Florence firefighters are urging people to lend a hand to help the families of firefighters who died in the line of duty by donating their old vehicles to a fund started on their behalf.
Florence Fire Marshal Ken Carr said even though Florence hasn’t had a firefighter die in the line of duty in about 30 years, there are families of fallen firefighters all across the country that need help.
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) accepts cars, trucks, RVs, boats, motorcycles and other vehicle donations, he said.
The foundation works with Charitable Auto Resources Inc. to accept the cars from donors nationwide, he said.
The donated cars are then sold and the money benefits the foundation, he said.
“It’s a program they are asking local fire departments to promote,” Carr said. “They help survivors of firefighters that were killed in the line of duty.”
They provide scholarships for children, they provide financial help (and) they help them get all the benefits they are supposed to get.”
Every October, the foundation holds a memorial ceremony at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Maryland for all the firefighters who have died in the line of duty, he said.
“All of the survivors can come and it’s attended by firefighters from all over North America,” Carr said. “There are Canadian firefighters that come down just to show support.”
The Florence Firefighters Honor Guard attends the service every year, Carr said.
The Florence honor guard hasn’t had to attend the service in memory of any firefighter from Florence since the 1970s, he said.
The last person to die in the line of duty in Florence was a captain who was struck by a car on the way back from a training exercise, he said. This is the only line-of-duty death for the Florence Fire Department, Carr said.
“You never know when something like that can happen,” he said. “We don’t like to talk about it. What happened in Charleston a few years ago could have happened here.”
For details on how to donate a vehicle to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, visit www.charitableautoresources.com or call (888) 634-7227.
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