HERNDON, VA--(Marketwired - Apr 5, 2013) - Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced that it has donated three Volkswagen Passats to the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company and the Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad located in Sterling, Va. to help fire and rescue officials foster life-saving training techniques. The donation to the Sterling department was part of a larger contribution of 190 model year 2012 Passats that Volkswagen has made to fire and rescue stations and learning institutions across the country.
The announcement was made during the official handover of the vehicles at the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company on Thursday, April 4. Sterling fire and rescue officials will be able to use the vehicles to learn better and more efficient ways of rescuing a person from a vehicle when it is involved in a crash. The donated vehicles will also allow fire and rescue officials to apply new techniques and tools on a modern vehicle in a training environment.
"Volkswagen of America is pleased to be able to donate these vehicles to fire and rescue officials across the country," said Hardy Brennecke, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Volkswagen Group of America. "It is our hope that these donations will establish innovative techniques for fire and rescue officials who are on the front lines and responsible for saving lives every day."
"The Sterling Volunteer Fire Company is excited and grateful for the opportunity to partner with Volkswagen," said David Short, President of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company. "These Volkswagens will provide a rare and valuable opportunity for our first responders to gain first-hand knowledge training with modern cars, their modern construction, and safety equipment."
The donations of the Passats, which are to be used for educational and service training purposes, reflect Volkswagen's commitment to being a good corporate citizen by upholding its mission to arm tomorrow's workforce with the latest in automotive technology. Volkswagen has honored this commitment through its flagship Partners in Education program, in which the company has contributed $7.3 million to support students and teachers in Virginia and Tennessee interested in advanced automotive technology and next-generation automotive engineering. A number of the donated vehicles will be delivered to these schools as well.
About Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen's operations in the United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Eos, Golf, Golf R. GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat, CC, Tiguan, Touareg and Routan vehicles through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen of America online at www.vw.com or media.vw.com to learn more.
About The Sterling Volunteer Fire Company and The Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad
The Sterling Volunteer Fire Company (SVFC / www.sterlingfire.org) is an organization made up of volunteers that provide fire protection and rescue services to communities in eastern Loudoun County. The Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad (SVRS / www.sterlingrescue.org) is the sister organization to the Fire Company that is also made up of volunteers. Their primary mission is providing emergency medical and rescue services. Both organizations work out of the same station where there is lots of cross over and cooperation in their mission sets. On the scene of an auto accident, both agencies respond together to ensure the accident scene is safe, safely remove patients from vehicles, and provide transport services to the hospital.
CONTACT:
Carsten Krebs
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