WILKES-BARRE -- The Wilkes-Barre Fire Department has made it to the final round of a national contest and it's all thanks to the hard work of one of its own.
The fire department was nominated after someone saw on the news the dedication of Edmund Smith. He's a firefighter and EMT and he rebuilt a trailer used to teach kids about fire safety, saving the program at a time when the department didn't have enough money to rebuild it.
Now, because of his work, the department could win $10,000.
It's not every day a camera crew follows around the Wilkes-Barre Fire Department. But a film crew rode along with firefighters for two days, capturing the difficult work they do to protect the community.
It's all a part of a national award the department has been nominated for, thanks to the work of firefighter and EMT Edmund Smith.
"I can't believe this is happening, I didn't expect any of this," Smith said.
It's the first time the Wilkes-Barre Fire Department was selected as a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Fire Award for community service and education.
"We know the value to the Wilkes-Barre Fire Department, but now others are seeing the good work Ed does," said Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney.
Smith was the man who rebuilt a fire safety home last year, when it was in disrepair. The program uses this house to teach 3,000 kids every year about fire safety. And, officials say, without the house, there would be no program.
"Without Ed's role, we would not be able to educate the students and children that go through that fire safety trailer every year," said Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton.
But for Smith, the trailer and the program was too important throw away.
"I had to remodel, fix a lot of, fix the siding, clean it up."
And he did it on his own time, with his own money, because the department couldn't afford to do it. Now, because of his efforts, the department could receive a $10,000 grant if it wins.
"I had seen the fire safety trailer prior to him renovating it and I saw the finished product and it looked like a brand new fire safety trailer."
Ted Wampole nominated the department after seeing a story in the news about Smith's commitment to the program.
"It's a fire mark award for community service, and what Ed did with that fire trailer matched very well with what this award is all about," said Wampole.
Wampole says he hopes Smith's story inspires others to get involved in community service.
"It just made me really proud, as a lifelong resident of the city of Wilkes-Barre, that somebody did this."
Edmund Smith won't walk away empty handed. If the department wins, he'll receive a vacation to Florida for four. But he says he truly just wanted to educated kids about fire safety.
Liberty Mutual will announce the winner sometime in the spring.