DC Firefighters Burn Foundation

DC Firefighters Burn Foundation

1 month ago

We are excited to announce Erin Como Fox 5 DC as our Night at the Market Gala emcee this year! Erin is an anchor and reporter at Fox 5 News in Washington DC. Through her role at Fox 5, she has made lasting ties in the DMV community. She is a proud supporter of area Police, Fire and EMT officials and helps honor them through her work with Fox 5's First Responder Fridays. She has also served as emcee for multiple local police and fire events. We are thrilled Erin will be part of this great night .... Purchase your tickets today! bit.ly/BurnGala2020 ... See MoreSee Less

DC Firefighters Burn Foundation

2 months ago

Registration opens in just two days! ... See MoreSee Less

DC Firefighters Burn Foundation

2 months ago

Today's story is a returnee to Adaptive Sports Center, you might remember Massachusetts firefighter Joe Kalinowski's story from 2016.

Four years ago, Joe Kalinowski came to Adaptive a different man. “I was burned in 2012 and about one year after my family noticed I really started to change – and not for the good.”

Joe was injured in a multiple home building fire and was trapped when the roof collapsed. He suffered 3rd degree burns to his head, right shoulder and upper back, all of which required skin grafts with 2nd degree burns to the back and right arm.

He went back to work, but it was way too early both physically and mentally.

“I would work for a bit, have a procedure, come back, it’s what I thought I had to do. I was not getting a lot of support from my Department, but I loved my job. I loved being a firefighter. My family eventually told me things had to change and I had to get help, but I didn’t want to let my department know. As an officer, I wanted to lead by example, so I put my face on and did my job. Outwardly I was fine.”

Help came in the way of Lionel Crowther, who was speaking at fire chiefs conference. They immediately hit it off and Lionel told him about World Burn and Adaptive.

Joe was getting help but was still struggling and even diagnosed with PTSD. So, in 2016, things finally worked out for him to go to Adaptive.

“It was fantastic, it was just what I needed. Being able to talk to what I went through to people who experienced similar or worse than me, it was incredible. I made a lot of friends that week that I still keep in touch with.”

Joe wishes he could have come back sooner but is thrilled to be back in Crested Butte. “Last time I came because I needed help, this time I came because I have something to give and offer. I still need help, but now I am in a better place.”

He is also appreciative for all that the DCFF Burn Foundation has done for him, “Nothing would be possible without these guys. What they do for firefighters is amazing, they do things for people they don’t know outside of the department. Doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from, they are here to help you.” ... See MoreSee Less

DC Firefighters Burn Foundation

2 months ago

Get your tickets for our Night at the Market Gala on Saturday, April 18 and feast on food from some of the area's best restaurants! Enjoy hearty bites from Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company, The Salt Line, The Dubliner, Acqua al 2, Present Company, Primrose DC The Liberty Tavern and desserts from Ted's Bulletin along with an open bar, music from TRILOGY BAND and our silent auction with one of a kind experiences and trips!

bit.ly/BurnGala2020 ... See MoreSee Less

DC Firefighters Burn Foundation

2 months ago

Today's story is 27-year-old David Northup, another second-generation firefighter. His uncle was a Battalion Chief and he began a full-time career with Cal Fire (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection), who fight all types of fires, but focus on wildland fires.

“It’s a tough job. We work three days on, four days off, but I have been gone from home for weeks at a time. One time I was gone forty days.”

The LA native and former college baseball player was based out of Redbluff (just south of Redding, CA and north of Sacramento) but was fighting a walnut orchard fire an hour east of Stockton when he was burned.

“I was actually supposed to go home the day I got burned. It was a completely normal day. We were working on the fire for a couple of hours and the hillside completely collapsed, I fell into an ash pit.”

David self-rescued, “I pulled myself out of the pit, and then went into shock. I thought I was fine.”

Once he took his boots off, he discovered he was blistering. He said it was different on scene when it is a firefighter who’s burned. “People were using all the water we could get our hands on.”

David was flown to UC Davis and was in the hospital for four days. “I landed, was wheeled into the ER and these guys from the Firefighters Burn Institute (out of Sacramento) where there and told me they were there to take care of me. The support was incredible.”

There were 2nd degree burns covering his legs from his boot lines down, completely wrapped around his leg. “The burns went all around my calves. Due to the lack of blood, they told me I could possibly lose my leg(s). On day two, I could barely stand up due to the lack of blood flow, which caused me to be in a wheelchair for two weeks.”

Eventually, David went back to work around five weeks later. “Physically, I was cleared to go back, but mentally, that wasn’t the case. I was still in denial about being burned. I was also losing my mind sitting at home. I wanted to get back right away both to firefighting and to my life, I wanted to take my dog Ace to the lake, just be back to normal.”

