08/19/2026
Check out the positive impact our Hammond Firefighters had on 2-year-old Luciano's birthday! We love that our Hammond Fire Department could make his birthday special even in this difficult time for our community. ❤️
Read the full article from Region News Source below:
Canceled Birthday Turns Into Special Celebration At Hammond Fire Station 8
HAMMOND — In the aftermath of last week’s devastating storms, Northwest Indiana has seen countless examples of neighbors, businesses and first responders stepping up for one another. For one little boy, that community spirit turned a canceled second birthday into one he and his family won’t soon forget.
Luciano turned 2 years old Tuesday, but with his family displaced by a power outage in Portage and staying with relatives in Hammond, his planned birthday festivities had to be canceled.
His great-grandmother, Grace Brewer, lives across the street from Hammond Fire Station 8. Knowing Luciano’s love for cars and trucks, she approached the firefighters with a simple request: Could he come over and see one of the fire trucks up close?
The firefighters did much more than that.
“They gave him an entire party with his sisters and cousin,” Brewer said. “They are amazing.”
What started as an opportunity for a 2-year-old to see a fire engine became an unexpected birthday celebration during an otherwise difficult week for the family.
For Brewer, the kindness shown by Station 8 carried even more meaning. She said the firefighters had also been there for her family during an emotional moment last August, when her husband, a 24-year retired Army veteran, left their home for the final time.
Hammond Firefighters Local 556 President Mike Hull said the moment with Luciano reflects something firefighters and residents across Northwest Indiana have experienced repeatedly during the disaster and recovery.
“Everyone in Northwest Indiana has been driven by family, kids, and the elderly,” Hull said. “Keeping cool when you’re hot, keeping calm when you’re frustrated, finding energy when you’re tired. It’s what everyone does to survive.”
Hull said the smile on Firefighter Blackwood’s face in photos from Luciano’s visit showed the celebration meant something to the firefighters, too.
“This made his day as much as it made that family’s day,” Hull said. “I’m sure for many emergency calls after these photos, he climbed on the rig with just a little more drive and a little more pride that day.”
For days, firefighters and other first responders across the Region have worked through the widespread storm damage, extended power outages and increased calls for service. But at Station 8, they still found time to make sure one little boy had a birthday to remember.
It was a small moment amid a massive recovery effort, but perhaps one that perfectly captures what Northwest Indiana has shown since disaster struck: when plans fall apart and communities are hurting, people find ways to show up for each other.
