ATHENS-Today (Thursday, Nov. 13), Firehouse Subs held a community event at its Decatur location for Athens Police and Decatur Fire and Rescue to share how grants through the restaurant chain’s foundation are making a difference in local communities.
Athens Police received a $24,979 grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation to purchase an Avatar III Robot with pan/tilt/zoom camera. The tactical robot allows officers to communicate with a volatile suspect and to gather information from a scene so that officers can safely access a dangerous situation. Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson is offering training to area agencies so that those agencies can borrow and use the robot when needed.
Decatur Fire and Rescue and Buddy Thornton and his wife, Bonnie, wanted to thank Firehouse Subs for a grant that bought heart monitors/defibrillators two years ago. Firefighters from Station No. 5 used the equipment on May 15 to save the life of Buddy Thornton, 79, when he went into cardiac arrest.
“Specialized equipment is not something most cities can afford to buy for their first 
responders,” Police Chief Floyd Johnson said. “We are thankful for organizations like Firehouse Sub’s foundation that can provide grants that allow us to enhance officer safety and public safety.”
Mayor Ronnie Marks could not attend the event because of a funeral, but he said after the event that public safety is one of four key components for any community.
“The other three are education, jobs and quality of life, but without public safety, all those other components suffer,” Marks said. “On behalf of the City of Athens, I thank Firehouse Subs for giving back to the community and supporting public safety.”
Each restaurant recycles leftover, five-gallon pickle buckets and sells them to guests for $2 to fund the foundation. In addition, there are donation canisters on register counters and a Round Up Program where customers can round up their bill to the nearest dollar. All of these funds benefit the foundation and its grant program.
