Paul Skenes visits Berkeley Hills Fire Company in Ross Township, serves BBQ lunch

Since breaking out as one of Major League Baseball's great pitching phenoms of the modern age, Paul Skenes has been just as strong an advocate for first responders off the field. 

As part of his partnership with the Gary Sinise Foundation, which has now reached three years, Skenes visited the Berkeley Hills Fire Company in Ross Township on Monday. Skenes took time to meet every crew member present and even played with Hank, the station dog. He even got to sit in one of the station trucks and sounded the horn, something every kid dreams of doing.

Skenes said being a first responder was something he wanted to do as a kid, long before dreaming of being a big-league star.

"You think certain jobs are cool," he said. "Baseball player was one of them at some point, but being a fireman was one of them also."

With the help of volunteers from Sunbelt Rentals, Skenes put on an apron and gloves and joined in serving a catered barbecue lunch for the company.

"It's a relatively small gesture," he said. "Hopefully it means something to them. But I think the biggest thing is just recognizing all the folks that volunteer to protect and serve."

The Gary Sinise Foundation and Sunbelt Rentals also provided Berkeley Hills with a grant of more than $41,000 to assist with needed emergency response equipment.

"This generous grant is more than an investment in equipment," said Jack Morgan, president of Berkeley Hills Fire Company. "It's an investment in the safety of our firefighters and the residents we serve. Having reliable modern tools available can make a significant difference during the most challenging and time-sensitive emergency situations."

Skenes, a former cadet at the Air Force Academy in Colorado, has continued his annual campaign of donating $100 per strikeout to the foundation. He also increased his goal for the 2026 season to raise $150,000.

Next month will mark 25 years since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Gary Sinise, an actor and humanitarian, was inspired to start the foundation in 2011 — 10 years after the attacks — to provide support for military service members, veterans, first responders and their families. Sunbelt Rentals has been a partner of the foundation for more than 10 years.