Firefighters have continued their battle with a record number of wildfires in Florida and Georgia over recent months. Recognizing the need for assistance, Don Jones, division manager of the Jacksonville division, partnered with CSX’s Corporate Citizenship department to supply coolers filled with water and Gatorade for firefighters. The gesture was in gratitude for their efforts in battling the fires in Waycross. In early June, CSX volunteers led by Pat Cokley, manager of Safety & Operating Practices, and Rod Logan, assistant division manager, delivered 12 fully stocked 100-gallon coolers to the firefighters.

In late June, CSX responded again by donating a truckload of bottled water to the Georgia Forestry Commission with the help of Don Daniels, Lisa Pleasants and Nate Bryant from Purchasing. Tommy Pearson, supervisor of Environmental Field Services, accompanied the truck and worked through the weekend to ensure that the water was distributed to firefighters in Waycross and surrounding counties.

“My main concern was getting the water to the right people,” Pearson said. The truckload held 72 pallets of water — more than 38,000 bottles in all. Pearson delivered them to the Waycross command center, and then traveled to Folkston and Fargo, Ga., for deliveries to firefighters there. “What impressed me was how everyone shared the water and spread the word with people who needed it, like the local fire departments and the command centers. We also got a request for clear safety glasses, and we gathered up four boxes full. We have a good relationship with our community in Waycross, and everybody was very appreciative.”

CSX also responded to a request from the Jacksonville Marine Transportation Exchange, which gathered supplies for the firefighters in Florida. Ed Healy, director-Purchasing, worked with Orr Safety to secure a box of cooling bandanas and boxes of electrolyte replacement products.