Valerie Burgess sees Maricopa Fire and Medical Department firefighters in a whole new light today – they are more than just people who show up in times of need.
As a single mother of one child, she talks about her recent encounters with firefighters during a time of crisis.
“One morning I woke up around 6 a.m. feeling unwell and my son was in the next room,” she recalls. “They came and took me to the hospital and looked after my one-year-old until he was picked up.”
As if that wasn’t enough: “The next week, I saw the same firefighters at the restaurant out here and they told me they had a surprise and were coming to my house and bringing it over.”
Burgess, a domestic violence victim who came to Maricopa from the domestic violence shelter in Apache Junction, said firefighters brought her a new television to replace her old one. They also brought her resources “in case something happens in the future and I need help.”
“I just want to say, if there’s anyone out there experiencing domestic violence, I know how hard it is, and even if you think you can’t leave, you can, and we all survive,” Burgess said.
Many attempts in recent weeks to obtain statements from the responsible firefighters and the fire chief Brad Pitassi have been unsuccessful.
