Photo of the Day: Red Cross helps fight California fires
Click image to enlarge
This one we're sharing just because the photograph is pretty incredible. Taken by American Red Cross volunteer Brad Mellon and provided to us by GM, it reportedly shows one of the HUMMERs operated by the American Red Cross against the backdrop of hay fires in Seeley, CA. Our understanding is that Mr. Mellon was among the volunteers who were supporting a group of over 100 firefighters by bringing nourishment to them at the scene of a blaze over the Labor Day weekend. The photographer, Mr. Mellon, is a volunteer out of the American Red Cross San Diego/Imperial Counties Chapter.
This is the kind of thing that American Red Cross volunteers do all around the country. Any time is a good time to show your support for them by making a donation.
Donation information can be found here.
[Sources: GM, American Red Cross]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
epp_b 9:03PM (9/07/2007)
Haha, oh man, what will the environmentalist nutbags say nwo?
"Oh, it's fighting fires, that's...good...no, it's bad, it's a hummer...but it's fighting fires...oh, but..."
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far jr 9:33PM (9/07/2007)
It will likely be construed that these fires are a direct result of GM, SUVs, and the Hummer brand in particular.
500 5:20PM (9/08/2007)
That picture looks seriously photoshopped together -- like all GM promotional photos.
joe 9:42PM (9/07/2007)
Sitting on a clean, paved road looking pretty. Nothing unexpected from a H3.
Buy a Hummer; it saves trees!
L O L
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arcmember 10:41PM (9/07/2007)
I am a long term employee of the ARC and honestly there have been many discussions about our carbon footprint. I personally don't like these vehicles representing us as an organization. The red cross receives many vehicles and does not endorse any specific company. I have spent many years helping people overcome great adversity from disease, poverty, earthquakes etc. The people who buy Hummers should take just a moment to be mindful and think before they buy. How much money would they have leftover if they bought a more responsible vehicle? They could truly do some good by using the cash to help fund the organizations who spend every waking hour trying to bring an end to the worlds suffering. Thanks GM for the beauty shot I'm sure you will get lot's of publicity out of it.
Viv 10:56PM (9/07/2007)
I appreciate what you folks at the redcross do. I really do. But where are this comments in a Ferrari or a Lambo thread? They have a more pitful MPG than the Hummer. Atleast the Hummer can haul and carry people.
rick 11:16PM (9/07/2007)
I used to be a vol. firefighter - one late night/early morning at a large multi-alarm fire, a red cross worker told me I couldn't have a donut unless i paid $0.25 for it - I was pissed because it was the middle of the night and I didn't exactly have room for change in my turnout gear -(most firefighters aren't worried about their wallets as they run out of the house in the middle of the night ) - anyway, they couldn't come up with funds for a dozen donuts to feed firefighters who hadn't left the scene in hours but they can piss away money on a baby Hummer? at least the big hummer has some off-road capability they may be able to say they could possibly use - but this one? just a waste of $ - I hate the red cross
RealTruckOwner 11:57PM (9/07/2007)
rick, the American Red Cross did NOT buy these Hummers.
These vehicles were given to them out of charity by GM:
http://www.redcross.org/pressrelease/0,1077,0_489_4734,00.html
The American Red Cross also has a program where "members of The HUMMER Club Inc. can choose to become certified Red Cross volunteers who can be deployed during disaster relief operations to drive people and supplies into hard-hit areas that other vehicles might not be able to reach."
http://www.redcross.org/article/0,1072,0_312_3649,00.html
michigan2cv 10:46PM (9/07/2007)
That's actually a Ford Pinto in front of the Hummer...or at least it was.
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CheetahDC 11:54PM (9/07/2007)
Wow, I'm surprised at the negative comments here. It's an H3, not the uber-huge H2. It gets comparable gas mileage to other mid-size SUVs, and it's got pretty decent off-road capability, which might come in handy in a situation like this.
