October is First Responders Month, and representatives from Jefferson will be traveling to Ames on Wednesday, Oct. 3 to celebrate their receipt of grants from Firehouse Subs restaurants to kick it off. The Jefferson Police Department has received two automated external defibrillators (AEDs), valued at nearly $3,000. The equipment will help ensure police officers are prepared to provide medical assistance if an individual goes into cardiac arrest. They will be one of four communities present on Wednesday, representing more than $71,000 of assistance provided to communities in the greater Des Moines area. The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, administrator of the grant program, was founded in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina. They have since operated within the mission of funding lifesaving equipment and educational opportunities for first responders and safety organizations, and have granted over $37.7 million. This includes more than $425,000 in Iowa. Donations of $2 are made for leftover pickle buckets at the Firehouse Subs restaurants, canisters for spare change are on their counters and guests can have their bill rounded up to the nearest dollar. Firehouse of America also donates a sum equivalent to 13 percent of all gross sales, with a minimum of $1 million through Dec. 31 of this year.
