CASS COUNTY — Firefighters are known for springing into action at a moment’s notice to save a stranger’s life. They are often viewed as heroic and strong.

But sometimes, the most impact they can have on a community will have nothing to do with running into a burning building or pulling a trapped victim from a car wreck. Instead, it can be something as simple as flipping pancakes for a worthy cause.

On Saturday, May 5, the Central Cass Fire Department is hosting a pancake breakfast to raise money for 3-year-old Arial Harrison. Arial was attacked by a pitbull in April 2017 and nearly lost her life.

After several surgeries and skin grafts, she has made significant progress on her road to recovery. However, her family’s insurance company has deemed prosthetic ears “cosmetic,” and will thus not help the family pay for them. This fundraiser is to help cover the about $7,000 needed to make sure Arial and her family continue to move past this tragic event.

The breakfast will take place from 6:30 to 10 a.m.

“I think we’re all very familiar with what happened,” said Oliver Fiala, with the Central Cass Fire Department. “Some of us were there. It just, it’s a sad situation. I think we can all agree that ears shouldn’t be cosmetic — it should be an automatic thing. But the insurance deemed it cosmetic and won’t pay for it. We’re going to try and do our best and help her out.”

Currently, there is no charge for the breakfast, but donations will be accepted. Additionally, there will be a boot raffle and True’s Towing in Dowagiac is providing a car for attendees to destroy with a sledgehammer or baseball bat.

“As part of the fundraiser, we’re going to have an old car there that people are going to get to smash up,” Fiala said. “Basically, you pay some money and you can smash the car. We’ve seen that before at different fairgrounds and things like that. It seems to make money and that’s not something that costs a lot of money to do, so we figure that will probably have a pretty good income rate on it.”

There is also a chance a MedFlight helicopter will make an appearance. Other organizations that are helping with the fundraiser include the local sheriff’s department, LifeCare and the Cassopolis Village. This is also a good opportunity for those who have not seen the Central Cass Fire Station or their new truck to take a look.

“We’re trying to bring in to different people to try and attract the masses,” Fiala said. “It’s a well-known situation. It’s also the little league opener that day, so there’s going to be a lot of people out and about already, so we’re hoping to draw some of that crowd.”

The Central Cass Fire Department is located at 23201 M-60 in Cassopolis. For more information on the pancake breakfast for Arial, visit the department’s Facebook page.