Two Los Angeles Fire Department stations plan to use the donations to upgrade their equipment and tools.
The Independent Jewelers Organization (IJO) has raised more than $36,000 to benefit two fire stations in Los Angeles.
In January of this year, a series of destructive wildfires that started in Southern California affected several areas in Los Angeles and San Diego County, killing at least 30 people.
The wildfires burned tens of thousands of acres over the course of about 3 weeks, leading to billions of dollars in losses.
IJO is the latest of several in the industry who have contributed to relief efforts for the area.
The organization held a scrap gold donation fundraiser to benefit firefighters and other recovery efforts in March during its semi-annual conference in Palm Springs, California, raising $19,000.
IJO vendor partners Elemetal & United Precious Metals donated their time to manage the gold donations.
In addition, two paintings created by the event’s keynote speaker, artist Erik Wahl, were auctioned off.
Wahl’s depiction of The Statue of Liberty and portrait of Albert Einstein sold for $8,750 each, bringing the total raised to $36,500.
“The response from our membership was truly heartwarming,” said IJO Vice President Jennifer Herold.
“This support makes a real difference.”
IJO donated the money to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation’s Adopt-A-Fire-Station Program, which works to improve firefighters' and paramedics' working and living conditions for the 106 LAFD fire stations.
IJO selected Fire Station 16 in South El Sereno and Fire Station 44 in Cypress Park, two stations the organization said are located in underserved communities and struggle with ongoing, unmet needs.
Captain Best at LAFD Fire Station 44 noted, “The city of Los Angeles does not provide many of the essentials required of life in a fire station. We have to either come up with our own money or ask for help from the Fire Foundation through donations. These donations typically come from businesses or individuals within each fire station district. At 44’s, we have had no donors in the last 7 years since I’ve been here. While the Fire Foundation has been gracious in finding other money to help us when they can, it’s been tough to get everything we need done.”
Best said the station plans to use the IJO funds to complete its fire station gymnasium, purchase gym equipment, and upgrade its station tools with modern, up-to-date equipment.
“Please think of this as a 20-year investment in 44’s physical and mental wellness. We take excellent care of our equipment and tools, so we will make it last,” said Best.
Firefighter Kristian Bage at LAFD Fire Station 16 said they will use the funds to add a much-needed storage unit to better organize gear, tools, and supplies.
"As one of the smaller stations, having this additional space will make a big difference in our day-to-day operations,” said Bage.
“We’ll also be upgrading our gym equipment, which is used daily as part of our physical fitness requirement. Our current equipment is outdated, so these improvements will directly support our health and readiness. We truly appreciate [IJO’s] support; it means a lot to all of us."
IJO President and CEO Stephen Barnes added, “IJO has made it a practice to ‘leave our mark’ in the communities we visit, and we’re so proud to have been able to make contributions of more than half a million dollars to many worthy causes over the years.”