Saturday started out with a bang. Our first stop was Pine Township Engine Company in Grove City, PA. This is the station of Brad Holmes (age 21) who died in the Line of Duty when he became trapped on the second floor of a house fire. We have come to determine that when we arrive at a station and no one is there God has something special in mind for us and this was no different. In our quest to find anyone connected to the fire company we went across the street to, of all things, a drive thru beer distributor. The cashier gave us a name and a phone book. Not even 10 minutes later we were standing in the engine room of the station with Brad’s father and Lt. Scott King, the firefighter also trapped with Brad but survived. Art had an instant bond with Scott. In 1983 while working in Ocean City, MD Art was with a trapped fire fighter killed under very similar circumstances. The shared emotional battles and life upheaval became that bond. We presented the plaque to Brad’s father and spent over an hour talking with them. Before leaving Scott was given Art’s personal contact information and a time of prayer was shared. The special blessing we have been seeing on this trip is the opportunity to meet the fathers of these fallen heroes. Being able to hear the proud stories and having the opportunity to help them connect with each other for comfort and support leaves a lasting impression.
We continued on to Rome, OH where Steve Olinik Jr. (age 65) died after collapsing at the station when he responded for a car fire. His fellow fire fighters performed C.P.R. on him right in the engine room. The ride took us through a very rural area of Ohio. Our discussion focused on how we shouldn’t get our hopes up about finding anyone at the station because we were in the middle of Nowhere, OH. We pulled into the station parking lot where there were six or seven cars. The station was wide open so we walked in but couldn’t find anyone. After about 10 minutes we found a group meeting in a multi-purpose room. Longer story long, the Chief and the son of the fallen firefighter were both at the meeting which had been interrupted by a car wreck causing the meeting to run late. The Chief told us they would have been gone otherwise. We presented the plaque to the son and Chief, handed out the CD’s and we broke up into natural, separate conversations. Dave had a very personal conversation with a wife of a fire fighter. Her brother-in-law was a non-believer and was suffering from brain cancer. Her heart was heavy and she wanted answers. She was a fairly new Christian and she welcomed resources. We were able to provide her with the Dying With Dignity and the Terminal Illness CD’s. They were all also given the Loss of a Loved One CD. Before we left we had a time of testimony and closed in prayer.
Our next stop was really more of a delivery than being able to witness but we did get the CD’s and the plaque into the fire departments hands. We were at Pitt Township Fire Department, Harpster, OH where Richard L. Kear (age 58) died when the fire engine he was driving left the road and rolled over. We did have a major crisis while there. Paul, we promise we will get all the root beer out of every inch of the Suburban before we give it back. Who knew a can of root beer could explode like that?
Our last stop before traveling to Marion, IN was Ohio City Fire Department, Ohio City, OH. This became a very special time for us. Chief Paul Swander (age 73) was killed when he fell from a ladder at the station while preparing for a coming storm. Like many times before when we arrived there was no one at the station. (hint) For that matter the whole town, not really but it seemed like it. We found out where the Mayor lived and went to his house. He called the Chief and the next thing we knew we were standing with the Chief, the son of the fallen hero. He is still suffering deep grief and he freely opened up to us. Dave was able to relate to him as a result of losing his own father several years ago. There are times in our travels that when we leave, we feel like we have known the person or people forever and this was one of those times. Darrel talked to us as brothers. The bond we felt we are sure will last a lifetime. Once again we were able to provide him with MARK INC and personal resources. He was blown away that we cared and loved him and seemed like he didn’t want us to leave. We had a special prayer time with him and promised we would keep in touch. We arrived in Marion at 11:00PM.
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