Appleton Volunteer Fire Department is among 45 grant recipients of Georgia-Pacific’s Bucket Brigade program this year. The department will receive $8,000 to help fund equipment needs and basic turnout gear.

“Appleton Volunteer Fire Dept. wishes to express its sincere appreciation for the Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade grant for 2015. In Escambia Co., volunteers answer calls several thousand times each year for a very wide range of incidents, including structure fires, wild land fires, medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, missing persons and hazard materials incidents. They do this for the love of the job and the desire to give back to the public. It’s corporations like GP that give back to the community that help make our jobs possible,” said AVFD Chief Michael Tyler.

This year, Georgia-Pacific awarded $207,000 in grants to fire departments for equipment critical to firefighters’ safety. Since the program started in 2006, Georgia-Pacific has given more than $1.75 million to fire departments in cash and educational materials that serve the company’s facility communities across the country.

“We want to help fire departments have the means necessary to not only keep our communities safe, but also protect the firefighters who are putting themselves in harm’s way,” said Jim Hannan, chief executive officer and president of Georgia-Pacific.

“We’re especially proud to support fire departments in the communities where Georgia-Pacific employees live, work and volunteer.”