City kicking off first ‘Dunkirk Walks

OBSERVER Staff Report
The City of Dunkirk, the Dunkirk Fire Department, Image Fitness Center and Chadwick Bay Outfitters are collaborating on a four-week “Dunkirk Walks on Water” challenge, aimed to encourage city residents and participants to a physical challenge to walk the total number of miles it would take to walk from Dunkirk to its sister city of Dunkerque, France.

The city is one of nine communities recently awarded a $3,000 “Community on the Move” grant through the Chautauqua County “Steps to a Healthier New York” program. The grants are to be used to make permanent environmental changes that encourage residents to be more physically active.

The challenge will begin on Saturday at 10 a.m. with a kick-off event at the Dunkirk Boardwalk Market, located at the city pier. Each participant who registers will set his or her own personal four-week goal. To keep track of mileage earned, each Monday during the challenge participants are asked to turn in their weekly mileage to the City Clerk’s office, Image Fitness Center or Chadwick Bay Outfitters at the Boardwalk Market. These totals will be sent to the Steps for a Healthier New York office in Jamestown.

Registration Saturday will be from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Boardwalk Market where participants will be given cards to track their goals. Image Fitness will be on hand to provide walking and running routes along Dunkirk’s waterfront and Chadwick Bay Outfitters will be raffling off free bicycle rentals for participants who sign up.

In addition, as part of the kick-off event, the Dunkirk Fire Department will hold a department drill at 8:30 a.m. at the Steger Apartments, 15 N. Main St. The drill will consist of a timed climb up one stairwell to the 11th floor, down the hallway to the other stairwell, and then down the 11 flights of stairs to the outside of the building. The drill will be attended by all interested members of the Fire Department, both Dunkirk Volunteer Firefighters and members of the Dunkirk Professional Firefighters Association. The total number of steps walked will be counted toward the Dunkirk Walks on Water Campaign.

While the drill is part of the Dunkirk Walks on Water Campaign, it will also be serving two important additional purposes. Firematically, it allows the members of the DFD to become aware of the physical energy needed to complete the task of gaining access to all parts of the building. It also allows department members to familiarize themselves with the layout of the building.

Secondly, department members have decided to make this drill a fundraiser for the Anson Scholarship Fund which was established in 1979, following the 1979 line-of-duty death of Firefighter Daniel Anson. This scholarship is given annually to the child or grandchild of a Dunkirk Fire Department member, paid or volunteer. A $500 scholarship is being awarded this year. Applications are accepted by the DHS guidance office, and a review committee of Chief Keith Ahlstrom, Lieutenant Al Loeb and Firefighter Jim Stern reviews the blind applications. Each member participating in the drill has pledged to donate $10 to the Anson Scholarship Fund. Donations may be made to the scholarship fund by making checks payable to the Anson Scholarship and mailing them to the Dunkirk Fire Department, 311 Eagle Street, Dunkirk, NY 14048. Additional information about either the drill or the scholarship fund may be obtained by calling Chief Ahlstrom at 366-2577.

For additional information about the “Dunkirk Walks on Water Campaign,” please contact Maclain Berhaupt at the city’s Department of Development, 366-9876.