With the City of Hamtramck in dire financial straits, the city's Fire Department barely has funds to maintain current staffing levels - much less any money in the budget for anything beyond basic equipment.

Recently the Fire Department held a fundraiser to purchase three Automatic External Defibrillators, which would be placed on each of the city's fire trucks. AEDs are used to shock the hearts of cardiac arrest patients.

Hearing about the fundraiser on the radio, Chris Chwalek, secretary-treasurer of Laborers Local 1076, approached the Laborers' & Employers' Cooperation and Education Trust (LECET) and received approval to provide the Fire Department with the entire $7,500 needed to purchase the three defibrillators.

"LECET makes charitable contributions every now and then, and we thought this was a great idea," Chwalek said. "Hopefully this contribution will foster some goodwill, promote unions as an important part of the community, and maybe save a few lives."

Hamtramck Fire Chief James Szafarczyk said the defibrillators "will give the people a better chance for survival in case of a heart attack. We're very grateful. This helps us out a lot."

A $7,500 CHECK from the Laborers' & Employers' Cooperation and Education Trust, handed over by Chris Chwalek of Laborers Local 1076 to Hamtramck Fire Chief James Szafarczyk, will allow the department to buy three Automatic External Defibrillators. They are flanked by city firefighters.