BETHLEHEM, Pa. — One can spend close to forever paging through the finest works of history’s literary masters and never find the precise words to describe the joy on Anthony Preletz’s face as his young son spoke.
Unmistakable pride was among a montage of emotions one would expect from a dad as his 16-year-old son took another giant step toward adulthood.
"To solve the problem, I decided to build a gear dryer — with my dad.”Ryan Preletz
Ryan Preletz from Boy Scout Troop 317 in Bethlehem Township, stood at a podium inside the fire station on Fourth Street explaining why he chose to plan, raise funds for and build a drying rack for fire gear as his Eagle Scout project.
Assembled before the Nazareth Area High School rising senior were family, friends and a team of firefighters, colleagues of the boy’s father, an assistant chief at the fire station.
“During many visits to the fire house to see my dad, I’ve watched gear just lying around drying,” Ryan Preletz said.
“It was highly inefficient, not good for readiness. It would take three days for the gear to dry.
“They have a way to wash the gear, but drying it was slow. To solve the problem, I decided to build a gear dryer — with my dad.”
'Can't thank Ryan enough'
A gear dryer is a specialized system designed to efficiently air out firefighting equipment, to prevent odor and prolong the life of the gear.
The racks are designed to hold various pieces of equipment, allowing for optimal airflow and faster drying compared with simply leaving gear in a bag or spread out.
Preletz researched plans on building the gear dryer — which is constructed with PVC pipe and measures 7 ½ feet high and 10 feet long — and asembled it inside their home garage.
The gear dryer can accommodate hanging eight articles of firefighting clothing — usually outer coats and under shell jackets — and dry the items within 24 hours.
The project took six months and 100 man-hours to complete.
The $2,000 cost for materials was realized through a bake sale last Halloween and donations from family, neighbors, firefighters and organizations.
“If we had to buy the dryer commercially, it would have cost us $8,000,” said Fire Chief Matthew Griffin, who presented Preletz with a proclamation from Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds.
“This is a great day for the department. We can’t thank Ryan enough for what he’s given us.”
'Chalk drawings on the driveway'
As veteran firefighter Freddie Santiago watched Preletz at the podium, he nodded in agreement as the teen stressed the importance the dryer would serve to get the gear ready for reuse in about a day.
“Ryan knows what his dad goes through with using the gear,” Santiago said. “It gets dirty, then we wash it, and then we hang it up to dry.
"In the past, it would take 48-to-72 hours. This dryer lets us wear it much faster.”
Deciding to plan, raise funds for and construct a gear dryer is not kid stuff. But in this instance, it kind of was.
“For Ryan, it started with chalk drawings on the driveway,” his father said.
“He drew it to scale, using a tape measure and colored chalk. It was pretty impressive to watch, seeing your son do all the work and him asking that I help him.”
Among those who helped Ryan construct the gear-drying rack was his next-door neighbor and high school classmate Brody Muthard, who last year earned his Eagle Scout rank, Scouting's highest honor.
Only 6-7% of Boy Scouts attain the rank of Eagle Scout, according to the Scouts website.
'Wearing fire shirts. Who knows?'
Jayne Preletz also beamed watching her son presenting himself wise beyond his years.
“To say we are proud of him is almost beyond words,” she said. “He looked at pictures of gear dryers online, contacted other fire stations for help and just took ownership of the whole project.”
“I don’t know, but I think he might end up right here, like me,” the father, a 30-year firefighting veteran, said. “He’s been coming here for years. His mom would bring him here for visits.Anthony Preletz, speaking about his son
So what’s next for Ryan Preletz? He needs to complete reams of paperwork before his Eagle Scout project is finished.
An honor roll student, he will graduate from high school next June, but is uncertain of his future plans.
Anthony Preletz was reminded of his son’s open-ended future and smiled.
“I don’t know, but I think he might end up right here, like me,” the father, a 30-year firefighting veteran, said. “He’s been coming here for years.
“His mom would bring him here for visits. Now I see him around the house wearing my fire shirts. Who knows?”
The words to describe a father’s emotions are lost on the literary masters.
But not to all, including an unattributed quote:
“A father’s pride knows no bounds when his son reaches for the stars and succeeds.”
