When the fire bell rings, firefighters can’t fully anticipate what they will encounter or what the outcome will be during a service call. They often suit up, jump on their rig, provide the necessary emergency support, and head back to the firehouse to prepare for the next call.

While it’s common for a day’s work to leave a lasting impact, it’s not every day that firefighters establish longstanding friendships after arriving on a scene. What’s even more rare is to be faced with an opportunity to offer a gesture of kindness that would involve contributions from near and far.

A Missing Ceremonial Bell

In early 2019, healthcare providers at the University of Rochester WCI Greece Radiation Oncology Center (WCI Greece) smelled smoke in their building. To ensure the safety of all the building occupants, the medical team called the Ridge Road Fire District to investigate the odor’s cause. After thoroughly checking the building and ruling out any sign of fire, Battalion Chief Chris Mazzaferro noticed they didn’t have a bell for oncology patients to ring after their last round of treatment.

A ceremonial bell to recognize a patient’s last round of treatment was something that Clinical Manager of Radiation Oncology for Wilmot Cancer Institute at Highland, Nancy Marou, had always wanted. In her visits to other University of Rochester medical facilities with bells, Nancy knew the joy it could bring.

“The bell signifies the end of a tough journey and hopes of a better future. The experience brings tears of joy for patients, their families and the staff, who often become adopted family during the course of treatment,” Nancy said.

Nancy told Chief Mazzaferro that WCI Greece would love to have a bell, but it would have to be donated. “It’s not something you buy,” she said. This touched Chief Mazzaferro in a way that drove him to take action when he got back to the firehouse and immediately got to work. He told Captain Brian Gebo the situation, and a meeting was set up for Captain Gebo and Nancy to meet.

No one could have anticipated what happened next. The meeting was not just the start of the process to acquire a donation but resulted in the start of a great friendship. After their initial discussion, an idea sparked for Captain Gebo that a bell could be taken from an old fire truck. After searching high and low with no success, he realized it was time to think of a plan B.

Captain Gebo didn’t give up. Rather than look at the old, he switched gears to look at the new. At the time, Ridge Road Fire District had a new fire truck in production at Pierce Manufacturing. Captain Gebo was connected with John Alfieri, VP of Apparatus Sales for Churchville Fire Equipment and mayor of East Rochester. John knew there had to be a way to help.

Finding the Right Bell Took Ingenuity and Determination

In the process of looking for a new bell, Jon realized that finding a bell would be easy, but determining how a bell would hang and what it would be placed on was more of a challenge to consider.

John then remembered the bell he’d seen at Pierce’s Appleton facility. The same bell that’s used at the annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Lambeau Field to raise funds for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. When participants reach the 78th floor, the highest floor firefighters reached on 9/11, a bell is rung in honor of the fallen heroes.

John called his friend Chad Miller, plant manager at Pierce’s Appleton facility, and asked if the team would build another bell just like the one used at the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.

“Nobody hesitated at my request,” said John. “Everyone came together like it was a no-brainer to make this happen. Both Chad and Jeff Seidner, senior manager of customer experience, were instrumental in helping make the initiative possible within the matter of just over a month.”

The Pierce team sent pictures of the bell’s progress to WCI Greece, and once it was ready, it was on its way to Rochester on a fire truck already headed to that region. The bell was safely delivered, and Captain Gebo and others from the Ridge Road Fire District had the honor of presenting the bell to the WCI Greece team.

A Collaborative Effort Brings A New Bell and New Hope to Patients

“There were so many hands involved with this, and not one person hesitated, whether at Pierce or Churchville Fire Equipment,” said Captain Gebo.

Like the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb bell, WCI Greece’s bell features the Twin Towers and the number 343 for the number of firefighters who died on Sept. 11, 2001. John explains the connection between September 11 and cancer patients as “heroism in the face of immense struggle.”

While it was one of the darkest days for firefighters, there are many stories of firefighters who showed heroism as they rushed to help those in need. John hopes this bell helps cancer patients embrace heroism, too.

“It’s a bell of victory,” he said. “It’s a happy event, and it’s a proud event to honor the heroism that your patients have to get through this fight and the heroism that staff show to support patients through their journey.”

Nancy, along with the faculty and staff from WCI Greece, couldn’t agree more and feel gratitude for the support from the community. During the presentation ceremony, Nancy shared how much the bell means to patients and staff and how it represents an end to a long, tough journey. “We consider patients our extended families,” she said. “When a patient finishes treatment, they receive a certificate and an announcement is made over the loudspeaker stating, ‘We have a bell ringer!’ and all available staff will come out and share in the joy. Many patients, family members, and staff get teary-eyed with mixed emotions.”

Nancy recalls an incredibly emotional bell ringing that took place before the COVID-19 pandemic and before the bell arrived to WCI Greece. “Dawn Starwald is a patient who really wanted to ring the bell at the completion of her treatment,” she said. “Because the presentation ceremony hadn’t taken place yet, the Ridge Road Fire District was kind enough to allow Dawn and our staff to come to the firehouse so she could ring the bell. We all dressed in her favorite Disney theme and stood by her side. I still get choked up thinking about the moment.”

Learn more about Pierce Manufacturing’s Give Back initiatives, focused on supporting customers and communities across the country.

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