Article courtesy of the TIMES NEWS October 31, 2006

The unlikely fireman Young man's dedication to S. Hill invaluable

Ron Gower/TIMES NEWS Bobby O'Gurek, 26, of Summit Hill, has become very active in the Summit Hill Fire Department despite his affliction with cerebral palsy. He utilizes a lap-top communication device to vocally communicate.

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Dave Ogozalek, left, and Bobby O'Gurek, both members of the Summit Hill Fire Department, work on the new web site they designed for the fire department.

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Bobby O'Gurek said his greatest enjoyment is hanging out at the Summit Hill Fire Department. "I am very lucky to have friends here to help me they way they do," he said. Firefighters stand behind O'Gurek next to the fire department's aerial truck.

Bobby O'Gurek is the most unlikely fireman you will ever meet.

When the Diligence Fire Company of Summit Hill has training, O'Gurek is there. When the firefighters needed a new internet web site, O'Gurek helped design it. When clean-up was done by a handful of firefighters at the Ginter Field in Summit Hill following a festival, O'Gurek was there helping, pushing large barrels to the dump truck with his wheel chair.

O'Gurek, 26, was born with cerebral palsy. He's confined to a wheel chair. Sensors in the head rest guide his direction of travel. A computer keyboard that's operated with a pointer attached to a headband does his vocal communication.

Despite the affliction, O'Gurek not only graduated from high school, but went to Lehigh Carbon Community College's main campus in Schnecksville and attained a degree in web development. He joined the Summit Hill Fire Department and became a trustee. Admittedly he can't respond to emergency calls, but firefighters say his contributions as a social member have proven to be invaluable.

"What he does on the computer side is a blessing," said Summit Hill Fire Chief Shawn Hoben. "It takes a lot of load off our shoulders."

The fire department's new web site, which was a joint project of O'Gurek and fellow fireman Dave Ogozalek, became operable effective Sept. 26. Ogozalek said he and O'Gurek spent about 120 man-hours designing the site. Ogozalek, a 10-year member of the department, has a degree in computer information certification from Bloomsburg University.

Ogozalek said he had fun working with O'Gurek on the project. "We sat down, got a design together, and split up the work," he said. "He took a few pages and I took a few pages." He said the two worked diligently on an average of three days a week to complete the project.

O'Gurek and Ogozalek have been friends since pre-school, when their mothers worked together. O'Gurek is the son of Robert and Patricia O'Gurek and is a lifelong resident of Summit Hill. Ogozalek is the son of Mary Ellen Ogozalek of Lansford and the late Edward Ogozalek. Although he lives in Lansford, Ogozalek said he joined the Summit Hill Fire Department when he was a teenager because at the time, the Lansford Fire Department didn't have junior members.

"We worked on a lot of projects over the years," Ogozalek said.

O'Gurek said he joined the fire department "because my friends were here."

"Bob's a good dude," said fireman Ronnie Yuricheck, captain of the Summit Hill Fire Department. "He's always here to help us out."

Yuricheck told how, following the mammoth Memorial Day weekend "Stay-At-Home Celebration" in Summit Hill's Ginther Park this year, only a handful of firemen showed up after the event to clean-up the litter and debris. O'Gurek was one of them. "He was pushing the big garbage cans with his chair," the fire captain said. "He also helped us set-up."

Although a college graduate, O'Gurek's affliction has made it difficult for him to find full-time employment despite the experience he has gained in developing web sites not only for the fire department, but other sources.

He was the designer of the web site for the Panther Valley Football Team. He made an impressive site for Evans Private Paradise, a firm in Brazil. He is presently working on a site for a local concern.

Ogozalek also has created a number of sites, including one for the Angela Theatre in Coaldale.

Besides serving as a vocal board, O'Gurek's laptop "Pathfinder" communication device can plug into any computer. O'Gurek can use his pointer to operate computer systems, too.

Throughout his life O'Gurek's determination has pulled him through. Ogozalek said not many people with cerebral palsy graduate from high school and continue onto college and obtain a degree. "He's a hard worker," Ogozalek said.

"He decided on his own to join the fire department," noted Ogozalek. "He was always hanging out here so we asked him to join."

For O'Gurek, becoming a volunteer was a dream come true. "I am very lucky to have friends here to help me the way they do," said O'Gurek. "I appreciate everything they do."

It's obvious the feeling is mutual with the firefighters.

Hoben said that having O'Gurek as an officer "shows that being a member of the fire department isn't just putting on turnout gear and responding to a fire. There are a lot of other chores to do and ways to become involved."

He said of O'Gurek's computer abilities, "In my mind he's an expert at it. He does it for the web site. He does it for the training. He did memorials for 9-11 and the Emmettsburg (Md.) line of duty."

It also is a lot of fun for him. The volunteers tease him about not being a Penn State football fan, threatening to post a Penn State sticker on the back of the Notre Dame fan's wheel chair and needling him when Penn State wins a game. They joke with him about his driving (of the wheelchair). They treat him like one of their own, because that's what he is.

Besides being busy with the fire department, O'Gurek regularly attends meetings of Summit Hill Borough Council.

He confided that some day in the future, "I might run for borough council."

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