ARLINGTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Step by step, inch by inch, Arlington firefighters and other community members came together Saturday to pull as one team.
“Once they say go, everyone just starts rallying each other and we bolt,” said Joseph Scimmei of the Arlington Department of Public Works. “And as long as your legs are tight you can go through it.”
A fully-loaded fire truck weighs 40,000 pounds but driven by purpose, these teams are making it roll to raise money for cancer research.
“This is all we have is hope, everyone has been affected, so to have that hope and see progress. types of cancer that weren’t curable 10 years ago are having a better fight,” said Arlington firefighter Brian Carr.
The Pulling for Hope event raises money for the American Cancer Society. The department was motivated to do something after losing one of their own.
“A few years back our deputy chief passed away from cancer and he didn’t get to enjoy retirement and it opened up our eyes to the frailty of our profession with cancer,” Carr said.
Statistics show firefighters are 10 percent more likely to get cancer than the average public resident and 14 percent more likely to die from it due to the smoke and chemicals they’re exposed to on the job.
But nearly everyone on hand Saturday would tell you they’ve been touched by cancer, including Jonathan Buck, who led the local team from Mirak Automotive.
“My mom is currently at the end of her fight against cancer. she beat it once and its come back, and she’s probably headed toward the end, so I think that story resonates with everyone has lost someone with this terrible disease,” he said.
The truck pull has raised more than $45,000 over the last 5 years.
Learn more and donate here: https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?pg=entry&fr_id=110930
Kim Lucey, Arlington
“Even after the pulling is done, the donations can still come in. you can find a link on our website whdh dot com. in arlington, kim lucey, 7 news.”
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