Colorado Fire Districts Receiving Our Quilts
Since August 2003
Fire fighters give our snuggle quilts to children they see on their emergency runs to calm them and help them feel safe. Any fire district is eligible to receive these quilts to give to children in crisis or in need.
If your fire department has not received any quilts from us and
you'd like to participate in our quilt program,
please contact Dusty Darrah or 303-683-6455.
If you have received snuggle quilts from us in the past and need replacements,
you may also contact Dusty for another delivery.
We are very proud that each of the fire districts below, were given a minimum of 15-20 quilts when they began to participate in our quilt program.
Action Care Ambulance Receives 76 Quilts |
What a variety of beautiful quilts Action Care received in March 2010. Eight of their employees, Fran Auda, and Dusty Darrah are pictured here in front of their ambulance. |
We were given a tour of their Dispatch Center, insurance billing reps and reception areas this time.
“What fun going to the Action Care Ambulance location and meeting all the friendly, exciting and caring people. It was obvious they appreciate the quilts and recognize all the effort and time that is put into each one. That they take the time to get feedback from the families is a big plus. Thanks for asking me to go.” Fran Auda |
NOTE FROM EMTS: “Thanks again for the new supply, you all ROCK!” said our crew members when they saw the photos from the latest delivery. “Please relay my gratitude for those quilts. I love giving them out to the kids that need us and I know it relieves some of the stress and fear that they experience. Thank you so much for them.” Curtis Tygres |
Action Care Ambulance
Centennial CO
(L-R) Andy Bowler, Jasmin Wagner (FHQ) Linda Bradley, Sara Van Horne (FHQ), Bonnie Guy (FHQ), Jacque Schneider (FHQ), Cathy Furstenau (FHQ),
Mike Forrester and Dusty Darrah, (FHQ Organizer).
June 16, 2006, we made our first delivery
of 67 quilts to ActionCare Ambulance Services near Greenwood Village.
Action Care serves a huge population in Colorado and has been so good about giving quilts out freely to the children.
It’s so nice to see the excitement in the office of Action Care when we walk in with more quilts for them to give to children they see on their emergency runs.
(L-R) Linda Bradley, Stacey Moser & Judi Masters
Linda Bradley has just been wonderful about keeping in touch with us every month and relaying the comments to us
from the children that receive our quilts.
It just does our hearts good to hear about it.
Action Care gave us 3 different patches that their employees wear to show how they have been trained.
Calhan Police Dept.
Calhan, CO
July 14, 2005, we delivered 20 quilts to the police department in Calhan, since they are frequently the first responders on scene.
Steve Hannum & John Spahn, both officers of Calhan Police dept. displayed one of the quilts donated to them.
Sheriff Buddy Johnson initiated the delivery with
Mike Darrah, who volunteers in the Calhan area
with the police departments.
Denver Fire Station 20 15 Firehouse Quilts go to Denver Fire Station 20
“Our deliveries are such wonderful, learning experiences and it’s so nice Dusty asked us to accompany her. August 27th, 2009 as our first delivery and we were very excited.” (Kim)
“Before we headed out, we stopped by our storage units to pick up 30+ quilts. The storage units are wonderful, organized spaces.” (Lynn) “Boy, would I love to plop my sewing machine on the table in that fabric room and go crazy!” (Kim)
When we arrived at Denver Fire Station #20, the firefighters were out on a call, so we made ourselves comfortable on their patio to wait. When they returned, we gave them our quilts and they gave us a tour of their station, telling us about the equipment they use. They cover over 4,000 fire and medical calls a year with just one engine! Shortly after he began describing the hoses and tools on board, they got another call and had to leave. Do you know the difference between a fire engine and a fire truck? Fire Engines carry water, hoses, tools (including a multi-tool designed by two (now retired) Denver firemen which is used throughout the country),
They primarily fight fires and respond to emergency calls. Fire Trucks carry ladders, tools; what interested me most was the multi-tool called the TNT, which was designed right here in Denver. The TNT tool (left) has several ends on it that could be used for everything from knocking down doors to getting someone out of a burning car. Too bad they had to leave so soon, because it was fascinating learning about everything on the truck. They were very grateful for the quilts.
|
Denver Metro Station 20
2009
(Back row, L-R) Brad Balding, Ryan Balows, Tom Duran, Cathy Furstenau, Rick Salagovic, (front row) Jacque Schneider, Greg Thomas
Ryan Balows, one of station 20’s firefighters, found out about us at
Make It Sew’s Englewood store during the time that store
was hosting a Sew-In for Firehouse Quilts.
We contacted Chief Brad Balding and set up a date for our delivery
of 20 quilts. The excitement and willingness to share the history of
their station was amazing. It seems that the circus group with
P. T. Barnum still has a lot of history in this area.
We got quite an educational tour of the building, giving us an insight
as to how the firefighters live and work.
This fire truck is a reserve vehicle, to be used when their regular truck
is being serviced.
The empty bay in front is where the working truck is normally when they are not out on a call.
(or when Firehouse Quilts isn’t making a delivery and wants an outdoors picture.)
