The men and women of the Iowa City Fire Department are going to sporting a noticeable addition to their work attire this week ? a bright pink duty T-shirt.
Brought to reality through the work of International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Union 610 members, the special T-shirts will worn through October 13 as a way to commemorate October being National Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Iowa City firefighters Tim Recker and Sadie McDowell show off their pink duty T-shirts on Tuesday. Firefighters hope that the T-shirts will help raise breast cancer awareness.
?Other fire departments have worn pink T-shirts before, but this is the first time the Iowa City Fire Department has had the opportunity to participate,? Iowa City Deputy Fire Chief Roger Jensen said.? ?We [at the ICFD] are pleased to help save lives by promoting awareness [of breast cancer].?
The decision to wear the pink T-shirts was first decided upon last year after Iowa City firefighters saw that other agencies in the state were carrying out similar initiatives. Jensen says the firefighters? responses to wearing pink have been overwhelmingly positive.
?A lot of people associated with the Fire Department have been affected by cancer in some way,? Iowa City firefighter Branden Sobaski said. ?We have a couple of survivors in the Department and almost all of us have family members or friends that have had cancer.?
Sobaski says the pink T-shirts carry a special meaning to him because his grandmother, an advocate for early detection and regular check-ups, had a scare with breast cancer in 2001 at the age of 70. She had surgery and has not had any problems since, he said.
?The courage that survivors, victims, friends and families [affected by cancer] have shown makes them all heroes,? Sobaski said. ?That?s why we [the ICFD] will wear pink on duty and honor them.?
Firefighters are wearing a version of the ?Heroes Wear Pink?? T-shirts that features a ribbon printed across the right chest.
A second version of the T-shirt honoring several individuals that the ICFD family has lost to cancer have also been printed and will be sold to the public later this month.
Proceeds from the T-shirt sales will be split evenly between the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, a national organization that benefits? firefighters and their families.
?It [wearing the T-shirts] is a wonderful idea that brings breast cancer awareness to the forefront,? Sonia Sugg, MD, Medical Director of the UIHC Breast Care Program said. ?The Holden Cancer Center has special funds directed towards breast cancer initiatives and we?re thankful for what the ICFD is doing to help.?
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The special ICFD pink ?Heroes Wear Pink?? T-shirts will be sold for $15 on two dates later this month in Iowa City: October 23 at the First Avenue Hy-Vee from 1-4 p.m. and also at the Waterfront Hy-Vee from 1-4 p.m. on October 30.
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Source: http://easterniowalife.com/2011/10/11/iowa-city-firefighters-go-pink-for-breast-cancer-awareness/
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