An event in Willoughby paid tribute to the sacrifices made by firefighters around the world to keep their communities safe.
Local firefighters and members of the general public gathered for a May 4 ceremony to commemorate International Firefighters Day. The program was held in the parking lot of Firehouse Subs, a restaurant located at 36161 Euclid Ave., in Willoughby.
Firefighters arrived at the event in fire trucks and ambulances that participated in a parade which started at the Willoughby Fire Department. The procession included fire trucks from the Willoughby Hills and Willowick fire departments.
At noon, all of those emergency vehicles activated their sirens for a 30-second “sound-off,” which was followed by a minute of silence “in memory of, and respect for, all firefighters who have been lost in the line of duty or passed on before us,” according to information from the International Firefighters Day website.
The sound-off and subsequent minute of silence at noon local time on the first Sunday in May is a ritual conducted in communities around the world to commemorate International Firefighters Day.
This year’s International Firefighters Day ceremony in Willoughby arose from a partnership involving the Western Reserve Fire Buffs Association, Firehouse Subs and the Willoughby Fire Department.
Western Reserve Fire Buffs Association wanted to conduct the ceremony, which included a fire department open house, in a city that had a Firehouse Subs restaurant, said Willoughby Fire Chief Todd Ungar.
“So they picked us,” Ungar said. “I’m friends with several of the members of the organization. They asked if we’d be willing to host it. I said, ‘Of course.’ It was a pretty easy decision.”
During the one-hour open house, many children got the chance to sit in several of the department’s fire trucks. One of those kids was 5-year-old Siena Gralewski of Wickliffe.
Fire trucks are familiar to Siena, whose father, Brian Gralewski, is a lieutenant with the Perry Joint Fire District.
Siena and her brother, 4-year-old Krew, attended the open house with their grandmother, Christine Peterlin.
“(Siena and Krew) both have a strong interest in the fire service,” Peterlin said.
After the open house, about a dozen fire trucks and ambulances exited the Willoughby Fire Department at 37000 Euclid Ave., and drove in a parade to the nearby Firehouse Subs shop.
Firehouse Subs Field Marketing Manager Chris Pesti described the Willoughby observance of International Firefighters Day as a “goodwill event.”
“It’s engaging with the fire departments, the public and it’s a part of our foundation,” he said.
Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation was founded in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Chris and Robin Sorensen, founders of Firehouse Subs, traveled to Mississippi, where they fed first responders as well as survivors. Afterward, the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation was born.
Since 2005, the foundation reports it has raised $4,901,269 to support 303 fire departments throughout Ohio.
