<< Previous   of   Next >> Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) Lynnwood firefighter Chris Olson (from left), Lt. Jason Turner and Assistant Chief Tod Gates chat together as Olson and Turner wear new pink T-shirts to raise breast cancer awareness. Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) Lynnwood Fire Department first responders — firefighter Kevin Miller (from far left), Lt. Mike Vanderpoel, Lt. Jason Turner, paramedic Phil Ponds and paramedic Aaron Williams — show off their pink shirts to show support for breast cancer awareness and to raise money for the cause.

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CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Pink and Proud

Lynnwood firefighters don shirts to raise awareness of breast cancer

By Mina Williams
Enterprise editor

Providing a visible support for those fighting breast cancer, more than 60 Lynnwood Fire Department members will don pink duty shirts from Friday through the end of the month.

“Within our own department, many lives have been touched with friends and family impacted by breast cancer,” said Christine McCroskey, a firefighter and paramedic. “In a male-dominated occupation, we forget that we are all touched by it through sisters, mothers and co-workers.”

Wearing pink in uniform was McCroskey's idea for how the Lynnwood Fire Department could visibly raise awareness of the disease. The hope is to project a positive image of the department while presenting a different face of firefighters and paramedics — putting them into an education role for an important health care topic.

“It's a way for firefighters to get into a larger conversation,” says Phil Pons, a firefighter, paramedic and secretary-treasure of the IAFF Local 1984 union. “It is a shock to see firefighters wearing pink. It draws attention and helps us start the conversation about breast cancer awareness.

“There is a preconceived notion of what our uniform entails,” he added. “We want to mix it up a bit. We are a major source of health care in our community. But that is generally in an emergency. We don't often get to be seen in a preventative face. We are hoping that when people see pink, it will be a reminder to schedule a mammogram.”

Lynnwood firefighters wanted to further expand their support of breast cancer awareness. The notion came up to offer commemorative T-shirts for the public to purchase. With the underwriting efforts of Absolute Graphix of Lynnwood, T-shirts will be available for $15 at fire houses in Lynnwood starting Friday. Proceeds will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.