PARTNER WITH US
The firefighters who protect your community deserve protection, too.
Your business depends on a community where people show up for each other. Here's a chance to show up for the firefighters who are always there when it matters, by helping them access care for the gear that protects them.
The fire goes out. The risk doesn't always go with it.
A firefighter finishes a call, heads back to the station, and gets ready for the next one. It's part of the job. But some of what they encountered at that fire can stay in their gear long after the flames are gone.
Over a career, those repeated exposures matter.
At the 2025 International Association of Fire Fighters Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, 247 of the 311 members honored had died from occupational cancer. That's 79.4% of the members honored at that memorial.
And the concern goes well beyond that memorial. A NIOSH study of nearly 30,000 career firefighters found 9% more cancer diagnoses and 14% more cancer-related deaths than expected based on U.S. population rates. It's further evidence of the risks firefighters face over the course of their careers.
247 of 311
members honored at the 2025 memorial had died from occupational cancer — 79.4% of the members honored
IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, 2025
+9%
more cancer diagnoses than expected in a study of nearly 30,000 career firefighters
NIOSH
+14%
more cancer-related deaths than expected in the same study
NIOSH
Behind every one of those numbers is a firefighter, a family, and a community that counted on them.
We can't eliminate every risk that comes with firefighting. But we can do something about what's still in the gear they wear.
And that's something worth coming together around.
Better protection shouldn't depend on a department's budget.
Think about the fire department serving a small town. The firefighters respond to house fires, vehicle accidents, and emergencies just like their counterparts in larger cities. Many are volunteers, balancing that responsibility with jobs and families of their own.
But their departments may be working with much smaller budgets, fewer resources, and longer distances to specialized services.
More than half of the firefighters listed in the U.S. Fire Administration's national registry are volunteers. And while not every volunteer department struggles financially, many smaller and rural departments face real barriers to accessing advanced gear decontamination.
The services exist. The funding and access aren't always there.
The Afterburn Foundation was created to help close that gap, starting with departments in Oregon and Northern California.
Because a firefighter's access to better gear care shouldn't come down to the size of the town they serve.
Your company can help protect an entire crew.
A single firefighter sponsorship makes a difference. A corporate partnership can help bring advanced decontamination access to a whole group of firefighters, or even an entire department.
WE'VE MADE THE SPONSORSHIP MODEL SIMPLE
$500. One firefighter. One year.
Every $500 sponsors one firefighter for one year of advanced decontamination access.
$1,000
2 Firefighters
Two firefighters sponsored for one year of advanced decontamination access.
$2,500
5 Firefighters
Five firefighters sponsored for one year of advanced decontamination access.
$5,000
10 Firefighters
Ten firefighters sponsored for one year of advanced decontamination access.
$10,000
20 Firefighters
Twenty firefighters sponsored for one year of advanced decontamination access.
$25,000
50 Firefighters
Fifty firefighters sponsored for one year of advanced decontamination access.
CUSTOM PARTNERSHIP
A Full Department
A full-department cohort, sized to the department's needs.
Where does the money go?
The Afterburn Foundation funds access to advanced gear decontamination through qualified, independent service providers. That means helping eligible departments get the specialized cleaning services their firefighters need when cost would otherwise stand in the way.
Sponsorship funding supports qualifying services, along with the coordination and logistics needed to make that access possible. Funds are pooled within the program because different firefighters and departments have different needs.
We're starting in Oregon and Northern California, with a Year One goal of sponsoring 2,000 firefighters.
Whether your company wants to sponsor 10 firefighters or help an entire department, we'd welcome a conversation about what makes sense.
SPONSOR RECOGNITION
Every sponsor gets recognized. Bigger sponsorships build on it.
Every business sponsor — at every level — receives a logo and company listing on this page, a dedicated social media post thanking your business, and a formal thank-you letter for your records. Higher levels add:
$2,500
Impact Report Credit
Your business name credited in the Year One Impact Report.
