Foundation's Next Step Is a Campaign to Create a Pediatric Care Unit
By Elissa Silverman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Epiphanies often happen during late-night solitude, and sure enough, D.C. firefighter Jason Woods had one as he kept overnight watch at Engine 22 a few years ago.
He worked on the idea for almost two months before dropping it into casual conversation at the firehouse one day.
"He said, 'What do you think about starting a burn foundation?' " recalled firefighter James DiGregory recently. "I asked him, 'What is a burn foundation? What do we do?' "
Fast-forward more than three years later, to Oct. 29. Moments after four firefighters from Engine 4 dove through flames to escape a fast-moving Capitol Hill rowhouse fire that had trapped them on a second floor, Woods and DiGregory took action.
The two off-duty firefighters, now serving as president and vice president, respectively, of the D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation, rushed to Washington Hospital Center.
As worried family members arrived at the hospital, the firefighters provided information and comfort. They arranged for food and hotel rooms. They coordinated transportation. And they stood guard at the intensive-care unit to protect the privacy of their injured brethren as well-intentioned well-wishers came bearing flowers and gifts.
"They took care of any needs for myself, my family, my girlfriend," said Charlie Shyab, who spent 15 days in the burn unit as a result of injuries from battling the fire. The 30-year-old firefighter had second-degree burns over more than 20 percent of his body. He is recovering at home.
Two of Shyab's colleagues, firefighters Douglas Donnelly and Kenneth Humphries, suffered minor burns and were released from the hospital after a short stay. Their commanding officer, Sgt. Michael LaCore, had second- and third-degree burns over more than half of his body. He spent seven weeks in the hospital before going home.
Since the blaze, Woods, DiGregory and other members of the foundation have served as crucial liaisons between hospital staff members and the injured firefighters and their families.
When his lieutenant asked how he could help, DiGregory suggested that firefighters in stations across the city prepare meals to bring to the hospital.
"We make sure in taking care of families that they're not getting stressed out," DiGregory said. "If they have somebody in that ICU, they're going to sit there. They're not going to eat, they're not going to drink and they're going to get themselves sick. . . . Part of our job is to look out for them."
The assistance was welcome. "We were astounded at the help they offered," said Jocelyn Shyab, Charlie Shyab's mother. "They were tremendous."
Woods and DiGregory know many of the doctors and nurses personally through their contributions to the burn unit. They have attended burn conferences with hospital staff and spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours building relationships between the fire department and the hospital, which is the Washington region's adult burn care center.
Since its incorporation in September 2004, the foundation has raised a few hundred thousand dollars, much of it going to fund equipment upgrades and renovations in the hospital's burn unit. The group's membership is now in the hundreds, Woods said.
He said he got the idea after looking at the Web sites of similar foundations in New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia and received crucial start-up help from members in those cities.
The foundation's efforts benefit more than just firefighters.
This year, the 501(c) (3) organization will donate $60,000 to help refurbish the burn unit's rehabilitation gym. Money has also been spent to purchase televisions and DVDs for patient areas and to repaint parts of the burn unit.
"If we're going to risk our life to save somebody else's life, we want to ensure they're going to get the best possible care to survive," said Woods, president of the foundation.
The group also has contributed money to Children's Hospital to provide toys and equipment, and to buy tub testers to measure the temperature of bathwater. Many kids get scorched when parents and guardians unwittingly place them in tubs with water that is too hot.
The foundation also helps burn victims in their recovery. In the past few years, the foundation has sent children who are burn survivors to a week-long sleep-away camp in Connecticut, where they can go swimming, hiking and rock climbing in shorts and T-shirts. It's one place where no one stares at their rough skin or discolored patches. Several D.C. firefighters serve as counselors and chaperones.
The group also sponsors day trips to amusement parks and an annual trip on the D.C. fireboat.
Woods, who estimates that he spends 30 hours a week on the foundation, has ambitious goals for the future. He hopes to help fund a pediatric burn center at Children's Hospital.
Local children with severe burns often travel to Boston Shriners Hospital, which specializes in pediatric burn care.
"I think it's a shame we're in the nation's capital and we're sending kids to Boston for burn care," Woods said. "One of my goals is to see a pediatric burn center in the city."
Contributions to the D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation are tax-deductible. Checks can be sent to P.O. Box 71056, Washington, D.C. 20024.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.