T-L Photo/SHELLEY HANSON FIVE-YEAR-old Leo Zambori, right, sports his new firefighting helmet that states he is a honorary captain of the Alert Engine Co. in Martins Ferry. With him is his older brother Nolan. Leo is undergoing treatment for leukemia. The Alerts presented Leo the helmet on Monday evening.

MEMBERS OF the Alert Engine Co. in Martins Ferry, along with the Zambori family, stand with a newly repainted work of art depicting the station’s yellow fire truck by retired art teacher Joe Ellis, who originally created the painting when he was a senior in high school. Standing from left are Chad Zambori, artist Joe Ellis, Capt. Ron Hilton, Terry Greer, Todd Roberts, Don Dunfee, Jeremy Rife, John Ayers, George Miller, Bobby Bennett, Dylan Freeman, Dave Maguire and Bill West. Kneeling in front are Natalie Zambori and her sons Leo and Nolan Zambori.

MARTINS FERRY — Members of the Alert Engine Co. have a new honorary captain at their station — Leo Zambori.

Leo, 5, son of Natalie and Chad Zambori, is undergoing treatment for leukemia. To give him a boost of happiness, the Alerts on Monday presented him with an authentic white captain’s helmet with his name on it.

“His grandfather and great-grandfather are honorary members of the Alerts,” said Alert Capt. Ron Hilton, referring to Art Bruney Jr. and Art Bruney Sr., respectively. Hilton noted the Bruneys both served with the Alerts for many years and now have honorary status. Chad Zambori is a fireman with the Cumberland Trail Fire District in St. Clairsville.

Leo was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia on April 6. He is undergoing low-dose chemotherapy treatments, a regimen that will continue for about next three years at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. People across the Ohio Valley likely have seen or purchased one of the family’s fundraiser T-shirts with their motto, “Tougher Than Leukemia.”

Leo also has an older brother, Nolan, who attends Martins Ferry City Schools.

Chad Zambori thanked the Alerts for their support and for giving Leo, who wants to be a fireman like his dad, the firefighting helmet.

“It means a lot,” Zambori said of the helmet for Leo. “When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a fireman. … I never thought this would be one of my favorite parts of being a firefighter and being around firemen, and just the family and community we have. Thank you so much for doing this. You guys have no idea how much this means to our family,” he said.

Meanwhile, during this same gathering the Alerts also were given a present — newly repainted artwork of the station’s fire engine that will be placed back on its wall. The painting originally was created by retired Martins Ferry art teacher Joe Ellis when he was a senior in high school.

Natalie Zambori, who works as an art teacher at Martins Ferry Schools and who replaced Ellis upon his retirement, noticed the fading painting while visiting the station recently. Zambori asked the Alerts if she and her students could repaint the piece in her class. She contacted Ellis about the project, and he ultimately decided to redo the piece himself. He did the work in Zambori’s art room. The piece is very large, about 8 or 10 feet long and about 4 feet tall.