SEBASTIAN — The only red to be seen on the fire engine will be the brake lights, Firehouse Garage owner Flo Ursulean has decided. The 45-year-old fire truck is going pink for breast cancer.
Firefighter and mechanic Ursulean plans to unveil the newly painted truck at an upcoming community event – and dedicate it to the memory of Karen Lynch, the wife of fellow firefighter Michael Lynch, from Station 3. Karen lost her 8-year fight with breast cancer in 2005.
The fire truck has previously been seen in various community parades, but Ursulean wanted to do more than promote his garage and the firefighters of Indian River County.
“Why not get involved” in breast cancer awareness, too? Ursulean asked rhetorically while his employees began preparing the engine for the pink paint job.
Karen Lynch was 40 when she was diagnosed and the cancer went into remission. Five years later, it came back.
“She was a very strong woman,” Lynch said, explaining that she refused to take her prescribed pain medication so her brain would not be clouded as she spent her final days with her kids, ages 9 and 14. “She was quite the gal.”
Lynch said that he was touched and honored that Ursulean – whom he has known since Ursulean joined Indian River County Fire Rescue 16 years ago – would even think to dedicate the fire engine to Karen’s memory.
“His heart expands beyond his body,” Lynch said of Ursulean. “He’s a friend. He’s a brother. And I’ll love him always.”
Lynch said that he is also appreciative of the efforts put forth by others who have helped make the pink truck a reality, including the Fire Girls of Indian River County and a local business.
Last week, the garage’s employees worked to clean up the chrome on the aged engine and started spraying it with primer, white and pink paint – topping it off with a few coats of clear.
The shop has painted vehicles before – but never a fire engine.
“It’s the same – just bigger,” Ursulean said.
General Manager and lead painter Luis Morales was tasked with tackling the painting project.
“I like a challenge,” he said. “It’s not a big deal. I can add this to my list of things I’ve done.”
He agreed with Ursulean that painting the fire truck is about the same as painting any other vehicle, just on a larger scale.
The project is in partnership with the Fire Girls of Indian River County who are raising breast cancer awareness through their “We Care to Wear Pink” campaign. They donated $1,000 to be used for the paint job on the fire engine.
Morales said he would section off the truck and paint it in segments rather than try to do it all at one time.
“I have to do it in sections so I don’t kill myself mixing paint,” he said.
He estimated the truck would need three gallons of pink paint – one gallon alone for the cab. By comparison, a regular vehicle typically needs just three-quarters of a gallon.
Ursulean got the idea for painting the truck a few months ago – after having the engine for a couple years.
The 16-year Indian River Fire Rescue veteran bid on the truck at auction, not expecting to win – but he did.
The frontline pumper was could still be called to active duty, Ursulean said, noting that the 1976 Sutphen engine could still pump water.
“I thought it would be cool to have,” Ursulean said of buying a fire engine.
When the local firefighters union began taking up the breast cancer cause selling pink T-shirts and such, the idea for a pink fire truck took root.
“I think women will get a kick out of this,” he said of the pink engine. “They can’t wait until it’s done.”
Ursulean plans to have the fire truck at any and every community event he can get it to – be it fairs, festivals, parades, and even the Fellsmere rodeos and the annual Touch-A-Truck event.
It will have pink upholstery inside the cab, courtesy of a local automotive upholstery business, Ursulean said.
“It’s going to be decked out,” he said.
