'BRIDGE TO BRIDGE' Mich. firefighters walking to NYC

'Bridge to Bridge' is expected to pass through the Mahoning Valley today.
By AMANDA C. DAVIS
and JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
A group of Michigan firefighters is making the long trudge to New York, on foot, hoping to drum up support along the way.
The group is walking from Ambassador Bridge in Detroit to Brooklyn Bridge in New York City to raise money for families of those injured or killed in Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The fire department in Farmington Hills, Mich., is leading the walk through Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Farmington Hills police officers may also join the group.
The effort is being called "Bridge to Bridge; Side By Side" to remember the fallen and support the survivors of Sept. 11, when terrorists hijacked planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field south of Pittsburgh. The group left Thursday and was originally expected to arrive in New York next Saturday but is ahead of schedule.
At least one police officer and firefighter will walk each mile of the 600-mile trip, and emergency service personnel from departments along the way will send representatives to participate.
Passing through: Locally, the group will travel state Route 82 from Braceville to Leavittsburg, and on to Warren, where it will head up East Market Street toward Howland. It will then continue to head east on Route 82 through Brookfield and will then pick up U.S. Route 62 toward Sharon, through Mercer and on east.
Marc Titus, a Warren firefighter and vice president of the firefighters union, said Friday afternoon he and others were trying to contact colleagues to participate. "Everyone tries to help out best they can in a situation like this," he said, adding that the group is expected in Warren between 3 and 5 p.m. today.
To make a donation: Money will be collected along the route, and donations will be accepted afterward. People who want to make contributions should make their checks payable to U.F.A. Widows and Children's Fund of New York or PBA Widows and Children's Fund.
Donations can also be mailed to Farmington Hills Fire Fighters Association, IAFF Local 2659, P.O. Box 184, Farmington, Mich. 48332. Cash will also be accepted.
Jim Etzin, a Farmington Hills firefighter who came up with the idea for the walk, said the number of people walking varies from community to community. He was contacted late Friday afternoon by cell phone as he and others were preparing to leave Norwalk, Ohio. He said weather conditions were dry for the first time since the group left.
In a phone interview from home Friday, Denny Hughes, a Farmington Hills fire inspector, said Etzin brought the idea to him when the two were eating lunch a few weeks ago. Originally, the trip was supposed to start in Los Angeles, but organizers found there would be too many obstacles.
Hughes made the first five miles of the trip and will likely meet up with the group sometime before it reaches New York. "I don't know that I've ever been prouder to be a firefighter," he said.
Ahead of schedule: The group is at least six hours ahead of schedule, Hughes added, because a Toledo firefighter who led the effort at one point ran for 40 miles straight, through the pouring rain.
Etzin said a core group of five firefighters and one retired firefighter will stay for the duration, but some joined late and some left early because of work schedules. Two recreational vehicles, stocked with food and beverages, are traveling with the group, along with other support vehicles, fire engines and police cars, Etzin said.
Costs associated with the journey have already been offset, allowing 100 percent of proceeds to go toward the cause. Etzin said corporate sponsors include Ford Motor Co., a Detroit radio station and companies specializing in fire damage restoration.
Looking for walkers: In Sharon, firefighter Kevin McMahon said he and colleagues were working on finding firefighters who would be available at 10 p.m., when the walk is expected to come through the city. At the Sharon Police Department, Clerk Jeremiah Christner said the department had just been notified and the chief had yet to receive the request.
Capt. Dave Coffee at the Brookfield Township fire department said his department, too, was "playing it by ear" and determining what they could pull together after being notified Friday afternoon.
davis@vindy.com; viviano@vindy.com