Spread Good Cheer : Sparta Pewter Keychains

We love all things Public Safety!

We spent the year talking about Police Officers, Firefighters, EMTs, Dispatchers, Active Military, Veterans, Injured Veterans, Olympians, Paralympians and more.

So given the Holidays, we want to SPREAD GOOD CHEER!

Our goal is to help you "Give back to those who give all year."

Todays Gift Idea is a Sparta Pewter Keychain.  These are your options:

• EMS Star of Life
• Firefighter Maltese Cross
• Police Officer Badge with Eagle
• Sheriffs Handcuffs
• Fire Helmet
• Fire Truck

These are Solid Pewter.  And they are not expensive.  They are less than $10 each.

Have a great holidays!

Off-duty Hero - NYPD Officer

Prior to Hurricane Sandy taking ownership of every single headline, an Off-duty NYPD officer was hailed for his heroic actions.

His name is Ivan Marcano.  He is 27 years old.  And these events happened on Wednesday, Oct 24, 2012 at 6:30pm.

Ivan was in his car with his girlfriend when he witnessed a man being robbed by two muggers.  Despite being Off-duty, Ivan intervened.  But he was shot in the chest, and the bullet barely missed his heart.

As his girlfriend drove him to the hospital, he realized the assailant's car was in front of them.  It happened to get in an accident.

While holding his own gunshot wound, Ivan jumped out of his car and back into action.  He pursued the suspects, at which time he shot one in the head.  That suspected later died.  The other is at large.  And yet another, the driver of the get away car, is also at large.

Ivan's heroism prompted a visit to his hospital room from NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, wherein Ivan was promoted to Detective!

On-duty or Off-duty, courage and bravery is something to be honored.

Hats off to Ivan Marcano and many more Off-duty Officers who serve the public well beyond the schedule of their shift!

Hurricane Sandy: Heroes

NYPD

We have mentioned many American Heroes, including Veterans, Injured Veterans, Active Military, Police, Fire, EMS, Dispatchers, Off-duty Officers, On-call Firefighters and more.

This superstorm - Hurricane Sandy - has undoubtedly provoked a new wave of heroic actions.  Here is one of them.

Artur Kasprzak had been a New York City police officer for 6 years.  He was 28 years old, and lived on Staten Island with his family.

On Monday night (10/29/12) the basement of his home was quickly flooding with water from the storm.  So he moved the family members who were with him - six adults and a 15 month old nephew - into the attic of the home.  He then went down to the basement to look for his father, but he did not return.

Artur did not know it, but his father had already fled to safety.

This Off-duty Officer confronted a terrible storm, and in courageously doing so he gave his own life to save the lives of seven family members.  He was later found in the flooded basement by a Search and Rescue team.

His sister said he loved his job at the NYPD.  "He's always ready.  Sometimes he didn't sleep, or he slept just a few hours.  Every time they called him, he was there.  You know, he's very devoted.  We will miss him so much."

Hurricane Sandy: Power Outages

As of mid-day Tuesday 10/30/12 (right now), how many people are without power due to Hurricane Sandy?


TOTAL  :  8,428,000

New Jersey : 2,500,000

New York : 2,300,000

Pennsylvania : 1,200,000

Connecticut : 615,000

Maryland : 290,000

Massachusetts : 290,000

West Virginia : 271,000

Ohio : 250,000

Virginia : 180,000

New Hampshire : 165,000

Rhode Island : 116,000

Maine : 86,000

Michigan : 79,000

Delaware : 45,000

Washington DC : 25,000

Vermont : 10,000

North Carolina : 6,000


We owe great gratitude to the Public Safety personnel working tirelessly to keep us safe.  That includes Police, Fire, EMS, Dispatchers, Off-duty Officers, On-call Firefighters, Active Military and many more.

THANK YOU!!

American History - Tom Clark

We have mentioned many American Heroes:  Active US Military ... Veterans ... Injured Veterans ... Police ... Fire ... EMS ... Dispatchers ... Off-Duty Officers ... and On-Call Firefighters.

This bit of American History is a first-class reminder of US soldiers who have paid the ultimate price.

It was 1985.  Tom Clark was a 31-year old history teacher at Lake Central High School in St John, Indiana.

Lake Central High School had five graduates who were killed in Vietnam.  One of Tom's students wanted to put up a memorial to remember the dead soldiers.

Tom agreed to support the idea, but he wanted it done right.  He asked his students to interview the families of the dead soldiers and get details on their lives.  That way the memorial could include the full stories of who they were.

Since then, for the past 27 years, Tom Clark has put this same project before his students.  At the beginning of the semester he gives his students many files containing information about dead soldiers from Indiana.  The students then piece together the stories of these casualties.

They uncover photos, letters, records, articles, artifacts and telegrams.  They visit and interview the remaining friends and family of the dead servicemen.  And finally they tell the story of each soldier.

These high school students have worked on stories about deceased soldiers from World War II, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

• They have spoken with former fiancees who did not see their loved one come home

• They have found evidence of great athletes whose potentially stunning careers did not materialize due to the war

• They have turned up medals of war that were never issued, but have fixed that by getting them issued and personally delivering them to the family

• And they have recently faced a family that is still reeling from the April 15th passing of a young serviceman - who was a 32-year old son, dedicated husband and father of a two-year old

Thanks to Tom Clark, these soldiers and their stories are being properly preserved.  And many students are realizing freedom isn't free.

Hometown Heroes - On-Call Firefighters

We have mentioned many American Heroes, including:  Active US Military ... Veterans ... Injured Veterans ... Police ... Fire ... EMS ... Dispatchers ... and Off-Duty Officers.

Today we feature On-call Firefighters.

These folks are not "Career" firefighters.  They typically have regular jobs, albeit with flexible schedules.  They respond to emergency calls as-needed and as-available.  They are often paid a daily rate to be On-call plus an additional rate for responding to calls.

So they have a lot to juggle when you think about their family events, birthday parties, holidays, social events, church activities, etc, etc!

Many times these On-call Firefighters are drawn to the department because previous generations have served the department.  So its sort of in their blood!  Jimmy Wagoner is a good example.  His father has been with the local department for 26 years.

Some times these On-call Firefighters had friends in the department.  Dustin Lucius is a good example.  He's a 30-year old pilot who is married with a newborn child.  He followed his friend, Bobby Maksymowski, into the department.

Other times these On-call Firefighters pursue the department because of the camaraderie it builds.  Chris Cates is a good example.  He joined his local Fire Department as an On-Call Firefighter to "be a part of something."

But none of them would be On-call Firefighters if they didn't love firefighting!

These folks fill an important role in the Public Safety our country enjoys!  A small to mid-size city does not usually have the budget for a fully staffed "Career" department, especially these days :-(

We want to say "THANKS" to all the men and women who fill this tremendous void and serve the public unselfishly.  We know that you love fighting fires and responding to emergencies, but we also know you make many sacrifices to be available as First Responders!

THANK YOU!!