Rare Training Books Donated to Burlington County Libraries in Honor of Late Cinnaminson Firefighter

No matter how many lives he saved or how many fires he helped extinguish, Lt. Christopher Hunter was always working to become a better firefighter. A big part of that was reading.

He had a collection of books that were both expensive and hard to find.

“Chris was not a huge reader, except for when it came to his career,” his wife, Claire Hunter said Tuesday night. “Every year he would give me and his parents a long list of firefighting books to get him as presents. For the past seven years, his collection grew bigger and bigger.”

He would let fellow firefighters borrow books from that collection, as well.

Thanks to the work of the Hunter’s Heroes Foundation, firefighter trainees will always be borrowing books in his name.

Hunter’s Heroes is a non-profit group started by Lt. Hunter’s wife Claire to honor the memory of the late Cinnaminson firefighter. Jim Clancy, Dennis Staples and Keith Zimecki, who all served in Lt. Hunter’s shift, are also part of the foundation.

As a team, Lt. Hunter, Clancy, Staples and Zimecki were nicknamed “Hunter’s Heroes.” That name was adopted for the foundation.

Lt. Hunter passed away suddenly on Nov. 15, 2014 after working his shift with the Cinnaminson Fire Department and responding to emergency incidents.

The lifelong Cinnaminson resident joined the department as a junior firefighter while still in high school and became a career firefighter with the department in 1998.

Hunter’s Heroes made an initial donation of 25 books to the Burlington County Library branch in Westampton, chosen because of its close proximity to the Emergency Services Training Center.

The group made a second donation to the Cinnaminson branch on Tuesday night, along with a $500 donation.

The books are available to firefighters of all levels who have a Burlington County Library card.

Hunter’s Heroes raises money for the sets through various fundraisers, the sales of t-shirts, donations from local companies and money they raise on their own.

The set donated to the Cinnaminson Library on Tuesday night is valued at between $1,500 and $2,000, Clancy said.

The foundation will continue to hold fundraisers and to stock the county’s libraries with the latest editions of the books until they are available at each branch.

“The library has been such an asset in helping us get this underway,” Clancy said.

They will also work on making them available at other library branches that aren’t part of the system, such as Willingboro and Moorestown.

“Chris was very well-known and liked throughout the county,” Clancy said, adding that the foundation was receiving donations from many people beyond those who were Lt. Hunter’s family and friends.

He earned that reputation through hard work and dedication.

In 2004, Hunter received a meritorious service award from the 200 Club of Burlington County for his role in rescuing an Alzheimer’s patient from a burning apartment in Delran.

“I can remember being out to breakfast with the kids,” Claire Hunter said. “I turn my head and Chris was up from his seat and headed down the aisle to a little boy who was choking. No words were spoken. Just up and went. Another time I can recall was in Ocean City having a fun adult weekend and a gentleman passed out. Again, I turned my head and Chris was gone. He lived for helping people. Most of all he was all about doing it bigger and better. If he didn’t do it right, he would figure out a way to.”

Future generations of firefighters can now do the same.

For more, visit Hunter’s Heroes Foundation on Facebook.

In the attached images, Hunter’s Heroes donate a $500 check to the Burlington County Library System’s Cinnaminson branch; and the books donated to the Cinnaminson branch are on display.