Tim Wolkowicz spends his days helping heroes, and he does it for free — but maybe not for long.

The 20-year-old Paradise resident is a member of the nonprofit organization First Response Team of America, founded by Tennessee native Tad Agoglia.

First Response deploys crews of men and women nationwide to assist communities in the first critical hours after disasters strike, using — among other things — cranes, rescue boats and two custom-designed Black Max dump trucks.

Agoglia — Wolkowicz's "boss" — recently was named one of the Top 10 finalists in the "CNN Hero of the Year" contest.

The winner gets $100,000, which Agoglia would funnel into his nonprofit organization.

Wolkowicz said it would be great if his boss won.

"We're all-volunteer right now, and we love our work, but more funding could mean getting things like medical coverage for the team and maybe a salary," he said via cell phone Tuesday as he drove home from New York. "Right now, First Response is mostly self-funded."

You can vote for the "CNN Hero of the Year" at www.CNN.com/Heroes.

Voting ends today, and winners will be announced Thanksgiving Day on CNN.

Wolkowicz said he's been to 20 disaster sites in the past few months.

"My first brush fire was in San Diego, Calif., last month," he said. "We all have to do lots of different jobs, so I've worked with the heavy equipment like cranes. But I also take pictures of wherever we go. We're busy; it's rare that I get to be at home for two weeks in a row."

Wolkowicz and the First Response crew will accompany Agoglia to Los Angeles for the taping of the award show.

"We're really excited," he said. "Tad made all the arrangements, so we're all really stoked."

The Paradise resident said he met Agoglia while snowboarding.

"He sort of interviewed me while we were on the slopes," Wolkowicz said. "I started to get excited about the work and couldn't wait to start."

Wolkowicz said helping people is something that comes naturally to him because of where he grew up.

"In Paradise, neighbors help each other. That's just how it is here," he said. "I grew up watching my dad help everyone around him, so having this job fits."

He said First Response believes the real heroes in disaster response are the local emergency- and government-response teams.

So the group members have made it their mission to provide specialized heavy equipment and advanced technological communication systems for the purpose of being an immediate source of help to community leaders.

Wolkowicz said he went to an American Indian reservation in California after a brush fire where there was nothing left but piles of "ash, metal and refrigerators."

"When we go to tornado sites, there are piles of debris that seem two miles high," he said. "We help load that stuff away. But we do whatever the situation calls for. In Oklahoma, I suddenly found myself helping the local food bank distribute kits with blankets and other necessities that'll keep people going for four or five days."

Agoglia has been running his crews for the past 18 months, traveling around the country with his mostly self-funded cleanup crew, offering its services for free.

Wolkowicz said his job isn't just an adventure.

"It's important; people count on us," he said. "And hopefully, if we get the funding, I'll be able to do this for years to come."

For more information about the First response Team of America, visit www.firstresponseteam.org.

E-mail: cdifonzo@lnpnews.com