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Hazelwood Firefighters Get in Giving Spirit By Fixing Up Bikes
Hazelwood firefighter EMT Mark Niehaus works on fixing a girl’s BMX bike to be given away to a local needy family this holiday season.
When Hazelwood firefighter/EMTs at Fire Station #1 aren’t responding to Emergency 911 calls, they are busy cleaning and repairing bikes for donations to needy kids living in Hazelwood and throughout the North St. Louis County area. They also give many of their bikes to Father Bob Gettinger of St. Augustine Catholic Church who organizes an annual holiday program for needy families in the City of St. Louis.
Hazelwood Fire Capt./EMT Eric Kiehl works on fixing the wheel of a mountain bike, which will be donated to a youth this holiday season, during his down time at Fire Station #1.
According to Eric Kiehl, a 29-year veteran of the Hazelwood Fire Department, “We’ve been fixing up and donating bikes to needy kids for about 24 years. One of our firefighters used to work at a bike shop and we got all the bike parts donated to us to do all the repairs. That lasted for about 10 years. Unfortunately, we lost this source because the company no longer sells bicycles. Now we have different organizations donating the funds we need to buy parts. And, we use some bikes that have bent frames, or would be considered unsafe to ride, for parts.”
These Hazelwood firefighters work on all types of bikes ranging from Mountain to BMX, Cruiser to Dirt, and Women’s to Kids’ with training wheels. “Some of the bikes we get from the police department have been released by court order after not being claimed for a period of time. Residents have also brought us bikes found abandoned somewhere in the city,” said Kiehl. “Most of our bikes come from people who see the ones parked out back and drop off theirs because they’re not used anymore.”
This year they will be giving away around 35 to 40 bikes. The program is offered first to local churches and individual families. “We recently gave four of our bikes to the Lutheran Church-Good Shepard in Hazelwood right after Thanksgiving. We also work with people who know of local families facing hard times that need a bike for one or more of their children,” added Kiehl.
Then whatever is left over goes to Father Bob for his annual holiday program, which is scheduled for next week. St. Augustine Catholic Church serves approximately 3,000 to 5,000 people who live in downtown St. Louis. Throughout the year, people send letters to Father Bob requesting his help during the holiday season. He responds by giving them gift certificates that can be traded in for clothing, groceries and some toys, including the bikes donated by Hazelwood firefighter/EMTs.
