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Union students thank Poland Fire Department
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .On Oct. 21, officials from the Poland Fire Department were all smiles as they celebrated their win of Volunteer Fire Department of the Year with a group of Union Elementary students. The students brought a box of thank you cards for the Poland firefighters.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Fire Prevention officer Bill O'Hara (right) accepted a box of cards from Union Elementary students on Oct. 21 and offered a warm thank you for their appreciation of the volunteers at the Poland Fire Department.
By SARAH FOOR
During any good celebration, there should be a card or two to mark the occasion.
In October, the Poland Fire Department was named Volunteer Fire Department of the Year by the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Poland Union principal Mike Masucci thought that the prize was definitely a cause for celebration in Poland.
“Everyone at Union considers it a great honor for all of us. To offer our appreciation, every student at Union has created a card to thank our fire department for always keeping us safe and doing such a terrific job teaching safety in the community,” explained Masucci.
On Oct. 21, the principal and a group of Union students walked to the nearby fire station to hand over their cards in person and celebrate with a group of firefighters.
Fire safety educator Bill O’Hara accepted the cards and gave a warm thank-you to the students.
“We’re so happy to keep Poland safe and it’s an honor that you came to visit us. You can come by and say hello any time — our doors are always open,” O’Hara shared.
To add to the festivities, Cocca’s Pizza offered free pizza for the students and firefighters to enjoy together.
As the students ate, O’Hara and his fellow firefighters answered questions from the youngsters, sharing stories of injury and burns on the job and explaining that the department answers 800 medical calls a year along with fire calls.
By the end of the party, the firefighters had unpacked and looked over every card from the Union students appreciating the volunteers’ bravery and vigilance.