Fire Critic An Unadulterated View of the Fire Service
Help the Good Guys, a non-profit organization supporting injured first responders in financial need, has announced plans to assist two severely injured Texas firefighters with a month-long fundraising campaign. The campaign will begin March 1 and end March 31, 2014.
To start fundraising efforts, Help the Good Guys will donate $500 to each firefighter. There are many ways people and businesses can donate to the injured heroes, including making a donation on the Help the Good Guys website (www.HelpTheGoodGuys.org ), downloading country songs by John Michael Montgomery and Ronnie Milsap on the website or bid on a Charlie Daniels signed fiddle on eBay. The fiddle, which also comes with autographed sheet music for Daniel’s legendary song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” can be bid on by clicking here.
Help the Good Guys on Facebook
Help the Good Guys on Twitter@HelptheGoodGuys
All money collected in March will be split between the two firefighters:
Captain William (Bill) Dowling, Houston Fire Department
On May 31, 2013, the Houston Fire Department responded to a five-alarm fire at the Southwest Inn. Approximately 14 minutes into the incident, a massive roof collapse occurred, trapping five firefighters. Houston lost four of its finest that day making it the deadliest blaze in the department’s history. Captain Bill Dowling received serious burns and had both legs partially amputated. Dowling, 40, has been with the Houston Fire Department for 13 years. He and his wife, Jacki, have three children: Forrest, 18, Faith, 13, and Foster, 11.
Joe Yeakley, Lindale (TX) Fire Department
On Jan. 17, 2014, Joe Yeakley was fighting a house fire when the roof of the garage collapsed. He suffered burns to 50% of his body, including full thickness burns to his face, torso and all extremities. He will continue to require multiple operations and it is expected that he will have an extended hospitalization and extensive rehabilitation for many years to come. Yeakley is a 31-year veteran of the volunteer fire service with 14 of those years with the Lindale Volunteer Fire Department. Yeakley, 52, has a wife, Denise, and one daughter, Nicole.
About Help the Good Guys
The mission of Help the Good Guys (www.HelpTheGoodGuys.org) is to help severely injured first responders in need by focusing on community-based fundraising including education, awareness and direct contributions. Help the Good Guys also utilizes its contacts in the music industry to help make a difference and support America’s first responders who may be in need.
Mickey Milam, director and founder of Help the Good Guys, created the organization in 2008 after being injured in the line of duty as a law enforcement official. While the organization has helped numerous individuals over the last several years, the new effort to aid the two Texas firefighters serves as a re-launch of the organization. Each month, Help the Good Guys will identify an injured first responder and conduct a new fundraising effort.
“Like many people, I have been incredibly fortunate in my life to never have had to experience the difficulties of my car being repossessed or losing my home to bankruptcy,” Milam said. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to know you were helping someone in trouble or even saving their life, when you were severely injured and now you and your family are facing financial hardship. I think it’s a shame that in a country as great as ours, we as a nation allow this to happen to our firefighters, law enforcement officers and EMS/paramedics.”