This huge cooking stove is in their
kitchen with a beautiful wood inlay
house logo above it.
This is not a sticker or painted
on the wood; it is made with different types
and colors of wood, inlaid to make
this beautiful design.
It was created by Al Verdeal before he retired and it is proudly displayed above their stove today.
Al also made a lot of their office tables and desks out of solid wood.
He’s a wonderful woodworker!
The firefighters sleep in very simple bedrooms, equipped with two twin sized beds, a desk & chair and some shelf space.
This beautiful painting of the American Eagle and flag boasting
‘Denver Fire Department’ in the golden ribbon below,
has been painted on the back of their truck.
The firefighters at this station have a great sense of pride and history for the Barnum area where their station is located.
See the history about this Barnum area and pictures here.
Denver International Airport Fire Dept.
In April 2006, we delivered 10 quilts to the fire department at
Denver International Airport. Although they were enthralled with our workmanship and loved the idea of our program, they rarely deal with children in their rescue efforts at the airport so they requested we only bring a small number of quilts on our 1st delivery. They were very appreciative and we look forward to hearing from them again.
Elbert, CO
Elbert Colorado FD Joins Our Program
After giving a presentation to the Elbert, Colorado volunteer fire department, they were happy to join our program.
I left 15 quilts with them and picked up their ‘patch’ while I was there.
It’s so important to supply as many of our rural communities as possible since they don’t have the funding that the large city fire departments have.
We don’t want to forget any of them.
Elizabeth Volunteer FD
Elizabeth, CO
Elk Creek Fire Dept.
Conifer, Colorado
On September 14, 2007, volunteers from FHQ delivered 13 snuggle quilts to the Elk Creek Fire Dept.
Firefighter Bryan Roland gave our volunteers a tour of the fire truck in the photo, saw the tools stored on the truck and the engineers control panel.
Wanna see? Go on the tour with us!
L-R (kneeling) Annie Igel, Barbara Dean (FHQ) Lt. John Zeising, Kindra Cardinal & Mary Peterson (FHQ) (middle row, all FHQ volunteers) Sharon Lamberth, Bonnie Guy, Jacque Schneider, Ellen Palmer (back row) Battalion Chief Pete Igel, Fire medic Don Comstock, Firefighter Bryan Roland, Lt. John Zeising.
We had a lot of fun talking with these great people and hope they find our snuggle quilts helpful in their jobs to calm the children they see
on their emergency calls.
Conifer is a mountain community located about 45 minutes west of the Denver area.
Federal Heights, CO
The Federal Heights FD received 20
of our quilts last month.
Their entire group was in training when I arrived and it was very interesting
to watch them practice techniques
using oxygen tanks.
Capt. Gerry Lamansky and Chief Andy Marsh
Some of the quilts given to this fire department were a special donation from the Thursday Therapy group.
Indian Hills CO FD
Pat says she loved to give gifts to the children
they see on their emergency runs.
Asst Chief Loren Gilbert, Chief D.J. Himstedt, & Pat Sears, Rescue Capt
They were all very appreciative when I drove
up with 28 quilts for them to give out.
Inter-Canyon FD
We left an extra 21 quilts with Pat at Indian Hills FD for the Inter-Canyon Volunteer FD just up the road from Indian Hills with a promise to deliver them ‘up the hill’ when Inter-Canyon volunteers were at the station. They are also all volunteers with ‘regular’ jobs besides being fire fighters and I had been unable to reach them by phone
Karval FD
Karval, CO
Karval is a small, rural community out on the eastern plains, near Limon, CO.
My husband, Mike & I were driving
to Kansas to visit family and
made the delivery of 14 quilts
to them on our way.
Karval FD brought their ambulance and met us at the McDonald’s exit
at Limon on I-70. We saw them at the car wash
before they came over for pictures.
Kersey FD
Kersey, CO
Alycia, one of our volunteers, lives on a farm near Kersey Colorado and quilts some of our snuggle quilts for us on her long arm machine. She talked to the chiefs at Kersey and Livermore Fire Departments, both small rural communities and they were very excited to join our program.
The picture above shows the volunteers in the Kersey FD.
They really appreciated the 14 quilts we sent their direction.
Larkspur, CO
Limon, CO
In March 2005, as my husband & I drove through Colorado to visit my Mom in Kansas, we dropped off 14 quilt for the Limon, Co fire department.
The volunteers met us at the McDonald’s exit at Limon on I-70. Limon FD rolled in with a fire truck and an EMT unit.
As you can see, they are all volunteer out there and very family oriented.
We even saw them over at the car wash cleaning up the rigs for the pictures before meeting us.
Littleton
| Littleton Station 17 Accepts 36 More Firehouse Quilts | ||||
Nancy Houdeshell, Patrick Brandon, Joyce Johnson, Nick Moudakis, Fran Auda and Richard Taylor show some of the quilts they received in front of their fire engine at Station 17 in Highlands Ranch. |
||||
September 3rd, 2010, we delivered 36 snuggle quilts to Littleton Fire District (Station 17) in Highlands Ranch. The firefighters give our quilts to children they see on their emergency runs throughout the year.
