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Fire Department Works to Live Healthy Lifestyles

WILLIAMSPORT — Firefighters in Williamsport are hoping to make this a healthier new year and now they have some new equipment to help them do just that. F...

WILLIAMSPORT -- Firefighters in Williamsport are hoping to make this a healthier new year and now they have some new equipment to help them do just that.

Firefighter Kevin Hurne is no stranger to the kitchen, especially when he's on duty at the fire station in Williamsport.

"Right now, we are just cutting up all the vegetables to go into the salad," said Hurne.

When you're working those long hours and you're away from home, sometimes you take out the comfort food. The firefighters tell us sometimes it's difficult to put it back and eat healthy.

"There are times you need to splurge and get that pizza from Bart's Pizzeria or Park Pizza,” said Hurne.

Hurne considers himself health conscious now, but he hasn't always been that way.

"I exercised, but I didn't push myself. I just did what I had to do,” said Hurne.

About five years ago, Hurne's chest started to hurt while running at the gym inside the fire station.

"Kept getting that discomfort, it would come and it would go and I thought, you know, it's time to get it checked,” said Hurne.

It turns out Hurne had a blocked artery in his heart.

"It scared all of us. It scared me, my family, and my brothers here at the fire hall," said Hurne.

"Made us look in the mirror and say, 'Hey, this is a guy that's young, that's got a career and a whole life ahead of him,' so maybe we should take this a little more seriously," said Assistant Chief Mark Killian.

For Killian, taking it seriously meant updating the fire department's old gym equipment. That's where 555 Fitness, a charity run by firefighters comes in.

The founders of 555 Fitness and Fork and Hose brought new kitchenware and exercise equipment with them to the fire station on Walnut Street. Williamsport Bureau of Fire won all of the gear after reaching out to the group on social media.

"So they got about $3,000 worth of functional fitness equipment," said Robert Piparo.

"To have the ability to get some new equipment that these guys are using on a daily basis is huge," said Killian.

Click Here to find out more about 555 Fitness.

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