Every summer generations of American children have ditched their school books for the summer and headed off to summer camp.  Time spent away from home, getting to know nature, learning new things, and making new friends.  For some children, however, summer camp is a chance to leave behind, if only for a short time, hospitals and doctors and nurses and operations.  These are the young victims of fire who have the opportunity to attend Burn Camp.

Many organizations across the United States sponsor summer camps for burn survivors each year.  The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) is one such national organization: local IAFF affiliates conduct burn survivor camps in 29 states and 5 Canadian provinces each year.

The goal of these camps, which are conducted by firefighters and their families who volunteer their time, is to give these children the same kind of summer camp experience as any other kid.  The difference is that at this camp, they are not different.  Children who attend a burn survivor camp have the opportunity to swim, ride horses, fish, canoe, climb, etc., with other kids who endured the same life-altering experience that they have had.  Firefighters, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, and physicians are all part of the staff that ensures that these survivors can have fun—and a break from their “daily grind of living" after being burned—in a safe and caring environment.  Oh, and the best part is that these camps are FREE!

The IAFF is not the only organization doing this great work each summer, they’re just the one I know the most about, what with me being a firefighter and all.  The YMCA, the Burn Institute of California, and hospital burn centers across the USA are also involved in conducting burn survivor camps.

If you are the parent or guardian of a child burn survivor I encourage you to look into this opportunity for your child.  It’s one thing to know that there are other kids who look and act like you is, but to see a “whole bunch” of them in one place and have fun with them can be a positive life-altering event.  And wouldn’t that be great for a child who already knows too much about the health care system.