$5,000
Field Notes Credit
Sponsor credit in Field Notes, our email to supporters, when your cohort is funded.
$10,000
Proud Sponsor Badge
A Proud Sponsor badge for your website and social media, plus an invitation to a recognition moment when your cohort's departments are served.
$25,000
Founding Corporate Partner
Year One founding designation, top placement on this page, a cohort that carries your company's name, and a completion report with photos when the year wraps.
CUSTOM
Named Sponsorships
Whole-department or regional sponsorship naming, plus an employee-giving package for your team.
Because taking care of your community includes taking care of its firefighters.
Everybody loves firefighters. We see them at community events, wave when the trucks go by, and count on them when something goes wrong. But supporting firefighters can mean more than thanking them for their service. For businesses, a partnership with The Afterburn Foundation is a practical way to put that appreciation into action.
Protect the people who protect your people.
Your employees, customers, neighbors, and families all depend on local emergency responders. Helping firefighters access better decontamination is one way your company can stand behind the people who stand ready for everyone else.
Make a difference close to home.
We're beginning in Oregon and Northern California. As the program develops, we'll be able to share which departments are participating, how many firefighters have been sponsored, and what services that support has helped make possible. It's a specific, local need with progress you can follow.
Help build something from the beginning.
The Afterburn Foundation is new. We're putting the first partnerships, department relationships, and sponsorships in place right now. Early corporate partners have an opportunity to help establish the foundation of a program we intend to grow well beyond its first year.
Every sponsor receives the recognition listed above. But the most important part of the partnership will always be the firefighters it supports.
If that sounds like the kind of community investment your company wants to make, we'd like to hear from you.
Three simple steps. Real support for firefighters.
- STEP 01
Let's have a conversation
Tell us a little about your company, the communities you care about, and what kind of involvement you're considering. We'll share where The Afterburn Foundation is in its launch and what sponsorship opportunities may be a good fit.
- STEP 02
Choose your sponsorship level
You might want to support 2 firefighters, 50 firefighters, or work with us on a full-department sponsorship. We'll help identify an approach that fits your goals and the needs of qualifying fire departments.
- STEP 03
Firefighters get sponsored. You hear how it goes.
As sponsorships are funded and services are delivered through qualified independent providers, we'll share updates about what your support is helping make possible.
No complicated sponsorship packages to sort through. Just a conversation, a clear commitment, and a shared goal of helping firefighters access the care their gear needs.
We're looking for the companies willing to help us get started.
Every foundation has a beginning. This is ours.
The Afterburn Foundation is a brand-new 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to reduce preventable firefighter cancer by expanding access to advanced decontamination.
We're still building our first group of participating departments and corporate partners. Our first firefighters have not yet been served.
We want to be clear about that, because there's something meaningful about being part of the beginning.
We're forming our first cohort of founding corporate partners now, ahead of Giving Tuesday on December 1.
These early partnerships will help us move from a mission and a plan to actual firefighters receiving funded decontamination services.
Our Year One goal is 2,000 firefighters. We know that won't happen overnight, and it won't happen without people and companies who believe this is a problem worth addressing.
If your business wants to be part of building that first chapter, we'd be glad to talk.
OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS
Businesses standing with firefighters
GET IN TOUCH
Questions about partnering?
Email us at info@afterburnfoundation.org and we'll talk through what a partnership could look like for your business. You can also use the contact form — just choose Partnership as your topic.
They show up for our communities. Let's show up for them.
Firefighters don't get to choose which emergencies they'll face. But together, we can help make sure more of them have access to advanced decontamination when they need it. Whether you're a local business, a regional employer, or a corporate foundation, there's room for a meaningful partnership.
FOR BUSINESSES
Partner With Afterburn
Tell us what you're thinking. We'll figure out the next step together. On the contact form, select Partnership as your topic.
PREFER TO GIVE TODAY?
Sponsor a Firefighter
$500 provides one firefighter with a year of advanced decontamination access.
The Afterburn Foundation · A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization · EIN: 41-3884896