KINGSTON SPRINGS, Tenn. --
Some people who help others for a living are getting some help themselves.
The Nashville Fire Department has 54 employees whose homes were damaged by flooding. Now, volunteers from across the United States are pitching in with labor and supplies to help them rebuild.
Retired firefighter Tom Murphy rode in a Greyhound bus 24 hours from Jersey City to volunteer his labor and skills.
Murphy doesn't know the homeowner he's helping, but he knows he's a fellow firefighter who needs all the help he can get.
"If you can help someone whose career is to help people, then that's great," Murphy said.
Nashville Firefighter Brent Weatherly's home in Kingston Springs had 7 feet of water in it. He didn't have flood insurance.
A lot of other Nashville fire fighters are in the same situation. So their union, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 140, sent out an e-mail blast to other fire fighters.
Soon, donations and volunteers started arriving from fire halls all over the country. . "The firefighters, if there's a need, they come together, just like if there was a need somewhere else, we would be there for them," said Mark Young, the first vice president of Local 140.
Donated items are filling up a former car dealership on Murfreesboro Road.
"These clothes here came from Evansville. They had a big drive," Young said, pointing to several racks of clothes.
Firefighter Paul Pittman drove to Nashville from Jonesboro, Ark., to help rebuild.
"It's amazing, just how much destruction there was," Pittman said.
He knows he's helping others who put their lives on the line, even while their own homes were being flooded.
"It's a brotherhood, no matter where you're from. I mean, we're all firefighters. They don't have time to help themselves, so, if you've got the time, why not?" Pittman said.
The International Association of Fire Fighters is helping homeowners from the Nashville Fire Department purchase building materials, such as drywall, to rebuild. Anyone who would like to make a donation can do so on the association’s website, www.iaff140.org.
Copyright 2010 by WSMV.com. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Got a story idea? E-mail newstips to [email protected] or call the newsroom 24/7
