Mike Szafarowicz
Singer and songwriter from Sylvania, Ohio.
Szafarowicz has been a full-time firefighter/paramedic for 26 years in Sylvania, Ohio. But, he has also always been a musician.
Since the age of 8 he has taken professional drum lessons, but as of 2017 he decided to pick up a guitar and teach himself. Over his many years as a musician/performer, Mike played drums for numerous bands around the area. When Mike was 22 years old, he made the decision to pursue his career as a firefighter and put his music on the back burner. “Music is great and all, but I chose to stick with the firefighter role because it’s the best job you could ask for and it’s a secure job.”
“When I am on stage, everything else goes away! I am able to relax, have fun and entertain people. If I see a couple smiles in the crowd, I know I did my part. I contributed to that person’s day and maybe made them forget about their work also. That’s what its all about for me.”
“If you only knew”
“I was just messing around and it came to me.” The Lieutenant at Sylvania Fire Fighters IAFF Local 2243 is referring to his chart-topping song ‘If you only knew,’ which was written to bring awareness to firefighters, law enforcement and first responders dealing with PTSD and the increased suicide rates in their professions. ‘If you only knew’ is the first song he has ever written. “It focuses on firefighter and police suicide. A Sylvania firefighter committed suicide a few years ago and a Sylvania police officer committed suicide as well. We travel quite a bit for training, and I discovered that suicide in our field is happening everywhere. It is sadly a growing trend. This song started out being about my friend, then I thought it could be a benefit to everyone. Proceeds are going to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. “The foundation is specifically for the suicide awareness fund and a peer support network for firefighters,” stated Lieutenant Szafarowicz. Their is hope that this single can spread awareness about the ever-growing suicide rate among first responders. “The whole goal for this song is to get the word out.” “My mission is that police officers, firefighters and EMS providers have a place to turn to in their time of need. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is doing so much to help reduce the rate of suicide in our line of work.”