skip to main content

Blog

The nursing staff at University of Rochester WCI Greece Radiation Oncology Center pose in front of a victory bell, donated by the Ridge Road Fire District and Pierce Manufacturing, for cancer treatment survivors. 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

An image of the donated victory bell at night shows red and blue light illuminating the Twin Towers and the number 343 for the number of firefighters who died on Sept. 11, 2001.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

A patient rings the victory bell after his last round of cancer treatment surrounded by smiling nurses at University of Rochester WCI Greece Radiation Oncology Center.“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.

Does your fire department have an inspiring story of hope and giving? Share it with us below.

View All Blog Posts

Subscribe & Keep Up To Date

Yes, I want to become a Pierce guru!



About Pierce Manufacturing
Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] company, is the leading North American manufacturer of custom fire apparatus. Products include custom and commercial pumpers, aerials, rescue trucks, wildland trucks, mini pumpers, and homeland security apparatus. In addition, Pierce designs its own foam systems and was the first company to introduce frontal airbags and the Side Roll Protection system to fire apparatus. To learn more about Pierce, visit www.piercemfg.com.

About Oshkosh Corporation

At Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK), we make innovative, mission-critical equipment to help everyday heroes advance communities around the world. Headquartered in Wisconsin, Oshkosh Corporation employs approximately 17,000 team members worldwide, all united behind a common purpose: to make a difference in people’s lives. Oshkosh products can be found in more than 150 countries under the brands of JLG®, Hinowa, Power Towers, Pierce®, MAXIMETAL, Oshkosh® Defense, McNeilus®, IMT®, Jerr-Dan®, Frontline™ Communications, Oshkosh® Airport Products, Oshkosh® AeroTech™ and Pratt Miller. For more information, visit oshkoshcorp.com.

®, ™ All brand names referred to in this news release are trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains statements that the Company believes to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s future financial position, business strategy, targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital expenditures, debt levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “should,” “project” or “plan” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include the Company's ability to successfully integrate the AeroTech acquisition and to realize the anticipated benefits associated with the same; the risks associated with international operations and sales, including compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act;  the Company’s ability to comply with complex laws and regulations applicable to U.S. government contractors; cybersecurity risks and costs of defending against, mitigating and responding to data security threats and breaches impacting the Company; the Company’s ability to successfully identify, complete and integrate other acquisitions and to realize the anticipated benefits associated with the same; and risks related to the Company’s ability to successfully execute on its strategic road map and meet its long-term financial goals. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update information contained in this news release. Investors should be aware that the Company may not update such information until the Company’s next quarterly earnings conference call, if at all.

# # #