Capt. David Diggs was working his usual shift at Station 17 at Skillman Street and Belmont Avenue when he met neighbors Jan and Marian Mohamed of the Swiss Avenue Historical District during a routine community station tour. However, what happened next was anything but routine.

 

For Marian Mohamed, the experience was a call to action: “I walked in and saw a 1950s-looking rec room, 1950s-looking counter tops…. But they’re so proud of everything, showing us how they keep everything painted. They’re so proud of what little they have and how they take care of it, and that really affected me.”

 

Soon, Capt. Diggs met Jan and his wife, Marian, again. “When we were approached that they wanted to do something to help us, I wasn’t sure what to say. You sure don’t want to overstep. So, I was like, ‘Do you want to bring us a cake or buy our meals one night?’ They said, ‘No. We want to really do something to make your quality of life better for you all while you’re here.’”

 

Diggs was caught off guard. “We’re usually the ones doing the giving. We’re not takers.”

 

The Mohameds, spearheading the project, along with Tonia Kuesel and David Dean, chairman of the Swiss Avenue Historical Society’s Alliance Against Crime, and a host of volunteers, found a mission.

 

David Dean: “We want the people who operate out of these stations to be refreshed and have a comfortable place to be when they come in from doing the incredible work they do. We decided to roll up ourselves and get to work and identify things the guys would want. This is in no way to say the city’s not taking care of the firefighters. Councilman Paul Ridley has been very supportive of our efforts…. But they’re our firefighters, and we think we should do more.”

 

Thanks to the group, 17s already has a new, private patio outside the kitchen door for their grill. The firefighters did the labor with the provided materials.

 

Captain Pat Wherland of Station 8, Dallas Fire Rescue’s first responding ambulance for Lakewood: “It’s much appreciated, but this kind of generosity is never expected… It’s amazing to us how many people don’t realize we sleep here—it’s our house. We just make the most of it. Of course, a nice station is always nice, especially after a hard call or a traumatic event.”

 

Jan Mohamed: “They’re humble, gracious folks. We discovered that when an ambulance is assigned to Station 17, they must move thousands of pounds of workout equipment. That was something we could address. Station 8 has nowhere for them to sit outside, so we’re addressing that. Most of the work, the firefighters can do themselves, which will make our fundraising go further.”

 

Working within city rules, the group has made good strides toward its $50,000 goal to improve showers, lighting, and fans and make cosmetic updates to the fire stations.

 

Dean: “We, as citizens, must be involved. We must be more engaged with our public safety officers and with our fire stations and make sure the men and women who provide those services are taken care of. We can’t know what their needs are if we’re not engaged. We’ve got to step up and not wait to be a victim before we meet them. Forming relationships and supporting the DFR is everyone’s business.”

 

***SIDEBAR***

To donate to the fire station renovations, contact Jan Mohamed at jmohamed@higginbotham.com; Marian Mohamed at missmarianmo@gmail.com; or David Dean at DDean@dean.net