PF&R Chief's Corner - Burn Center Special

Chief Lauren Johnson hosts this episode of Chief's Corner and speaks to Brian Stevens, Dominic Frederickson and Brian Malloy about their involvement with the Legacy Emmanuel Burn Center and how PF&R crews can get involved. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Hi everyone, and welcome to a new episode of the Chiefs Coroner. This session's going to be a bit different. I'm going to host three of our members and ask them questions about the Oregon Burn Center. And I'd like to start by telling you a bit about a new project that we're close to kicking off. This has been an idea that's, I think, been percolating in Brian Malloy's head for some time now. So I don't want to take credit for it. But let me set the stage and let you know that I'm interested in developing more of a formalized partnership with the Burn Center. It seems like a natural fit for the Bureau to develop ties with the Burn Center. And, you know, it's a place that's treated some of our own, some of our own family members, and often treats the patients that we care for at fires and on other emergency calls. So the part of this partnership that you'll notice the most is a designated time block that we're going to start out with it being once a month, where companies and groups, work groups, can volunteer to visit the Burn Center on duty to help brighten a patient's day, to learn about the center services, or to receive training on how to help a firefighter or a patient who's burned. So I want to introduce our panelists because their connections to the Burn Center are powerful. And I love that we have the chance for the audience to hear it straight from you guys. Can you each take a turn and introduce yourself, talk a bit about your connection to the Burn Center or your general involvement with the Burn Center's patients? Brian Malloy, I'll start with you since I called you out specifically.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

Yeah. My involvement with the Burn Center comes from my wife is a nurse there. She's been a nurse in the Burn Center for about 23 years now. And so just kind of my obvious loose affiliation with it. And then our connection to patients came from, you know, Dominic should get the lion's share of the credit here. He's been involved with a ton of events and aftercare and survivor group causes. But you know, she'll call and if we're working, and hey, we've got a little kid in here that would love a visit, you know, they're they're here for six months, you know, in between surgeries or something like that. And so taking the taking the rig down and you know, a quick 15-20-minute visit is um and so that's kind of where this this whole thing came from. Was that was that connection.

SPEAKER_03 2:33

Awesome, Brian. Thank you. How about you, Dominic?

SPEAKER_01 2:36

Uh my connection is just kind of random. Uh I when I first got hired, a lot of people were volunteering with the MBA, and uh I tried to get involved in that, and it just wasn't calling to me. So I started asking questions about the burn center, and um just seemed like those two fit. And so I went up there one day randomly, and here we are now sitting on the couch talking about the burn center. I'm just involved uh a lot with the aftercare. Um I've been to camp counselor, been to World Burn Congress, um, just been a lot of things, like a lot more with the af like the outreach and for youth. It's been mainly with the youth, from like eight years old to 18. And that's uh been you know last 15, I think, 15 years or so, roughly.

SPEAKER_03 3:27

Thanks, Dominic. Okay, Brian, how about you?

