JW Memorial Foundation event Saturday to support emergency responders

The mission of the JW Memorial Foundation is to help first responders and their families in the face of crisis, trauma and death.

Foundation leaders sought out the family of Idaho wildland firefighter Justin Shaw when he almost lost his life fighting the Coffee Can Fire in August 2024 in Central Idaho.

"He was hit by a falling tree and driven straight down into the ground, basically," retired fire chief and JW Memorial Foundation board member Robert Tyler said Thursday. "The tree bounced on top of him and hit him again. He suffered catastrophic traumatic brain injuries along with multiple broken bones. His crew had to perform CPR and keep him alive until he was flown out. It was pretty intense, traumatic for everybody that was there."

Tyler and his foundation colleagues reached out to the U.S. Forest Service, which put them in touch with a representative of the Shaw family. The family was in the midst of finding a place to stay in Spokane, where Shaw received medical services.

"What the foundation does is we find out what the firefighter or the first responder's immediate needs are and then we try to alleviate the financial burden that is suddenly thrust upon these people because of an incident," said Tyler, who also serves on the foundation's benefits committee.

The JW Memorial Foundation helped cover living costs, and when Shaw transferred to a hospital that specializes in traumatic brain injuries, the foundation helped with that, too. Tyler said Shaw's payments were minimal as a single guy living in an apartment, but his parents, who quit working to be with their son, still had house payments and other bills.

"We followed Justin all the way to Omaha and continued to provide assistance with as much as we could afford," Tyler said. "We do that with any first responder in the state of Idaho, whether they live here or whether they came in on some type of emergency crew from out of state. Any first responder who is catastrophically injured or dies in the line of duty in the state of Idaho, we provide assistance to."

Shaw and his family will be the honored guests Saturday during the JW Memorial Foundation's annual fundraiser, where they will share their journey on the road to recovery.

The event will support the not-for-profit foundation in its mission to support firefighters, police officers and emergency medical services personnel when injuries and tragedies occur.

"I don't think I'm an emotional guy, but God, it just chokes me up every time, just going through it and helping these people," Tyler said.

The foundation has helped about a dozen families since its inception in 2021.

"That of course includes our last tragedy in our own family here, which I'm still reeling over,” said retired Northern Lakes Fire Protection District Training Division Chief Mike Mather, referring to the deadly June 29, 2025, Canfield Mountain shootings and fire.

Mather was one of the first board members of the foundation named for the late Northern Lakes Fire Chief Jeff Welch, who died in June 2019, before realizing a dream of creating a foundation that supported first responders. His wife, Sue Welch, and friends carried on that dream in his honor.

People ask what they can do to help. For those who can't physically give of their time, a financial donation will help ensure families are cared for in times of need.

"I like to think of it as service over self," Mather said.

The fourth annual Helping Those Who Served Us fundraiser will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Club at Prairie Falls. 3200 N. Spokane St., Post Falls. Festivities will include dinner, a cash bar, raffles and silent and live auctions.

Info: jwmfidaho.com