GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO AND FIREFIGHTER LORI WILLIAMS. (PHOTO BY MARLON MARTIN)
Lori Williams wanted to be a firefighter since she was 4 years old.
And she’s currently “living out my dream and I love it,” she told the New Pittsburgh Courier on April 21. “It’s so much fun.”
Imagine the thoughts going through her head when she learned that an alleged arsonist tried to burn down the Governor’s mansion in Harrisburg in the early morning hours of April 13—with the Governor, Josh Shapiro, and his family, inside.
The alleged suspect—Cody A. Balmer, actually called 9-1-1 hours after the fire was set and basically confessed to setting the blaze. Officers arrested him shortly thereafter.
Thankfully, Gov. Shapiro, his wife and children were unharmed in the fire, as state police and firefighters rushed to their aid.
GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO AND FIREFIGHTER LORI WILLIAMS. (PHOTO BY MARLON MARTIN)
On Monday, April 21, Gov. Shapiro made his first trip to the Pittsburgh area since the fire, as he toured the Mt. Lebanon Fire Department facility and then announced he was placing in his upcoming budget proposal $30 million in grants to support the state’s firefighters.
Williams, a Black woman, is currently a volunteer firefighter with the Castle Shannon Volunteer Fire Department. She’s been there for two years, and before that, volunteered with the Dormont Volunteer Fire Department for three years. It’s hard to find a Black woman fighting fires.
“It’s difficult and being a woman, it’s even more difficult,” Williams said, “but always support us.”
She was right there in the crowd to see Gov. Shapiro on April 21, who again expressed his gratitude for the firefighters who rushed to his home and stopped the fire from harming anyone. “He does so much to support us, and he fights so hard,” Williams said of the governor, “and I truly appreciate that.”
LT. GOV. AUSTIN DAVIS AND GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO IN THE PITTSBURGH REGION, APRIL 21. (PHOTO BY MARLON MARTIN)
LT. GOV. AUSTIN DAVIS
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