Engine 10 lends a hand
By: Charlie De Mar
Updated: March 6, 2013
It all started with a picture of the engine 10 firefighters in Fort Wayne shoveling snow for a 94-year-old World War II veteran.
A neighbor snapped a picture and posted it to her facebook page and the rest is history.
Heather Eracleous woke up like many, with the chore of shoveling her snow covered driveway. Across the street lives a veteran in his nineties. Eracleous says she usually helps her neighbor out and shovels the vets sidewalk.
"I was lying in bed and we saw a fire truck slowly coming down the street and I heard that it stopped," said Eracleous.
What the firefighters of engine 10 did next for the war vet took neighbors by total surprise.
"They got these big shovels off the top of the fire truck and just started plowing his driveway for him and in less than 10 minutes they were done," said Eracleous.
The veterans' driveway was now clear and the firefighters left, but Eracleous wasn't going to let the act of kindness go unnoticed.
"I just wrote Chief Biggs a letter and said I appreciate what they've done and it kind of took on a life of its own which is exciting," said Eracleous.
The Fort Wayne Fire Department then posted that letter to its facebook page and within minutes it went viral. Getting over 10,000 likes and the photo has been shared over 3,000 times.
"The comments have been fantastic I haven't seen any bad comments yet and there shouldn't be any because what they did was wonderful," said Eracleous.
Brian Meeks, battalion chief for The Fort Wayne Fire Department says the firefighters of engine 10 weren't looking for recognition.
"This engine crew didn't ask for this notoriety and its not anything they publically would stand out on a corner and say look what we did that's not what we do," said Meeks
