Eagle Distributing donates drinking water to CC Rural Fire Service

Eagle donates to Campbell Rural Fire Service supporting local disaster preparedness efforts

TOP PHOTO: Dustin Hammond, Team Lead at Eagle Distributing Company, and Don McGuire, Board President of Campbell County Rural Fire Service , right, stand before the 2,352 cans of emergency water at Station 1 on Fire Rescue Lane near La Follette Middle School. McGuire is also the CCRFS grant writer.

KNOXVILLE, TN (SPECIAL TO WLAF)– Anheuser-Busch and Eagle Distributing joined forces with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to deliver more than 14,000 cans of emergency drinking water to the Campbell County Rural Fire Service, Roane County Rescue Squad, and Oakdale Area Volunteer Fire Department, as part of the brewer’s larger effort to provide 1.5 million cans to volunteer fire departments across the country. 

“It is a huge help to our department with this grant award. With this, we are able to have plenty of hydration for all of our apparatus. This also allows us to take extra drinking water when we go and assist other departments on emergencies to help supply the other departments if needed,” said Campbell County Rural Fire Service Chief Daniel Lawson.

This donation will prepare local volunteer firefighters with vital resources ahead of the annual summer wildfire season, rather than waiting for disaster to strike. The continued partnership builds on Anheuser-Busch’s longstanding history of showing up for its communities and demonstrates its deep appreciation for the first responders who help to keep them safe.    

“Our crews have already put it to use. They used it for hydration on the house fire earlier this week; Tuesday morning,” said Chief Lawson.

Across the country, nearly 65 percent of firefighters — typically the first line of defense in local emergencies — are volunteers, often with limited department budgets for critical supplies. Anheuser-Busch’s water donations allow these departments to free up limited resources for other expenses or equipment needed to keep their force prepared to respond to any emergency or disaster. Produced and canned by Anheuser-Busch breweries, the 1.5 million cans of emergency drinking water will be distributed to over 630 volunteer fire departments (VFDs) across 45 states. 

As the primary distributor of Anheuser-Busch products in East Tennessee, Eagle Distributing Company is proud to support local volunteer firefighters who dedicate themselves to protecting their neighbors. “Volunteer firefighters represent the very best of our communities,” they said. “They answer the call when others need help most, often without recognition or reward. It’s a privilege to support these men and women who make such a meaningful difference across East Tennessee.”

Anheuser-Busch’s breweries in Cartersville, Georgia, and Fort Collins, Colorado, periodically pause beer production each year to produce emergency drinking water to support disaster relief and preparedness efforts. Since 1988, Anheuser-Busch has donated more than 100 million cans of clean drinking water to U.S. communities affected by natural disasters and other crises.  

Learn more about Anheuser-Busch’s partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-06/19/2026-6AM-PHOTOS SUBMITTED)