WINBURNE – Volunteer firefighters dedicate their lives to service of others.
At all hours of the day or night and even on weekends or holidays, these courageous men and women drop everything as they rush to the aid of others at scenes of countless emergencies from house fires to motor vehicle accidents, search and rescues and more.
Around 2:08 p.m. on Christmas Eve Dec. 24, firefighters with the Winburne Volunteer Fire Company were called to a working structure fire within their own community.
As multiple fire crews from Clearfield and Centre counties responded to the fire on Coalward Street, they were able to confirm that one person was trapped inside the burning home.
But, the victim “wasn’t just anyone,” expressed Winburne firefighter Tyler Bender on social media. “It was [Clifford ‘Butch’ Dunlap], the father of Fire Chief [Bobby Dunlap] and grandfather of some of our members; a life member of the department; and one of the first members to join Winburne Volunteer Fire Company when it was founded.”
He said despite “every heroic effort” made by crews on-scene, the structure became too unstable, and tragically, the chief’s father did not make it out. “The structure collapsed, taking with it a cornerstone of the community and an irreplaceable family member.”
“This loss is heartbreaking in so many ways,” expressed Bender, adding how it’s being compounded by the fact that the chief’s father didn’t have insurance.
“This leaves the chief and his family [who are] already grieving an unbearable loss with an overwhelming financial burden.”
And so on Christmas Eve, Bender took to social media to rally support for his chief whom he says serves their community “tirelessly” as both a volunteer firefighter and full-time EMT.
Bender said donations are being collected to support the chief and his family during this unimaginably difficult time. “Every dollar will help ease the financial strain so they can focus on grieving, healing and honoring their loved one.”
Checks may be sent to: Winburne Volunteer Fire Company, 1162 Main St., Winburne, PA 16879. Please make all checks payable to “Tyler Bender” with “Winburne Chief” in the memo.
Electronic donation options like Venmo (@tylxrbxndxr or https://venmo.com/u/tylxrbxndxr) and PayPal (tybender1995@gmail.com or tbend0811) are also available.
As of 10:52 p.m. Dec. 25, Bender reported $3,035.76 in donations, noting that the community’s kindness, generosity and prayers mean more than words can even express.
