I know that some of you “take the weekend off” from your computer and web surfing. And that includes your visits to Firegeezer, alas. If you were out enjoying the Fall weather yesterday and missed our postings, I want to make an unusual request and ask you to read yesterday’s Lineup. It includes one of the most touching stories we have carried, about a retired firefighter who passed away at home…all alone in the world until a certain Toronto police officer went out of his way to see that the firefighter was properly honored. Get your hanky and CLICK HERE to read this heart-warming tale.
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This year’s 25th annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month recognition has really blossomed into a wall-to-wall commemoration nationwide. We’ve been seeing token reminders from every occupation and activity with their exhibition of pink-colored tokens, clothing, and other visible means. There’s a current uproar about some high school football referees using pink whistles last week (HERE) because the clueless officials who run the referee’s association want to dock their pay for it.
The horticulture department at the North Carolina State University spent the entire year cultivating a unique, flourescent-pink poinsettia plant that was forced to bloom early during October (HERE) instead of its usual early winter time. Also this year a lot of individual fire departments are promoting the information push to get people more active in identifying and taking early precautions against the disease.
There is an organization called the Pink Heals Tour that is driving a convoy of pink fire engines around the country and visiting fire departments that are participating in the public awareness campaign. Our friend Larry Shapiro documented the PHT stop at Buffalo Grove, Illinois, last month.
For an example of their public presentation, CLICK HERE to see Larry’s 139-image photo gallery of this stop on the tour.
The East Hartford, Connecticut, Fire Department was also included on the Pink Heals Tour as a last-minute addition after the organizers learned that one of East Hartford’s firefighters Judy Geier, who has been on the department for 14 yrs. and is a mother of five children, was diagnosed this past July with breast cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
As part of the commemoration, the East Hartford FD is lighting the outsides of their fire stations in pink all this week. So be sure to stop by and take a look.
In Chattanooga, Tennessee, the firefighters all wore pink T-shirts every day last week and sold some to the public for $10 to send the proceeds to the charity that is running the Guardians of the Ribbon orgainzation.
Chattanooga Firefighters showed off their “pink”
These are just a sampling of the types of charitable activities that many fire and rescue agencies are doing this month. If your department or squad is doing something as a part of the October Breast Cancer Awareness campaign, send us a photo of what you’re doing and we’ll be glad to post it.
First, we’d better get this equipment checked out. It’s Monday, so we’ve got the expanded checklist to take care of. I’ll go get the coffee started.
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