Everyone experiences tragedy in life. Orange Beach Fire Chief Forney Howard reminded those in attendance at Tuesday night’s city council meeting of that very fact. While firefighting may be considered a tough occupation, the Orange Beach Fire Department is stepping away from their traditional blue and turning pink in order to draw attention to and raise money for breast cancer. Last  year alone ,562,340 lives were claimed by breast cancer. It is the second leading cause of death in the United States.

“We all have people in our lives who experience tragedy. Our ladies, our wives, mothers, daughters, or granddaughters, might be experiencing problems with breast cancer,” said Howard. “One of our firefighter’s wives has experienced this for four years.”

Chief Howard said that when the problem was realized so close to home, the fire department started looking for something they could do to help support those experiencing such a tragedy.

“We found a group of firefighters across the nation that have developed a program to try to help those affected,” Howard said.

“Real men wear pink” is the motto of firefighters across the country that raise money for a program called the Pink Heals Tour. Started in Arizona, the purpose of the Pink Heals Tour, complete with pink fire trucks, is to raise money and show support for women who are fighting the fight against breast cancer.

Chief Howard, along with Orange Beach firefighter Keith Kyte, were donning their pink T-shirts at the meeting, showing what the entire fire department will be wearing throughout the month of October.

“Our concern is for the ladies, and especially for ours, who are going through this ordeal right now with a 4-year-old daughter. The Pink Heals Tour has three fire trucks and they go all over the country to raise both awareness and money for the cause.”

On Oct. 2, the Pink Heals Tour will make its first appearance in the south Alabama when the pink fire truck arrives in Orange Beach.  

“They have a busy schedule, and will be going from Tallahassee to Memphis, but they found enough time to come to Orange Beach on that Saturday.”

According to Chief Howard, the pink fire trucks will come down Alabama 59 from I-10, and any lady who has had to deal with breast cancer will get the opportunity to sign one of the trucks.

More than 1,400 T-shirts have already been sold by Orange Beach Professional Firefighters Association No. 4309, and Howard said that excitement about the program has begun to spread throughout the state.

“We had the Alabama Fire Chiefs here. They came in and bought 80 T-shirts while they were here, and there are already four or five cities up north that are going to do this program also. Some of our sister fire departments in this county are also going to recognize this program and send the money to us.”

In addition, the Orange Beach Fire Department is setting up an educational trust fund for the daughter of the Orange Beach firefighter in order to provide her an opportunity to go to college.

A proclamation, presented to Mayor Tony Kennon and the council, declared that the Orange Beach Fire Department would annually wear pink T-shirts during October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and will continue to raise non-profit funds to be used in the campaign to help others fight against the disease.