THIRTY-TWO YEARS AGO MARK KITE JOINED the Yukon Volunteer Fire Company in western Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh. What made that date noteworthy was the fact that Kite is almost totally deaf since birth.
His father and grandfather both had been members of Yukon VFD and he was determined to develop the skills to become a firefighter too. Since he has joined, he has worked hard and advanced through the ranks culminating with his election to the post of Fire Chief early last month.
Mark Kite
Neil McDevitt, publisher of the Deaf Firefighter’s Blog says that although he knows of about 15 totally-deaf firefighters and 50+ profoundly-deaf FF’s nationwide, he believes that Kite is the first deaf person ever to become a fire chief.
Today’s issue of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review has an excellent story on Mark Kite’s firefighting career and how he was able to adapt to the needs of the job. His gadget that wakes him up for night calls is effective, too. Read the full story HERE.
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