Fighting cancer, not just fires, in Bartlett

Bartlett firefighters aren't wearing pink to pay homage to '80s filmmaker John Hughes, these supposedly gruff men and women are wearing pink for breast cancer awareness.

The Bartlett Fire Protection District will host the Pink Heals Tour from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, at station No. 1, 234 N. Oak Ave.

Three 13-foot pink stainless steel fire engines will pull into the station to help bring awareness to breast cancer. A group of firefighters and police officers called Guardians of the Ribbon started the tour in 2007, going cross country to help raise money to battle cancer.

Bartlett Assistant Fire Chief Bill Anderson found out about Pink Heals on the Internet and contacted the organizer to schedule a tour stop in the village.

It's a personal matter for Anderson as his wife, Karen, has been cancer-free for a year. Anderson also points out two men from the department have battled cancer, as well as former department member Trisha Simon.

Firefighters will also sell T-shirts for $15 to benefit the Alexian Brothers Foundation Cancer Institute, and Anderson hopes to present it with a check on Oct. 11, the date of the fire district's open house. Shirts can be purchased at the station, and a T-shirt order form can also be found at bartlettfire.com/data/news/382.pdf. Shirts will also be sold on Oct. 2 at the South Elgin vs. Bartlett high school football game at Streamwood High School. For more info on the Pink Heals Tour, check out pinkribbontour.com.