By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— To raise funds and awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Pelham Fire Department will be selling T-shirts, painting fire hydrants and stationing a pink fire engine at Walmart.

“We decided this is a cause we can get behind,” said firefighter Buddy Ingleright. “It effects a huge number of the population. If we can do something to help, even specifically breast cancer, if you cure any one type of cancer that’s going to most likely help other areas of cancer research as well.”

This is the fourth year the Pelham Fire Department has supported the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama through T-shirt sales. All month, firefighters will wear pink shirts decorated with the commemorative fire department logo.

The shirts will be sold for $15 each and can be picked up at Fire Station No. 1 from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. T-shirts will also be available at Walmart, during the department’s kickoff event Oct. 6.

New from the department this year, Pelham will have a pink fire engine and chief car from the Pink Heals organization. Residents and visitors will have the chance to explore and sign the pink fire engine at Walmart Oct. 6 from 1-4 p.m.

Before the main event, Ingleright said they are taking the pink vehicles to visit local cancer survivors and people currently going through treatment.

“That’s just to let them know that people care about them,” Ingleright said. “Even if we don’t know them personally, we do care (about) what they are going through.”

This year, residents can also adopt any fire hydrant in the city for a donation of $100.  For that donation, the department will paint the hydrant pink and leave it that color for the month of October.  Residents may also include a sign on the hydrant dedicating it to a particular person.

All money that is raised by the T-shirt sales and the fire hydrants will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama.

For more information on Pink Heals, visit Pinkfiretrucks.org. For more information about the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama, visit Bcrfa.org.