The Fremont firefighters who rescued a 92-year-old man from a well 10 days ago were back at his house Wednesday. But this time, they came on their day off to help rebuild the century-old pump house where the floor had given way.
For one day, these Fremont firefighters put down their hoses and picked up some tools.
"We're public servants off duty, not just on duty,” said Mark Hogan, a Firefighter Paramedic with Fremont Fire. “It's just part of the vocation of being a firefighter. I mean the opportunity to come and help: that's the best part of the job."
It was just ten days ago that many of the same firefighters were Ernest Silva’s house offering a different kind of help. Silva had been in his pump house when the floor gave way, sending him plunging 26-feet down into the well.