Fire truck and firefighters don pink
October 7, 2008
Wentzville
No, the firefighters haven’t been selling make-up.
This pink fire engine is part of the Pink Ribbon Tour 2008. The engine is adorned with a custom paint job of little pink ribbons and towing a trailer with a large pink ribbon mounted on it.
All the pink ribbons make the reason for the visit unmistakable; the group is on a mission to raise awareness for the fight against breast cancer.
A shrine of sorts, the truck and trailer have become graced with the signatures of over 5,000 people who have been affected by someone with breast cancer. The parts not covered by signatures are being covered by patches from all the fire and police departments of the cities and towns they’ve visited so far in their tour across America.
Driving and riding in the fire truck are four firefighters from the Glendale, Arizona Fire Department, IAFF Local 493. The cause is being lead by Dave Graybill, one of the firefighters from Glendale. This is not the first time Dave has come through the Wentzville area. Back in 2003, Graybill was on his Golf Across the USA Tour, hitting a golf ball across the country to raise money for Children’s Charities.
For the Pink Ribbon Tour Dave and three other members of the department, the Guardians of the Ribbon, all took their vacations together to make the trip across the country. The group spent many months working out the details and getting all the incidentals together. All of the items were donated by various interests. The pumper truck was purchased from a dealer in Jacksonville, Florida with donated funds from a woman who Graybill met in a Starbucks. The pink turnout gear was donated by Globe Manufacturing. During their stay in Wentzville, the firefighters will be staying at one of the Wentzville Fire Protection District’s fire stations.
There are numerous fundraising events open to the public scheduled during the truck’s stay in Wentzville. The truck appeared at the “October Festival” at the Firefighter’s Hall in St. Peters on October 5. On Monday, the truck was at The Meadows in Lake Saint Louis and Bottles and Throttles in Wentzville.
On Tuesday, the truck will appear in Wentzville at Ann’s Bra Shop from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with a balloon launch at 12:30 p.m. with cancer survivors.
To learn more about the Pink Ribbon Tour, visit www.pinkribbontour.com.
The Wentzville Fire District covers 88 square miles of Western St. Charles County and includes the cities of Wentzville, Foristell, Flint Hill and Josephville as well as large portions of Lake Saint Louis, Dardenne Prairie and O’Fallon.
Copyright 2008 Neighbors About Town