Burn Survivors Attend IAFF International Burn Camp

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More than 40 burn survivors from across North America will attend the 16th International Burn Camp September 24-30 in the Nation's Capital, an annual event organized by the IAFF Charitable Foundation that helps teenagers cope with their life-changing injuries.

"Burns can leave scars that never heal and emotional wounds that no medical care can repair," says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. "The Burn Camp helps teenage burn survivors cope with their trauma by allowing them to spend time in a supportive atmosphere rooted in their shared experience."

Each year, the Foundation selects young burn survivors, ages 13-15, and a professional fire fighter or camp counselor from regional burn camps across the United States and Canada to attend the week-long camp in Washington, DC.

"Fire fighters bear witness every day to the trauma caused by burns, and they know that healing takes time. That's why the IAFF Foundation is committed to providing this therapeutic experience for burn survivors each year," Schaitberger says.

Family members, IAFF members and friends can follow activities of campers during the International Burn Camp on the IAFF Frontline Blog, which includes the Burn Camp itinerary.

The Burn Camp is a project of the IAFF Foundation, which supports IAFF members and their families in their time of need.

Did you know?

• More than 500,000 people suffer burn injuries each year in North America
  
• 160,000 Americans receive treatment for scald injuries each year
  
• 75 percent of burns to children 4 years old and younger are scalds
  
• 4,000 people die from fire and burn injuries each year in the U.S.
  
• The IAFF Foundation has awarded $2.7 million to burn research since 1982
  
• There are 50 regional Burn Camps North America
  
• An estimated 2,500 children attend Burn Camps each year
  
• Over the past 16 years, approximately 600 children have been invited by the IAFF for a special one-week International Burn Camp in Washington, DC

Republished with permission of the International Association of Fire Fighters. View original article here.



Author:IAFF