Greencastle Fire Department raises funds for cancer survivors

Rob Frank knows the scary statistics surrounding firefighters and a cancer diagnosis.

It’s been a major point of emphasis since Frank assumed the duties of Greencastle Fire Chief a little over a year ago, and it’s also a point of emphasis in any fundraising or community projects the department does.

“Cancer is the number one cause of firefighter deaths, and we’ve had several of our retired members who have been affected by cancer. We just want to be able to be there for them and help support them while they’re on this journey,” Frank told The Putnam County Post.

Recently, the department and the Greencastle Professional Firefighters Local 5125 joined forces to raise funds for Bob Campbell and Stan Frank in assist in their ongoing fight against cancer with a t-shirt fundraiser. Through the fundraiser $1,600 was presented to both Campbell and Frank.

“Bob is retired from GFD and is a regular at the firehouse. He’s been battling prostate cancer for a few years. My brother, Stan, was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. He’s a medic and works for IDHS. The union came up with the idea of doing a t-shirt fundraiser to help raise money for them,” Frank said.

Being able to help a family member was something Frank couldn’t pass up, he said.

“My brother has been a huge influence on my life and he is how I ended up in the fire service. It meant a lot to me and to him that they wanted to support him,” Frank admitted.

Through it all, though, an opportunity to help fellow firefighters and raise awareness of cancer’s affect on firefighters was all Frank hoped to accomplish.

“It makes me happy to see the members of our union come together like this to support Bob and Stan. We have a great group of brothers and sisters and their willingness to support others is amazing. I can’t thank everyone who purchased shirts or made donations enough. We even sent a few shirts out of state,” Frank said.