Firefighters extend eBay ‘fire sale’

The sale ends April 29.

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — The two city firefighters willing to be walking billboards to raise money to save their jobs have lowered the starting bid on eBay to $200,000.

You could call it a fire sale.

Firefighters Kevin Windham and Ben Szmara are selling ad space on their “turnout gear,” the protective flame-retardant jackets they wear on the job.

The starting bid on eBay, the online auction Web site, had been $750,000, an amount intended to save 36 firefighters’ jobs that are in jeopardy because of the city’s financial woes. The sale ended last Friday with no bidders, so Windham and Szmara lowered the minimum bid they’ll accept and extended the sale until April 29.

The firefighters’ innovative sales pitch was featured last week in The Vindicator and then garnered TV coverage. Once Windham and Szmara’s efforts made the news, the hits on their eBay site went from about 500 to more than 1,300.

“We got tons of responses from all over — fire departments in Washington, D.C., Texas and Arizona,” Windham said Monday. “They said it’s a good way to bring the problem to the public’s attention.”

Windham said he and Szmara decided to lower the starting bid to a “more realistic amount” in a last-ditch effort to raise money for the cause. “It would have blew my mind if we actually got the $750,000 bid.”

Windham said they also wanted to use the Web site this week as a way to place a “thank you” note for the news organizations that publicized their predicament.

“This opportunity is available because firefighters in Youngstown own/purchase their gear,” the eBay ad reads. “The advertisement will run for the lifetime of the gear.” Firefighters get a $900 clothing allowance each year. The jackets and pants cost $1,600 and last three to 10 years.

The eBay sales pitch goes on to say that the firefighters are assigned to Ladder 24, a truck that covers half the city.

“This truck responds to nearly 200 structure fires each year and numerous public events,” the firefighters-turned-salesmen wrote. “Your ad will be in the public view [newspapers, 3 local news networks and Web pages].”

A disclaimer notes that the online fundraiser is not connected to the city, Youngstown Fire Department or its union, Local 312.

Here’s the site:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem item=120249644239 _trksid=p3907.m32 _trkparms=tab=Selling.