Atlas Twp.- It all started about five years ago when firefighter Don Jiles was unable to work due to a life-threatening illness.
‘At that time, we didn’t have a benevolent fund, so we were scrambling to raise money for his family, said townsip resident and fellow Bloomfield Township firefighter Nick Sesock.
‘After Don passed away, we decided to do different kinds of fundraisers to help, so we set up our first benevolent fund.?
One of the fundraisers the firefighters named ‘The Polar Bear Plunge,? has become a popular annual event for their firefighters to raise money, said Sesock.
‘I decided to have the plunge at my house this year,? he said. ‘We took some saws and made a 30-by-10 foot square hole in the ice on my pond. The hole was about 19 feet deep, perfect to jump into.?
Ready to take the plunge, about 40 people, mostly firefighters and their families, showed up with their pledge sheets in hand. Sesock said the only thing the firefighters had to do was jump in one time to get the money pledged.
‘We raised $3,000, so we were really happy. But the water was definitely cold. Everyone was saying it was the initial shock of the water that was tough to take and I noticed everyone swam to shore really fast,? said Sesock.