Asian Firefighters Association outlines outreach, Maui relief deployment and benefit banquet

Stan Lee, president of the Asian Firefighters Association, told the San Francisco Fire Commission on Sept. 27 that the association has been active in local outreach and disaster relief this year and showed slides of recent events.

Lee described outreach work including community booths, career-fair participation and a backpack giveaway in Chinatown. He said AFA volunteers packaged about 20,000 meals at the War Memorial for low-income veterans and organized local community-support events to promote recruitment and public safety.

Lee outlined the group's August volunteer deployment to Lahaina, Maui, after the wildfires. He said AFA members secured a distribution center, packaged and handed out water and supplies, and that on the fifth day the team ‘‘responded to a fire with the Maui fire department’’ and augmented local crews. "Instead of going away from fire, we went to it," Lee said.

AFA also announced a benefit banquet on Oct. 20 at the Far East Café in Chinatown honoring command staff and raising funds. Lee said proceeds will be split: 50% to Lahaina/Maui firefighter relief, and 50% for local charity work including a toy giveaway the group aims to match from last year.

Commissioners thanked the group for volunteer work and recruitment outreach and asked logistical questions about the banquet and T-shirt sizes. The commission invited AFA members to remain after adjournment for greetings.

The presentation provided the commission with outreach highlights and an update on AFA's volunteer relief efforts; no formal action was taken on the association's requests or programs.