A Franklin firefighter knows just what his friend, fallen Boone County Sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Pickett, would say if he saw the work he and his co-workers were doing to help his wife.
Pickett and Franklin Firefighter Tony Lauinger would often tease each other about the differences in their jobs in law enforcement and firefighting. And he can imagine how Pickett would have smiled, hearing about Lauinger and other firefighters spending time installing a new fence at his home.
“The fact that the fire department is putting it in would make Jake grin like none other,” Lauinger said. “He would make a comment like we do this because we have too much downtime.”
Pickett was killed last month after he was shot while chasing after a man who fled from police. Pickett led the sheriff’s department’s police dog team, and left behind a German Shepherd, named Brik, that his wife now wants to care for. But doing so will require a new fence to keep the large dog within the family’s home in Boone County, Lauinger said.
Lauinger had grown up with Jen Pickett, and became good friends with Jacob Picket when the two married.
“Jake always had a smile on his face, was always joking, always compassionate, always put the needs of others before himself,” he said.
Lauinger rushed to the hospital when he heard about the shooting.
“I went to the hospital the instant I found out and sat in the waiting room for hours,” he said. “I was haunted by the silence.”
He wanted to do something to help the family and asked Jen Pickett if there was anything she needed that he could help with. She told him that they needed a new, larger fence that would be able to keep Brik inside their yard, Lauinger said.
Lauinger began contacting some of his fellow firefighters who have side jobs in construction and landscaping, and the project took off.
When the union found out about Lauinger’s plan to help the Pickett family, they decided to make the project a group effort, said Mike Briggs, Franklin Fire Department division chief of operations. Firefighters began researching the cost of purchasing and installing the type of fencing that would be necessary for Brik, and decided to buy the materials and do the work themselves, he said.
The union created an online fundraiser that initially asked for $3,000, which would cover the cost of purchasing materials for the new fence, and in less than 12 hours, donors had surpassed that mark, Briggs said.
Any money raised beyond the amount needed for the fence will be given to the family, he said. Businesses as far out as California have called offering to donate, he said.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office has already offered to cover the cost of Brik’s food and veterinary care for the rest of the dog’s life, Lauinger said.
“We’re very thankful for the support and outpouring from the community,” Briggs said. “I’m awestruck at the speed we did it and the amount of people who have reached out.”
Later this month, 15 to 20 firefighters will spend two days tearing down the old fence and installing the new one, with the possibility of some local agencies in Boone County helping as well.
For firefighters, police and other emergency workers, taking care of each other during tragedies is incredibly important, Briggs said.
“If something happened to one of us in the line of duty, there would be someone out there that would do the same thing for our family,” he said.
