What drew you to the fire service?
It ended up being the team camaraderie. I came out of school with an associate’s degree in a different industry and I wasn’t having any success getting work. I went back to school for business, but I wasn’t enjoying it. While I was doing that, I joined a volunteer water rescue team and, through the training and drills, I met some folks from the volunteer fire department and ended up joining that as well. Through those connections, I met some full-time career firefighters and thought the job seemed pretty interesting. I ended up switching programs at school, started taking classes in the fire science program, and now I’ve spent 28 years in the industry.
How did you get involved with burn survivor support?
Early in my career as a firefighter, I attended a conference and saw a PR presentation that the IAFF put together from their first International Burn Camp (now called the Young Burn Survivors Summit). I came home and started looking for the nearest burn survivors camp in Maine, and it turned out the Connecticut Burns Care Foundation had been running a camp in western Massachusetts for a number of years. I started volunteering there as a counselor, and then over time we worked to create a winter burn camp in Maine called Fire and Ice Burn Survivors Camp that complements the summer session. We take kids skiing and ice skating, build snow shelters, teach them winter survival skills, and just give them an opportunity to connect with each other and build friendships with their peers. In addition to the winter camp, this will be my fifth year as director of the IAFF camp in the DC-Maryland area and I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity.
Is there a particular moment that made you appreciate getting involved with this cause?
There isn’t one significant memory, but just the connections with the kids and their families. Every year I meet new people who have a similar passion and drive to give back and make things better. I believe the people who volunteer and get involved with things that put smiles on other peoples’ faces have better resilience and an easier time adjusting when they’re dealing with their own issues. When you can selflessly give your time and energy, and you see the good it does for other people, it puts you back together when you experience hard times yourself.
Learn more and get involved at portlandfirefightersburnfoundation.com and iaff.org/burn-fund/#burn-camp.
I believe the people who volunteer and get involved with things that put smiles on other peoples’ faces have better resilience and an easier time adjusting when they’re dealing with their own issues.