Off-Duty St. Louis Firefighters Helping Residents after Tornado

Local firefighters have ditched their turnout gear and are picking up tools of other  professions.

But, their mission remains the same -- helping those impacted after a May tornado. 

“People need help. Lots of people need help. That’s what keeps us going,” Dan Clark, president of St. Louis Local 73 told Fox2. 

Clark, a St. Louis firefighter, said he and others are spending their off-time tarping roofs, clearing debris and boarding up windows in neighborhoods hit by Mother Nature's fury.

Firefighters University City, Maplewood, and Clayton have been pitching in as well to help struggling St. Louisans. 

Cynthia Williams’ three-story house was nearly destroyed by the storm. She was impressed at the dangerous work undertaken by the firefighters, including pushing back chimneys so they could tarp the roof.

“What can you say about people when they volunteer their own time. And energy. To help other people who didn’t have hope?” Williams said. “They’re people who are in the kind of job that they’re in now because they already have the right kind of heart. To try and save people that are hit with fires, all those different things.”

“I’ve been retired from the St. Louis Fire Department for 13 years now. We don’t get paid. None of these guys are getting paid. Just coming out on a day off, helping out,” Leo Keuhner said, adding that he was happy to join the restoration team. 

Area stores, including Lowe's, donated tools, ladders, lumber and tarps.