Local 1775 Firefighters Provide Relief to Haiti Earthquake Victims

Local 1775 Firefighters Pul LeVeque, Matt Cobb and Jim Clark are profiled in this month's CPF Firevision for their self funded humanitarian mission to Haiti to provide relief to earthquake victims. Their unusual acts of generosity have garnered attention locally and inspired a front-page article in the Los Angeles Times.

These selfless Marin firefighters embarked on their own, and paid for their efforts from their own pockets without joining any organized relief effort, to help where they could. For the two-week trip, the two men, both experienced in rugged overseas travel, brought their own food, water and supplies so as to avoid draining local relief resources. For Cobb, 41, it was his first time on such a mission. The 53-year-old Clark is a frequent world traveler who often volunteers to help the less fortunate in other parts of the world and has spent time in southeast Asia, where he used his understanding of Indonesian language and emergency training in multiple aid missions since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Word of their mission spread before they left Marin, and firefighters such as those from the Southern Marin Fire Protection District dug into their pockets while on duty and donated their dinner money to the cause. Those dollars, and other contributions made when others learned of the trip, amounted to about $6,500 in cash, which Cobb and Clark distributed to those in need in Haiti help buy water and other needed supplies.