Employees Share Personal and Professional Connections
At noon on the first Sunday of May, you may hear fire sirens sound for 30 seconds, followed by one minute of silence. The Sound Off is one way communities honor the dedication, commitment and sacrifices of firefighters everywhere.
As International Firefighters’ Day approaches, ICAFe Companies employees share personal and professional connections with those who put their lives on the line to serve and protect their communities.
'One of the most beautiful and emotional experiences of my life’
Stephanie Schoggin works in accounting at Air Equipment and Repair, Inc. in San Antonio, TX. She also comes from a firefighting family. Her dad, Paul Weber, is a retired captain from the San Antonio Fire Department, where her husband, Jeff Schoggin, currently works as an engineer.
She attended her first memorial service at the International Association of Fire Fighters’ Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Colorado Springs, CO, in 2018 when a San Antonio firefighter was inducted after losing his life in the line of duty.
“When I tell you it was one of the most beautiful and sobering experiences of my life, I am in no way exaggerating,” says Stephanie.
Tears still come to Schoggin’s eyes as she recalls speaking with retirees from the New York Fire Department about September 11, 2001, when more than 300 fire fighters died trying to save others in the attacks on the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers.
“Here we were sitting with these big burly men who, on one of the toughest days our nation has faced, were running towards danger while others were fleeing it, listening intently as they were sharing their stories. My dad and husband broke down with them in tears and hugged their brothers in arms – perfect strangers but bonded by the brotherhood.”
Supplying North America’s Top Fire Truck Maker
ICAFe Companies’ professional connection to fire fighters starts in Wisconsin, home of North America’s largest manufacturer of custom fire apparatus: Pierce Manufacturing.
“We supply paint equipment to Pierce factories in Appleton, Neenah and Weyauwega,” says Kent Lindquist, who works in technical sales and process support at ICAFe Inc., based in Waukesha, WI.
Fire stations throughout North America have aerial, pumper, and/or rescue trucks built by Pierce. The manufacturer also designs foam systems to fight fires that cannot be put out by water.
“When I pull over to let a fire truck pass by on its way to an emergency, I feel a sense of pride,” adds Lindquist. “I know it’s protected with coatings applied by systems we’ve installed.”
To learn more about Pierce Manufacturing, an ICAFe customer, visit www.piercemfg.com.
