‘More at ease’: Williamsport firefighters establish foundation to address concerns
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Every day, members of the Williamsport Bureau of Fire (WBF) step forward to protect their community.
But for these 37-some firefighters the invisible danger of inhalation and exposure to toxic chemicals, racing toward vehicle accidents, responding to boating accidents and natural disasters, and battling heat and flame does not end when the smoke clears and they return back to the Walnut Street headquarters.
Nope, in fact, such a career choice that involves repeated exposure to smoke, chemicals, carcinogens (things causing cancer), and other hazards, including stress-inducing responses crossing traffic lanes with engines and equipment – places firefighters, sadly, at a significantly higher risk of developing cancer and other maladies.
It is a primary reason why the members got together and formed the recently launched Williamsport Firefighters Foundation (WFF) – a means to augment funds and to help cover costs of potentially life-saving health-and-cancer screenings for the firefighters and retirees.
It also will provide a local and dedicated funding source for acute situations – such as a sudden passing of a firefighter whose widow and children need immediate assistance.
Early detection can save lives
The Sun-Gazette sat down with members of the Williamsport Bureau of Fire, a fire department and its members of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 736. Joining them was bureau Chief Tracey Harer and others as they launched a stepped-up effort to raise funds in a campaign for the foundation.
In the meeting were: Mark Boyles, fire engineer; David Weaver, retired firefighter and a WFF trustee; Daniel Smith, treasurer; Broc Rupert, fire engineer and executive board member and bureau's Justin Dunlap.
Each one of them agreed, in a general consensus around the kitchen table, how appreciative they were for any donation to this foundation.
"The big thing we want people to know is this is separate from the Williamsport Bureau of Fire, which receives a budget," Harer explained.
Instead, the Williamsport Firefighters Foundation is a means of augmenting funds to help protect the health and future of the men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting Williamsport, both active duty and retirees, and, hopefully, area volunteer first responders and EMS personnel, he and the firefighters told the Sun-Gazette.
Stats are already against them
Sadly, statistics across the U.S. for firefighters are a reality check for these heroic civil servants – as one out of four are prone to be diagnosed with some form of cancer.
Rupert mentioned that he wasn't aware of such dangers until he got the job.
"They don't sell that to you," he said. "I can manage being in a house fire which is dangerous. We all train hard. We all help each other. There are all these kinds of ways to mitigate risks going into a fire. But I thought, what am I possibly going to do about that?"
His reference to exposure to carcinogenic causing materials and the inhalation and exposure aspect of the job, and being at a disproportionately higher risk for these types of cancers was, admittedly, troubling.
And he also said he did not feel good about it until the foundation was put together.
"Firefighters can be healthy," he said. "They can eat healthy, take care of themselves physically but with these health screenings, including the cancer test, they might be able to catch something early and that makes that hardworking firefighter that much more at ease.
The foundation is meant to put the firefighters' minds at ease because they require health screenings on a continuous basis and the more money raised, the more the foundation is able to assist on that end with the health screenings.
Boyles noted that every three years is what is the suggested time for screening for active duty members and retirees.
To date, there has been a blood test to check for cancer, ultrasound screenings and esophageal cancer screening. The latter involved a less-than-pleasant but necessary procedure that puts an inflatable balloon down into the firefighters' stomachs, then it is inflated and takes its sample from their esophagus.
Esophagancer cancer is one of the more prevalent types of concerns that firefighters have due to factors such as the breathing in of chemicals, but also it's one of the areas' that is considered a type of a weak point in terms of firefighters personal protective equipment.
Protective gear protects the firefighters from the heat exposure, but in fires products of combustion create a toxic smoke that gets into their bodies through the skin.
Health screenings are not only preventative for firefighters, but also provide them with a peace of mind and if there is a foundation there and available it can cover costs not covered by health insurance.
"The last thing that first responders' families need is one more thing to worry about," Rupert said. "I think there's a certain helplessness knowing that this is dangerous. If we are able to make this available offsets the knowledge that there's something dangerous that you're being exposed to."
Now that the foundation is in place, it should also provide peace of mind for firefighters who are able to catch any disease markers or ailments that are in their bodies, where they need further testing earlier, and thereby getting necessary treatment.
