Operation Warm

MOSES LAKE — it’s cold out there, and not every child has a new coat to see them through the snow, ice and 20-degree temperatures. About 100 children at four Moses Lake elementary schools now have a new coat with the help of Operation Warm.

Jason Koziol, a firefighter with the Moses Lake Fire Department, said it’s a longtime project.

“Operation Warm is a program that has been set up through the (firefighters union Local 1258), for basically purchasing new coats for kids in need in the community that we serve,” he said.

“The reason we do this is, it’s a brand-new coat for a kid. We go to the schools (and) the school is responsible for finding a student in need. We size them, and then I send off the order, we pay for it, and we’re here to distribute them today,” he said.

Firefighters visited Longview, Larson Heights, Garden Heights and Peninsula elementary schools Wednesday to distribute the coats, in bright greens and blues, bright reds and pinks, black with gray accents. Koziol said Local 1258 has been donating coats for about 10 years.

“Ten?” he asked the firefighters helping children with their new coats.

“Has it been that long?” said MLFD Battalion Chief Brandon Burns.

Garrett Fletcher, president of Local 1258, and firefighter Dustin Tyler also helped children put on their brand-new coats and zip them up.

For 2022 Operation Warm distributed 100 coats.

“We’ve been averaging 100 (coats) every year,” Koziol said. “So I think we’re close to 1,000 coats we’ve given out over the last 10 years.”

The money comes from donations to the benevolence fund, which is used for charitable projects.

“We have had individual donations and the charity golf tournament that we do,” he said. “We raise money through that for Operation Warm and other (charitable projects) we do with the benevolence fund.”

The department also sponsors a pancake breakfast each year to raise money for the fund and its projects, he said.

Some of the children admitted they were a little concerned when they were called to the Garden Heights office since they weren’t entirely sure at first why they were there. But they were excited once they realized they were getting a new coat. Koziol said that’s one of the things that makes Operation Warm so much fun.

“It is fun, especially when the kids look at you and their eyes are wide, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I get that?’ It does put a smile on your face,” he said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.