By Eloísa Ruano González
Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Sherri Lang traveled a lonely path after her son, Ben, was killed on the job as a Polk County firefighter in 2004.
It’s a path she wishes for no other. So Lang launched the Fallen Firefighter Survivors Foundation to help other families who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.
“I want to soften the blow,” said Lang, 45, of Winter Haven. “I’ve already walked it. I don’t want others to walk it alone.”
Last year, 114 firefighters in the U.S. died on duty. Although fire departments typically pay for funerals, Lang said other bills pile up. She hopes to raise enough to help each family with a maximum of $2,000 to cover utility bills, mortgage payments and even funeral attire if needed.
“I realized that a lot of moms couldn’t afford a flight home [to the funeral] or a black dress,” she said.
The need for such services is growing in today’s economy, said Polk firefighter Matt Nichols, who worked with Ben Lang. “Government programs have a lot of red tape and take time” to aid families, said Nichols, 44, of Winter Haven.
Ben Lang was 22 and had just bought his first house. The ambulance he was riding in slid off the highway, rolled and smashed into a tree on County Road 542 near Winter Haven. Two others were injured.
Sherri Lang hopes to work with organizations such as the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and fire chiefs to distribute the money she eventually raises.
The Red Knights Motorcycle Club raised nearly $40,000 in April for Lang’s foundation. The group earned a Guinness World Records title for the world’s largest poker run, covering nine states. Nichols, the group’s chapter president, said they used the event to spread the word about Lang’s nonprofit.
Lang said the effort helps her cope with her loss as well as helping others.
“I’ve been so consumed with grief. This is a way to sleep at night.”
Copyright 2009 Sentinel Communications Co.