The firefighters always do their best to prevent such maladies from occurring, such as trying to decontaminate themselves by showering after incidents, but the screenings are something that can catch something amiss and if caught early can save lives.
Harer said the biggest misconception could be that those who hear about the foundation will misunderstand and think that the WBF is supported by the city budget and general fund and does not need extra funding.
No, this foundation was established as a 501c3 nonprofit and took some careful preparation and legal review before it was launched. It occurred as the Williamsport Bureau of Fire was trying to raise money for their cancer screening but there was a huge barrier.
"We had companies ready to write checks for tons of money and when they figured out that they weren't able to get a tax write off then it became 'sorry we can't help you,'" a foundation member said.
Likewise, this same thing applied with the hospitals, both Geisinger Medical Center and UPMC as the firefighters tried to approach the health systems' foundations, internally, to seek help for the screenings.
"They were unable to help," the foundation member said. "It left WBF and its union with a need its members saw to seek an alternative, one which is slowly becoming more popular in the Commonwealth and throughout the nation that other fire departments are doing," the foundation member said.
Philadelphia firefighters, for example, have their own foundation. That foundation helps with cancer screenings, helping out retirees that have issues that may not fall under their health insurance or covered by their wages.
A foundation in Boston for its firefighters is specifically targeted for scholarships for kids of firefighters.
True, the firefighters' union is also a nonprofit but it's a different type of nonprofit. Labor unions are classified as 501c5, without the tax incentive for donations and are not eligible for grants, the firefighters noted.
Typically, larger companies that donate to foundations can do so with the tax incentive.
To get the tax write off goes a long way so this idea of establishing the foundation (WFF) offered current firefighters and the retirees with a better way of fundraising and providing for other nonprofits that the WBF has historically supported in the area.
Keeping it local
The membership also decided it wanted to do more specific fundraising and keep the donations and funds local.
Historically, the bureau and union membership does fundraising for a variety of worthy causes, especially during the weeks when Little League World Series is here.
Such fundraising has gone to many nationwide organizations, with the firefighters asking passersby on downtown streets to "Fill the Boot" with donations as an example.
Boyles noted how the WBF has helped raise funds for the YWCA and Dwell Orphan Care, and for a long time raised dollars for research done by MDA, the Muscular Dystrophy Association. WBF will continue to do fundraising for various causes, and the foundation will enable it to expand requests for donations to city and area businesses and tap any interested philanthropic individuals in the city and region.
Close to the hearts
Another aspect that's close to the firefighters' hearts and why this foundation was created was they recently had a firefighter pass away – Lt. Michael D. Bastian – who was 39 when he passed on Dec. 2, 2024.
Finding themselves in a position where Bastian's widow and children remained in need, his fellow firefighters wanted very much to be able to just give anything they could to the family.
There were fundraisers and efforts described as scrambling to raise capital so that it could be turned over to Bastian's widow.
Had the foundation been in place and money already raised and put aside in an investment account or wherever that would not have been an instance in which scrambling and raising donations would be necessary. Instead, the foundation account will be there in anticipation for any future needs.
"We'd be able to simply cut a check that day ... instead of having to go through public relation events and fundraising," a firefighter said.
That is not to say that those fundraising efforts are not needed as well but there are times when immediate relief is necessary.
Extending the outreach
The Williamsport firefighters often cross borders such as serving in mutual aid calls and are currently in an alliance providing service to South Williamsport as well as a decade's old agreement in Old Lycoming Township, as two examples.
Because of this growing outreach and regionalization effort, their membership has discussed extending that ability to help many of the area's first responders by using this foundation – whether they be in a local volunteer fire company or department, police department or emergency medical services provider.
To date, no such foundation exists in this area and that would be something the firefighters said they would be interested in should the foundation account suit that need.
To learn more about the foundation and contribute a donation, call the fire headquarters or follow the bureau on its Facebook page.
Rupert added the goal would be to assist those in need in a situation like that which is sort of what firefighters consider to be "acute," where there may be a member of an agency pass away and the foundation funds may need to be tapped into as a preventative measure.
"Not only for the city firefighters and retirees, but for first responders in the area," he said.