The 52 Club, launched last March by the Wildland Firefighter Foundation to help raise emergency funds for the families of fallen wildland firefighters, is going strong with about 1,200 members signed up by the end of October.

The concept of the club is simple, said Melissa Schwagerl, executive assistant of the foundation: “Give a buddy a buck a week to go towards making sure we're there to help the next time there is a fatality.”

A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Boise, Idaho, the WFF established and maintains the Wildland Firefighters National Monument at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. The foundation also provides emergency support services to the families of injured and fallen firefighters.

Members of the 52 Club receive a patch, a pin and a helmet sticker. Wildland crews with 75% 52 Club membership are placed on the club's gold list, and there's healthy competition among them, Schwagerl said. Businesses that recruit 75% of their employees also can earn a spot on the gold list.

Communities affected by wildland fires are showing their gratitude to firefighters by signing up, and firefighters are joining to honor the memory of a fallen firefighter who was close to them.

“It gives those firefighters and families and friends a way to feel like they can do something to help when they lose a comrade or a family member,” Schwagerl said.

For more information on the 52 Club and the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, see www.wffoundation.org or call 208-336-2996.