CRESTVIEW — A barbecue pit master showed his support for local firefighters during an event he called “Red Lives Matter.”
Click here for video from the event>>
For the second year, Buddy’s BBQ owner Naaman Eicher invited Crestview Fire Department personnel for a free lunch at his trailer in the Waterfront Mission thrift store parking lot.
“You heard of a five-alarm fire?” Eicher said. “We had a five-alarm plate.”
Friday’s meal consisted of smoked chicken, brisket, sausage, pulled pork and ribs. Eicher invited members of the public to join the feast, distributing free smoked hotdogs and a drink to those who stopped by to show their support for local firefighters.
“These guys go out and put their lives on the line for the rest of us every day of the year,” Eicher said. “I’m glad to give a little back to them.”
Eicher started the last-Friday-in-July tradition last year to thank firefighters who saved his trailer when it caught fire three days before his scheduled Aug. 1, 2014 opening. Repairs and paperwork pushed the opening back to February 2015.
“Those guys will always have my appreciation,” Eicher said as he prepared to serve up four more five-alarm BBQ plates. “They risk their lives every day and the public doesn’t give much thought to it sometimes.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview BBQ trailer serves lunch for firefighters (VIDEO)