Demchak saved the 120-year-old Howard Volunteer Fire Company, when the lack of funding made it difficult to pay bills and buy new safety gear. As a volunteer firefighter himself, Demchak founded a fall festival to raise money for the station. The event featured a Punkin Chunkin' contest in which sponsored pumpkins are catapulted into a lake, drawing 18,000 people to the event. Demchak was credited with raising $115,000, which represents up to one-third of the station’s annual budget.
