October 2005 - State Firemen's & Fire Marshals'

Della Williams thinks it’s importantto give back to the firefighters who risktheir lives on a regular basis to protectnot only the people in theircommunities, but also answer callswherever and whenever they areneeded.The WPI Firefighter’s Fund, orWPIFF (www.wpifirefightersfund.org)was started in 1999 by Williams, CEOand President of Williams-Pyro, Inc., themaker of StoveTop FireStop®,America’s leading automatic stovetopfire extinguisher. A tragedy involvingthree firefighters who lost their liveswhile fighting a fire was the catalyst.The fallen firefighters’ families weredenied benefits, and their struggleinspired Williams. WPIFF was startedshortly after these events in order toserve the brave men and women of thefirefighting community.WPIFF is a registered 501(c) 3organization that gives grants tofamilies of fallen or injured firefighters.It supports firefighters in other ways,such as giving grants to volunteer firestations for much-needed equipmentand supporting Texas legislation tomake firefighter benefits automatic, likethey are for police officers.The WPI Firefighter’s Fund recentlygave the family of a Keller, Texasfirefighter and paramedic a $10,000grant. Firefighter Brandon Scott Phillipswas only 26 years old. He’d worked two8-hour shifts back to back, fighting twomajor fires. He died of a heart attackimmediately afterwards, whilechanging out of his bunker gear intoregular clothes. Firefighter Phillips leftbehind his wife, Denise, and threechildren; Parker, age 7; Kylie age 4, andLance, 8 months.In Support of Firefighters…Della Williamsby Lisa Peterson“This breaks my heart, “Williamssaid, “It’s because of families like thePhillips that I founded the WPIFirefighter’s Fund.”Recently, Williams has heard severalstories of injustices to firefighters, andit makes her all the more determined tohelp. As Hurricane Dennis hit Florida,many police evacuated the area alongwith the residents. It was the firefightersand FEMA who stayed to secure thecommunity. That reminded Williams ofwhen a tornado hit downtown FortWorth a few years ago. She saw policeofficers in their cars, but it was thefirefighters standing in the roaddirecting traffic.A couple of weeks ago, Williams wastalking to a firefighter from Georgia,who said she was eating dinner with apolice officer. When the bill came, onlythe firefighter’s meal was charged. Thepolice officer’s ticket was on the house.“I believe that police deserve specialrespect for risking their lives to keep ussafe,” said Williams, “but I believe thatfirefighters deserve the samecourtesies.”The need is great. The U.S. FireAdministration already reports 73firefighter fatalities in 2005.Linda Pottberg is a survivor Mom.Her son, Firefighter Bryan Pottberg,drowned while performing underwaterrescue training.Pottberg has written “Beyond theStars...We are not Alone,” a collectionof miracles and poems shared byfirefighter survivors and friends offallen firefighters. After reading thebook, Pottberg says she hopes othersurvivors find more peace andcontentment. For others, she hopes“there is a better understanding of whatsurvivors go through, and how ourcontinued love for God and family helpsus continue in our daily lives.” Allproceeds from the book go to theNational Fallen Firefighters Foundation(www.firehero.org). The form to orderthe book is under the “Store” section.So as we approach this fall season,fundraising and the need to supportOCTOBER 2005 WPI Updatefallen fighters is on many people’sminds.To raise money for the WPIFirefighter’s Fund, the organization ishosting the Stop, Drop and Roll ChiliCook-Off and Festival on Saturday,October 15. The event will be heldfrom 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the parkinglot of the Bass Pro Shops, 2501 Bass ProDrive, Grapevine, TX.Aside from plenty of food and drink,the event will feature local bands andperformers. Children will have theirown area featuring an obstacle course,toy walk, face painting, clowns andmany other fun activities. Adultattendees can enter a firefighter contestto test their agility while wearingfirefighter gear.All firemen in the Metroplex areinvited to compete for the title of “Hot,Hot Hero,” with a first place prize of aone week, 2 bedroom condo inHeavenly Valley in Tahoe, Nevada.Information and applications are atwww.williams-pyro.com/managefiles/cookoff.phpAttendees of all ages can enjoy thechili! Adults pay $5 to enter, andchildren 12 and under are free. Chilisampling cups will be included with theprice of admission. There will be officialchili contest judging for Chili Heads,sanctioned by the Chili AppreciationSociety International (CASI), and anamateur chili contest for those who arecompeting just for bragging rights!All proceeds go to the WPIFF tosupport firefighters.130th Annual SFFMATraining Conference& ConventionJune 10-14, 2006WacoTEXAS FIREMEN39