Around six weeks after going back, he met Lionel Crowther at World Burn and heard about Adaptive and it’s been life changing. “There was no feeling like being back at the station and back among firefighters. There is no other connection like the one we have. We know what it is like and can relate to each other. I know I am not alone in this.” ... See MoreSee Less

DC Firefighters Burn Foundation

2 months ago

Today's Firefighter Burn Survivor Week profile is Chris Zimmerman from Canada. For Chris, firefighting was in his blood. His father was Fire Chief at Kelowna, a town of about 150,000 people three hours east of Vancouver, and he knew it was always something he wanted to do. Firefighting was second nature to him.

Which is why in July of 2017, he realized something was off with the smoke during an apartment fire his engine was battling. His company was called to a five-story structural fire of an apartment complex being built, so there was no water supply in there and his engine planned to haul equipment up from the 3rd floor. As he and his team were exploring the building, they were asked to drop down a floor as the fire was just in the roof.

As he stopped and noticed what he called, “weird smoke,” the roof started to collapse. “I got down one floor and saw a big fireball coming at me, so I turned to run. I went to grab my radio to put out a Mayday, I didn’t think I was getting out.”

Chris took his gloves off to feel around in order to find his radio, Suddenly, conditions drastically changed. “The fireball blew me up to the ceiling, then back to the floor. My hands were on fire since I had dumped my gloves.”

He finally caught up with his team and they could barely see each other, “everything was on fire, there was so much smoke. We were four floors up, but the outside ladders only go three floors high.”

Chris’s team was finally rescued, but his hands were completely burned, “it looked like I had two rubber gloves hanging off my hands. I went to the hospital and I had not only 2nd and 3rd degree burns to my hands, but I had 2nd degree burns around the top of where my boot would be as well as my back and ear.”

After a few weeks in the hospital, Chris went home and had extensive physical therapy. His skin did grow back about 15 months after his incident and he underwent 11 surgeries in a year.

“It was really tough to be dependent on other people, especially for basic, daily tasks. I had to ask for help, which was a challenge. My son turned a year right after I got hurt. It wasn’t easy, but it drove me harder to get better.”

He then met Lionel Crowther at a conference, and shared stories about their injuries and experiences, which led him to Adaptive. “So far, this has been pretty awesome. You can explain what happened to people who ask, it’s one thing to understand – or try to understand it – and it’s another thing to have been through it which is why Adaptive is invaluable.” ... See MoreSee Less

DC Firefighters Burn Foundation

2 months ago

Each year, during Firefighters Burn Survivors Week, we bring you the real life stories of the firefighters who are participating in the week long experience at Adaptive Sports Center. To kick off our 2020 week, it's Fresno, California Fire Captain Pete Dern.

He was living – in his opinion – a great life. The former Army helicopter pilot was in his 28th year as a Fresno firefighter, serving on one of the busiest trucks in the country. When he wasn’t working, he was spending time with his wife of (now) 30 years and his daughter and enjoying taking care of house projects, working with his hands. In fact, he spent time volunteering in New Orleans rebuilding houses after Hurricane Katrina.

But almost five years ago, Captain Dern’s life changed drastically when responding to a routine house fire. Being on truck, one of his jobs was to ventilate the house and he was on the roof when it caved it. The roof was unsupported and Pete went directly into the fire.

“It was minutes, but it felt like forever. The guys dragged me out, the biggest guy in my department just picked me up and ran with me.”

Pete suffered 3rd and 4th degree burns over 70 percent of his body, “The burns were down to the muscle and bone, only my feet and face were spared. The mask melted to my face and it had to be cut off.”

Pete was in the Fresno Burn Center for over a year, “The support from my community, firehouse, and family was incredible. I couldn’t sleep in the hospital. It would be 3 in the morning and someone was there 24/7.”

His hands were severely burnt, and he had to relearn nearly everything. In five years, Pete underwent 88 surgeries.

“This is the first year that I’ve been physically able to come out to Adaptive and I am so grateful. What I really wanted to do is spend time with the guys again, laugh about stupid things. It does not matter where you live or where you are from – firefighters are brothers. I miss going to work. I miss the camaraderie.”

Pete grew up skiing so he is looking forward to getting back out there. “Skiing is one of the few things I can do – although I am curious as to how I am going to hold the ski poles. Right now, I am using duct tape, my hands are a disaster, but I cannot wait to get down that mountain.”

What Pete is most looking forward to out of Adaptive is to bring home a little spark of life again. “Things have been pretty hard, this is fun, this is exciting and makes you feel alive again.”

Learn more about Pete's journey here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp6AgDtV4BQ ... See MoreSee Less