PEWAMO, Mich. -- A 22-year-old Pewamo firefighter, Josh Witgen, was injured during a structure fire last month. Now, community members are rallying to support him as he recovers.
On Saturday, dozens of people showed up to raise money for him, as well.
“Josh is the kind of guy that hops right back out there, even with his bumped hand; he’ll go out there to help out as much as he can, " said friend and fellow firefighter, Shane Boutwell.
His friend believes something like this will not keep him away for long: much of the injuries done were to his right hand - when an equipment failure triggered an explosion. It's just taking time to make a full recovery.
"I happened to be five feet away and it hit my hand," Josh said. "It was a boom, kind of sounded like a bomb. My first thought was like, 'Oh no, this is not good.'”
Josh said he's thankful for the community support they've shown him.
"I got on the fire department to help other people, I didn’t do it to get recognition. So, to see people here supporting people, in the vast numbers we’ve seen, it’s unbelievable.”
He also said he's looking forward to getting back to work.
" I’m ready to be back already, he said. "If I could be back already, I would be. I’m waiting for when the doctor says 'You’re good to go, and get back out there'."
Click here if you'd like to help him out, contact Stacey Miller at: (989)-289-1397.