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DKB_SATX 1:15AM (9/08/2007)
The anti-SUV crowd needs to remember that there ARE appropriate uses for SUVs, pickups and heavy trucks. Hell, if you think an H3 or H2 has a fuel consumption problem, check out the kind of fuel mileage firetrucks return. It's nuts when people drive their H2 or 4wd Excursion to their white-collar job in bumper-to-bumper traffic, not when firefighters and support volunteers use such vehicles rough-terrain capabilities to get into back country.
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vlad_40 1:56AM (9/08/2007)
More to the point ........... I wonder how much the Red Cross charged the firefighters for the nourishment.
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Wally 7:56AM (9/08/2007)
Wow such negative comments from an un-enlightened group. To Rick the ex-Volunteer FF...your beef with the ARC should have been directed to your Chief or the Incident Commander whose job it would have been to secure do-nuts for you, and water for re-hydration. The ARC is usually there for the victims, just as the FF's are. If you are in need of assistance who really cares what the ARC arrives in, for that matter if it's so important (carbon footprint, for pete's sake) then maybe the FF's need to arrive with 5 gallon buckets of water in a pickup instead of a big heavy firetruck. Rick sorry you are an EX-FF but easy to see why.
....a current rural volunteeer firefigher
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jim 10:36AM (9/08/2007)
The HUMMER H3 4WD is rated 14/18 mpg, with users reporting an average of 16 mpg.
It would be ridiculous to take a car instead of a truck to a fire.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList2&make=Hummer&model=H3%204WD
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Eric M 10:46AM (9/08/2007)
Looks like a lava flow more than a forest fire...
...and the anti-SUV crowd is getting really old. I don't have them, I don't need them, I can't afford them. But the more and more you whine, and cry, and bring it up in every time you see and SUV, the faster you become irrelevant.
So, please, keep whining, form a huge organization, and stage a protest. Then we can see on Penn and Teller's BS how your just a bunch of hypocrites after they "PETA" you issue.
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RicardoHead 11:14AM (9/08/2007)
Thanks Arcmember for letting me know the Red Cross sits around wasting time talking about the farce called a "carbon footprint." I will cease any further contributions now.
When I give moeny to an aid organization, if it not because I want them to waste it or their time talking about a manufactured political football.
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far jr 12:28PM (9/08/2007)
GM if the ARC is made up by ungrateful people like arcmember please don't offend them anymore with you vehicle donations.
Let them go to Toyota and beg for a donation of FJ Cruiser M-6s which get a 2008 EPA estimated 15/18. The Land Cruiser has not been rated for 2008 yet but I'm sure it will be thirstier.
Or perhaps a Nissan will donate some Armadas rated at 12/17
Harry Ariola 11:20AM (9/08/2007)
I'm always amazed at the utter ignorance of the anti-SUV crowd. The H3 is nothing more than a Colorado with a full body on it. Colorado OK- H3 BAD. The H2 is nothing but a Chevy Van with a Hummer looking body on it, yet there is no outcry against vans. The H3 gets the same real world mileage as many other vehicles that aren't blasphemed, but hey, every special interest group needs something to be against.
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Justin 1:25PM (9/08/2007)
umm but you're forgetting that the H3 gets way WORSE mileage than the colorado you're saying its identical to. In fact a full size TAHOE gets the same or better mileage than the H3. The H3 is pointless
Harry Ariola 2:11PM (9/08/2007)
The Colorado is rated 15 city, not exactly way worse than the 14 the H3 is rated at- and has a backseat to carry more people than the Colorado, so which one is more cost effective for a family to drive?
My point was that morons like the Earth Liberation Front burn Hummer dealers, but don't seem to have a problem with Volvo XC90s (13/19), Toyota FJ Cruisers (15/18) or Honda Pilots (15/20). Furthermore, where's the outcry at BMW M5's (11/17) or Audi S8's (13/19), as they both get worse mileage than an H3. Oh wait, I forgot, it's OK for those vehicles and manufacturers to get bad mileage, but it's not OK for Hummer. Hummers are EVIL!!!