Two days before Easter, four Peoria firefighters — Capt. Hunter Clare, Engineer Justin Lopez and firefighters Matt Cottini and Jake Ciulla — were seriously injured in an explosion at an APS substation in Surprise.
In the days following, the first responder community rallied in support of the four Peoria men. And part of that rallying cry came from Dutch Bros, which on April 25 raised $10,000 for Peoria Firefighters Charities, a combination of organizations that help local firefighters in need and will be key in supporting the local firefighters who were injured.
“Our firefighters risk so much to keep us all safe,” said Caleb Berkey, owner of Dutch Bros Peoria. “We feel honored to join our community in raising funds for the PFC’s, and we are keeping the three (sic) firefighters that were injured last week in our thoughts.”