M'ville firefighters promote breast cancer awareness

The Marysville firefighter’s union will again wear Breast Cancer Awareness Month shirts to raise funds for breast cancer research this year.

The shirts are worn by local firefighters after being bought by the union.

“Nothing is paid for with any of the public funds,” said Dean Shelton, president of IAFF Local 3219 in Marysville.

Shelton said local firefighters want to support to all parts of their community.

“We have a diverse community and our ranks are just as diverse,” he said. Local firefighters know many people who have friends or family that went through a breast cancer diagnosis, or have gone through a diagnosis themselves, said Shelton.

“We want to show solidarity with those who have faced this terrible disease,” he said.

The Marysville firefighters have participated in the initiative for many years.

“We’ve been wearing the pink shirts for about a decade now,” said Shelton.

It is part of a nationwide campaign that many firefighter organizations participate in each year in the U.S. and Canada.

“Our firefighters throughout North America are here to show support for this meaningful initiative,” said Shelton.

The firefighters look forward to helping out each year, he added.

“We’re super excited every year to be a part of something that big,” he said.

A lot of firefighting is helping your community, said Shelton, and many Marysville firefighters hope to do so on and off the job.

“When we get off work we still want to provide,” he said. “Firefighters want to be of service to all parts of our community … so this is another experience of giving back."

They give back in a number of different ways throughout the year and choose to participate in Breast Cancer Awareness Month each October.

“This is no different than our muscular dystrophy fundraising or our food drives and our toy drives we do,” said Shelton.

The initiative is well-received each year.

“We’ve never had a negative response, that’s for sure,” said Shelton.

“It does tug on the heart strings when you do encounter someone who has had a family member going through it or who are going through it themselves,” he said.

Wearing the shirts helps local firefighters get more in touch with Marysville residents for that reason, he said.

“It helps create a greater relationships with our community,” said Shelton.