, we really have no one to count on besides ourselves, as our backup is so far away. That's why we needed the camera so much."

Donnelly also notes that at night time, "it's very dark in the Sierra Nevada mountains and forests. We've lost people at night before, while they were boating on the lake or getting lost from their campsite after dark. Just last summer, we had a man fall into the lake at night when his boat capsized. It was a dark, moonless night and unfortunately we did not find him until it was too late. If we had the camera last summer, we may have saved that man."

"Words cannot express our gratitude to 500 For Life for providing this very valuable, life-saving piece of equipment to our department," he says.
 

“500” Background

The nonprofit organization 500 For Life came into being when Frank Buonanotte, a highly successful real estate entrepreneur located in the Atlanta area, learned the value of thermal imaging cameras from a showing of "Into the Fire" on The History Channel^® last year. Frank decided to create a nonprofit organization which would solicit donations to purchase thermal imagers for needy fire departments in his home state of Georgia and throughout the country. The Buonanotte family pays for the organization's administrative, marketing and fundraising costs so that 100 percent of donations go toward the purchase of the cameras. All donations made to 500 For Life are tax deductible under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code.

500 For Life joined with the Fireman's Fund Heritage program and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to qualify and prioritize those fire departments in greatest need for imagers, based on criteria such as the number of fires fought each year and the amount of funding available from other sources. Bullard, the leading manufacturer of thermal imagers, extended its partnership with Fireman's Fund to 500 For Life, maximizing the impact of the funds available.