When they go to the grocery store, they take the big fire engine 17 so if they get a call, they can drop everything, jump on the truck and deal with the emergency just as if they had been at the station. Sometimes they take the truck to one the local parks to do their exercises. Same plan, they and the engine are ready to go to any emergency for which they get a call.
|
||||
Comments from FHQ volunteers: “The delivery day was a blast. The Firehouse # 17 fellows could not have been nicer. The tour was enlightening - how they live, subscribe to their own newspaper etc. I guess the best thing is knowing how much both places appreciate the quilts and are amazed at what we produce. Thanks for taking me, lunch was good too.” Fran Auda "It was enlightening to hear the story of "a day in the life of a fireman" & know that it is not like we see in the movies coming out of Universal Studios. The firefighters buy & cook their own food, city does not provide the food for them. Good to know that one of them is a good cook and that keeps them happy. Yes, was a fun day." Joyce Johnson |
Livermore, CO
Alycia’s (one of our volunteers) 3 boys had a great time helping to deliver the 13 quilts, getting the firehouse tour and posing with one of the quilts too.
Long Distance Quilt Delivery
Alycia, one of our long arm quilter volunteers, has a brother that works for the fire department in Nassau County, Fla.
When she told him what we do for our Colorado FDs, he thought it was such a cool idea and asked for a few quilts for his own Station 50, Shift C.
That’s Gus on the right.
We sent 6 quilts to them, even though they aren't in Colorado, they ARE a very receptive fire department in Florida.
They were very appreciative and promised to put them
to good use down there.
He sent two patches from their station, as well as a picture of Gus and his buddy holding a quilt in front of their fire truck.
North Central Fire District
On a beautiful summer day in August, 2005, Genia H and I delivered quilts to the North Central Fire District northeast of Kiowa, Colorado. They are way out in the boonies and are all volunteers. Most of them live in the area they protect and are a very friendly and caring group of people. They were so excited and proud to receive our quilts.
We were presented with their embroidered patch for their district before heading back to civilization. 
They are a wonderful group of fire fighters.
Parker, CO
Parker Fire District Tapestry
Parker FD Headquarters Photo Montage
T. Scott Robertson, firefighter & EMT, displaying one of the quilts
donated to his district by Firehouse Quilts.
Photos: Courtesy of Evan Totten, 2007
Platte Canyon Fire Department
Bailey, CO
Sheridan, CO
Our quilt delivery to the Sheridan Fire Department has a really sweet story. Kathy (holding Winnie the Pooh) and her mother Marie (far right) have been volunteering for Firehouse Quilts for quite awhile.
Kathy told me her son Scott (ON the truck, right above her)
volunteers for the Sheridan FD.
Chief Ron Carter (far left) and Mayor Mary Carter were excited to have his department participate in our Quilt Program and we delivered 22 quilts to them this month while Scott was on duty so we could have all three of them (son, Mom & Grandmother) in the picture for our newsletter.
Even Scott’s grandfather came to the station with us but
wasn’t ready to have his picture taken.
What a wonderful family of people that all volunteer for their communities. We’re very lucky to have Kathy & Marie sewing and
delivering quilts for Firehouse Quilts.
Simla, CO
Simla Volunteer FD
Skyline Fire Department
Skyline has a mostly volunteer force and is located in the Glendale,
University Hills area. We made our first delivery of 10 snuggle quilts
to the Skyline Fire Department
on September 28, 2006.
Barbara Dean (FHQ) & Chief Ruth Hoffman
They have ‘Jake’ on their team, one of the few Dalmation dogs
we’ve seen at fire stations.
Jake goes with them on their medical runs and is a great PR ‘person’.
Jake is pictured in our quilt show logo this year.
(L-R, standing) Bruce Kapp, Jonathan Olson,
Scott Collins. (kneeling) Ruth Hoffman,
Jake, Teryn Tobin, Barbara Dean (FHQ)
Ruth Hoffman keeps us up to date on their quilt distributions.
South Metro
(Back row, L-R) Engineer Scott Pick, Firefighter Rob Dufficy,
Firefighter Chad Herdt, Lieutenant Brandon Eastburn, Tabor Armour,
Kathy Meyers (FHQ), Engineer Mike Freeman, EMS Supervisor Brian Neafus.
(Front row) Ellen Palmer (FHQ) & Susan Flesher (FHQ).
It was a crisp January morning when 4 volunteers from FHQ made another delivery to South Metro Station 34, bringing 50 snuggle quilts for the firefighters to give to children on their emergency runs.
Less than 2 weeks later, one of their firefighters dropped by the house with a fabric donation from his mother’s estate.
Thanks to all our volunteers, we’re able to give quilts with a nice variety of styles and patterns, as shown above.
Wiggins Fire Department
Wiggins is a small, rural community in the northeast part of Colorado.
Their fire department is run by volunteers living in their own community.
Alycia Carmen made the delivery in June 2006 to be given to children seenon their emergency runs.
They were very pleased to receive them.