With help from fellow detailing industry professionals, former Jersey City police officer Harry Sandwith of Dirty Harry’s Detailing will be refurbishing 11 damaged emergency vehicles and equipment from three of the four fire stations in the Union Beach, NJ community hit hard during Hurricane Sandy. The restoration project begins on Tuesday, January 22 and is expected to be completed by Friday, January 25.
Featured in the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief, Union Beach is getting help from the detailing industry countrywide, including the Dirty Harry staff’s James Viola and Harry and Joseph Sandwith; active duty Long Branch police officer, Bob
Wiener of Finer Details in West Long Branch, NJ; Darryl Kimmis of Mirror Image Detailing in Rowlett, TX; Michael Pena of Mobile Auto Detail in Houston; and Andrew Swenson of Wolfeboro Carwash and Detailing of New Hampshire — all whom are donating their time and skill. Generous cash donations are pouring in from detailing trainer Renny Doyle of Attention to Details ($500); Bill Quinn of Bill the Buff Man Washington State Detailing ($400); the Long Branch Police Department PBA ($500) and SOA ($500); Robert Eichelberg of Flex North America ($500); and $100 donations from Dave Bayless and Doug Parfitt. Jim Stavrinides of Aerolon Performance Coating’s in San Francisco has donated a large supply of Aerolon Tech Shine product; Robert Regan of Towel Pros California is sending 100 high-end detail towels; and Joe Sabo of DRC 1000 is donating buffing pads and $250 cash — all with hopes of giving the badly crippled emergency management team a fresh look.
According to Union Beach Fire Chief Rob LaBerta, “We have four fire stations and over sixty firefighters in Union Beach. Three of the four fire stations were completely flooded and they require reconstruction both inside and out. Furthermore, of the 6,800 Union Beach residents, over 3,300 were displaced as a result of the storm, and many of them still have not found permanent housing.”
This is not the first time Dirty Harry’s has tackled a community-wide detailing project on a pro bono basis; in fact, community projects are part of Dirty Harry’s business plan. Last summer, Sandwith and his son Joseph, an active duty Jersey City police officer, corralled a team of high-end detailers including Doyle and Wiener to help him recondition four historic fire trucks for future exhibition in the upcoming New Jersey Fire Engine & Equipment Museum at Allaire State Park. “Rather than charging a nonprofit organization for the work, whatever money
I would have made charging for the project will come back to me two or threefold in referrals,” he says. “It is more important to invest in community and customer loyalty through philanthropic endeavors.”
Dirty Harry’s uses European steam techniques with an eco-friendly, water-based deep interior cleaning to remove deep-down grime and interior odor and bacteria removal, as well as headlight and taillight restoration, dark-colored paint correction, seat and headliner cleaning, and careful polishing of all paint, metals, plastics and fiberglass to remove oxidation and restore the original shine.
For more information about Harry Sandwith, his Dirty Harry’s Detailing, and more details about the Union Beach project, contact him at 732-687-2391.
