Executive Director of the 100 Club, John Cleary, and Board of Director Member and Buffalo Police Detective, Joelle Bence present a check for $7,000 to Buffalo Police Underwater Recovery Team Member, Dave Kimmins and Buffalo Police PBA President, John Evans.
The 100 Club of Buffalo is always there for families of First Responders who lose their lives in the line of duty. In addition to donating money to these families, the 100 Club is always looking for ways to assist local First Responder Agencies with equipment and training that will improve the efficiency of these agencies.
During the first week of November 2023, The 100 Club of Buffalo made donations to the Buffalo Police Department’s Underwater Recovery Team and The Buffalo Fire Department’s Union, Local 282 in the amount of $7,000 each. The donation was to provide each Department’s request to improve the effectiveness of each Department.
The 100 Club of Buffalo gave $7,000 to the Buffalo Police Underwater Recovery Team to purchase a sonar device called “The Aqua Eye” that will enable their search and rescue team to quickly locate a rescue or recovery target. Aqua Eye is the world’s first handheld sonar device to specifically search for humans in the water. Aqua Eye is an advanced underwater scanner, using the latest in ultrasound and artificial intelligence technologies to identify human bodies underwater. Aqua Eye sends out a sonar pulse up to 165 feet and indicates the location of the missing persons on the screen. Aqua Eye can scan 1 acre of water in under 2 minutes.
Aqua Eye handheld sonar enables rescuers to quickly assess a scene and identify victims within seconds of entering the water. Simply put, it saves the Recovery team the danger of sending out divers in the water to look for potential victims. The Aqua Eye does it for them.
Keeping your team safe is key, and the water is a dangerous place. By speeding up a search, Aqua Eye shortens the time your team is in the water.
Executive Director of the 100 Club, John Cleary, and 100 Club Board of Director Member, Jennifer O’Neill present a check for $7,000 to Buffalo Fire Dept. Local 282 President, Vince Ventresca and Vice President, Tim Max.
The 100 Club of Buffalo also gave the Buffalo Fire Dept’s Union, Local 282, $7000 for the purchase of “SOOT SOAP”. Cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty death among Firefighters. Studies show that firefighters have a significantly increased risk of cancers and other serious illnesses compared to the general population, due in large part to their exposure from hazardous chemicals found in smoke, hazmat calls, and even from their own gear, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These toxins are seeping through the skin, particularly the head and face, scalp, hands, and groin area, and are passed on through surface transfer.
Local 282 of the Buffalo Fire Dept. has been working with Roswell Park on a Cancer Committee. It has been discussed that firefighters need their equipment, gear, and interior of their apparatus cleaned, as well as each firefighter who fought a fire should shower within an hour. Local 282 has developed a partnership with “Soot Soap”. Soot Soap has developed a post fire decontaminating shampoo and body wash. Soot Soap was lab-developed as an all-natural, industrial-strength solution for firefighter decontamination.
The 100 Club of Buffalo is happy to assist the Buffalo Fire Dept. in keeping its firefighters safe.
