PAW PAW, Mich. — “This is what we do. This is how we are,” Michael McLeieer, a 28-year firefighter, told FOX 17 Thursday. “We always have a saying in the fire service, ‘we want to make sure everyone goes home.’”
Tragically, Lt. Ethan Quillen, a volunteer firefighter with the Paw Paw Fire Department, did not go home Wednesday night.
“This is gonna stay with the firefighters for their lifetime. Anyone that was on scene with the lieutenant, this is something that they’re always going to remember, and, like I said, we grieve together,” McLeieer added.
READ MORE: Paw Paw firefighter killed after incident with downed power line identified
Paw Paw is an entirely volunteer-based fire department.
“When we lose one, we all mourn the loss, and the fire service will come together to continue to support not only Paw Paw, but the family and the surrounding departments as well,” McLeieer said. “This is the perfect example of true dedication, true volunteerism, true heroism. Firefighters never look for praise and they never look for having that pat on the back.”
The National Fire Protection Association shows, for the village’s population size, it’s well above the average number of active members.
Still, many departments throughout the state are looking for dedicated men and women.
“Volunteerism is really suffering because people have homes and families and other work schedules, maybe two jobs, maybe three jobs, but it’s still nice when we still have people that can give back in their own community when other people are in their time of need. Emergencies happen when we least expect it,”
The Paw Paw Fire Department set up a GoFundMe account to help support Quillen’s family.
