By Mary Niederberger
Pittsburgh Post-GazettePORT VUE, Pa. — When the Port Vue Vigilante Fire Company extinguished a fire that gutted a home on Romine Avenue last May, Chief Gary Kulka couldn't help but feel that there should be something more that he could do to help.
The home belonged to a disabled single mother with two sons who had no insurance and no family to help her.
"During that night, I just kept thinking, 'I've got to do something,' " Mr. Kulka said.
It turned out his fellow firefighters had some of the same thoughts; the next day a handful of them made a pledge to rebuild the home for its owner, Kerrie Hawkins. Ms. Hawkins has multiple sclerosis and lived in the home with her sons, Kristopher, 15, and Nicholas, 11.
The men started work shortly after the fire and continued through the summer until late August rebuilding the inside of the cinder block house that Ms. Hawkins inherited from her grandparents.
They finished just before the first day of school in the South Allegheny School District, where Kristopher is a high school sophomore and Nicholas is in sixth grade at the elementary school.
The firefighters were honored for their work last week by county Councilman Bob Macey, who presented them with a proclamation at the Port Vue Borough Council meeting.
"What these guys did boosts the morale of people and puts back faith in our fellow man," Mr. Macey said.
In addition to Mr. Kulka, those honored were Port Vue firefighters Dan Miller, Scott Miller and Tim Wilson, along with Glassport Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 Assistant Chief Bruce Synir and Port Vue resident Paul Bennett.
The damage they were able to repair was extensive, Mr. Kulka said. The fire started in the bedroom, spread to a bathroom and destroyed the entire second floor. It caused ceilings to fall in on the first floor, where there was smoke and water damage and "paint peeling, wiring shot, and all of that," Mr. Kulka said.
The firefighters did most of the rebuilding, and Mr. Bennett volunteered his services to rewire the house.
The men worked with about $3,000 that was raised in donations in the days immediately after the fire.
They also received donations of goods and services from local businesses and residents and pitched in some of their own money when things got tight.
"I knew how to put in windows and drywall. Dan knew how to do some drywall. Bruce knew how to put in floors. Between us we knew a little bit about everything.
"What we couldn't do, we had contractors come in and help us with. Some of it did cost money but sometimes the contractor would just say 'you don't owe us anything,' " Mr. Kulka said.
It looked as if rewiring the house was going to be a stumbling block since none of the original group were electricians. But one day Mr. Bennett appeared on the scene. "He came up to us and said 'Hey, I heard what you guys are doing, can I lend a hand?' He rewired the house and then stayed with the project to the end," Mr. Kulka said.
Mr. Bennett heard about the effort through South Allegheny cheerleading coach Holly McGraw who had sent e-mails to community groups throughout the area soliciting help for the Hawkins family. Kristopher is a South Allegheny cheerleader.
When carpeting and flooring were needed, "somehow it came to us," the chief said. "When we needed windows -- we had to buy nine or 10 of them -- we solicited friends and neighbors."
One woman who heard about Ms. Hawkins plight on the news came forward and bought her new bedroom furniture.
The men gave much of their free time to the project, after working their jobs or running businesses and responding to fires. Ms. Hawkins worked alongside of them when she felt well enough.
"She helped us to clean up when we had debris. She was right there doing what she could," Mr. Kulka said.
At the very end of the project, the men hit a major roadblock. Ms. Hawkins needed a new furnace, but there was no money left in the fund and the men were tapped out also.
That's when they contacted Mr. Macey's office for help and were directed to Equitable Gas and the Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh effort.
Equitable Gas agreed to pay $1,200 from its hardship fund and Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh donated another $500. The money was enough to get a new furnace installed.
Ms. Hawkins said she has been overwhelmed by the kindness of the firefighters and others who donated to the effort to restore her home.
"I don't know what to say," Ms. Hawkins said. "How do you thank somebody for that?
"They are like my guardian angels. I don't even want to think of where I would be right now if it weren't for them."
