Swampscott firefighters step up for community

SWAMPSCOTT – Senior citizens and veterans concerned about theft of their personal information have a new tool in the fight against identity theft.The Swampscott Firefighters of IAFF Local 1459 purchased and donated industrial quality document shredders for the Swampscott Senior Center and Veterans of Foreign Wars.Union President William Hyde Jr. said the donation would help individuals and the organizations to help prevent identity theft.”We thought it would help seniors and veterans,” he said. “It gives them a way to shred their personal paperwork to help protect their identities. We thought this would be a good way to help out seniors and veterans.”Hyde said each shredder cost approximately $400. He said the union raised the funds through selling ads in the annual emergency medical guide and some of the funds were from “Red Shirt Friday” t-shirt sales.VFW Post Commander John Sacherski said he was thrilled with the donation from the fire department.”The shredder we had was a small one and it didn’t work very well,” he said. “Now we can shred personal papers without worrying about it.”Sacherski said the firefighters also gave $500 toward a veterans appreciation show the post plans to hold in June 2009.”We are all so excited about that donation,” he said. “It was a gift from heaven. There are a great bunch of guys at the fire department and some of them are veterans. This means so much to us.”Hyde was quick to add the union fundraising efforts would not have been a success without the support of the community.”We would not have been able to do most of the things we did last year and will continue to do this year without the generosity and good will of the residents,” he said. “The community and local businesses that took out ads and made donations to the emergency medical guide we published made it possible for the Swampscott Fire Fighters Local 1459 to contribute to many causes.”Hyde said the union is looking forward to finding other ways to work with the community.”We want to be more proactive in the community,” he said. “We want to find ways to give back to the local community – a community that supports its firefighters and the job we are willing to do for them.”