SPEAKER_02 3:29

Uh I have a kind of a couple different perspectives of the the burn unit. Um being friends with Dom uh over the years when he started doing the caroling, that was when I first um brought my my whole family to the burn unit. Uh but before that I spent um several years, I think 16 years at Station 13, which is in uh the burn units in their FMO. Or FMA, sorry. Can you edit that? Um in their FMA. And so when we would hear about a child that was burned or somebody that you know had a bad incident, we would take the the rigs down and and we'd bring them, we'd usually try to find out ahead of time, like could they take a milkshake, what was their what was their treat that they could could eat, could they eat, and we'd try to either bring either uh um like a trauma bear or something for them to just to change their day a little bit, just to make that little difference. Um so I had some experience with it before, and then I became um very intimately involved with them, where uh for those that don't know, um my wife went through a routine surgery, uh she, you know, went to get in a partial hysterectomy, and it went it went terribly wrong. And she ended up uh turning septic septic and then went to toxic shock. And we started out at Mount Hood and uh they could not provide her the care that they needed, and so then that she was lifelided to um a manual and went to the ICU there. And with her injuries, it's the the closest thing to uh a burn because it's from the inside out, and so the best care that that the Portland area has was the burn unit. And um and so they came up to the ICU and uh Dr. Ashrogi, the surge the main burn surgeon there, wanted to take her under his care, and they saved her life. So um in saving her life, she still came out with uh with some you know uh horrible, horrible injuries. Um she ended up becoming paralyzed. Uh she had necrosis of her her lips and her tongue, so she lost her lips, part of her tongue, and then they ended up having to take her hands and her legs. And so um that is my struggle right now. But we spent three and a half months in the burn unit, and Brian Malloy's wife was you know one of the care providers and was absolutely amazing. Uh it's just weird how maybe the Lord lines you up for things where I had just came to station two, got sent onto the the rig, I was the driver for Brian when this happened. My wife came in and uh like a week and a half or two weeks before had lunch and so with Brian's wife, and and so they they actually there was a connection there. Um and so yeah, I spent a lot of time there, and I can say that um they saved they saved my wife's life and this connection of trying to have um somebody always showing up I think is is amazing and I think it will it will definitely make a difference in people's lives and and I owe everything to the to the burn unit for for saving my wife's life. And if I could also just take a second to use this platform just to say that the fire department is so amazing, and the people um that are in the fire department and how they've supported us and what we've gone through and um they've created the unions, created a you know website to donate that has allowed us to take Trisha to Arizona to get special therapies that she would not have been able to get. And so so thank you to to everybody that has supported and helped out. Um there hasn't been maybe a few times in the last year that I've had to come home and try to figure out a meal. Otherwise, it's always there. Like there's always a meal, you know, ready for my family. Um we ended up um hiring Trisha's sister to kind of help take care of her so that I could come to the TAC office and still provide and still give back to the to the Bureau where I can and try to help out there. Um and so the Bureau has just been amazing and the people, I I mean it's truly it's truly unbelievable. So thank you to everybody. You know who you are. It would take me a whole episode just to call out names. So everybody, thank you. Yeah, and so that that's my connection. I love it.

SPEAKER_03 7:57

That's awesome. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. Um, but like I think we've said in so many different ways, we've got great people. And I'm just I'm glad we've we ended up kind of getting to have this experience today and talk a little bit about uh the connection with the Byrne Center. So I've I wrote down some questions just to like maybe draw out some more information that might help our members, you know, who are maybe on the fence or maybe wondering why would I go do that? You know, um we've got so many other things to do, right? Like you guys have all been out in the companies, you're out in the companies now, um, between training and you know, mandatory things and you know, inspections, all the things that you're involved in, why would you want a volunteer to go spend a few more hours out of the house doing something? So that's that's kind of where I'm I'm headed. I just want to ask you your opinions about some things. So I'll start with uh Kevin Malloy. Can you talk about um, you know, just in general, like the times when you've brought a crew over to visit um when your wife has let you know that, hey, there's a patient there who might need to pick me up.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

Yeah, yeah, certainly. And I would um to speak to the, you know, anybody out there that's why why do we want to do this? Um for a couple of reasons. It's uh it's not lost on me that anybody out there that's that's pulled a person out of a fire, a victim, a survivable victim, that's a heavy experience. And to be that person that you know drags them out the front door or carries them down a ladder and and puts them in an ambulance, and it's like that's it. So for us, for our personnel, a little closure, a little um, you know, look behind the curtains of the continuity of care, you know. Um that's that's twofold, right? For that person, for that fire victim. Um they're lying in bed knowing that you know one of the one of our folks did the thing, right? They they went all in and they saved their lives. Um you know, and their their injuries are often extremely significant, life-changing. Uh and so I think on both sides, victim and rescuer, there is a little insight of and a little closure there. So there's the why. Um I've also experienced, you know, the glow, and I and I keep saying, you know, we visit a lot of young kids in there. I mean, the kids in there are they're really excited to, you know, for one, get out of the room, come see a fire truck. Um, you know, we've taken when I was at station one, we took a couple of kids up in the bucket, you know, and it was like, I mean, just awestruck. Um so there's a little breakup of the monotony, if you will, but uh for them, for the patients sitting in sitting in their hospital room for months on end. Um and it's like, hey, look, this is this is why. This is why we do it. I know, I'm I don't think it's um lost on anyone that we we run a lot of calls, and so sometimes that grind, um, you know, when you work at engine 19 and you're running your many thousands of calls and you kind of start feeling like why? You know, what are we doing here? This is what you're doing. Ultimately, that's that's why you're here. Um and so just a you know, kind of to bolster the sense of mission, if you will, for for our folks. And I I have seen that and I felt it myself, you know, it's a it's a little bit of an empowering opportunity. Um the the visits themselves, you can see it. You can see it in those folks, you know, the the staff's excited to see you, you know, they love having folks come in and and visit. Uh, the patients, you know, they want to talk, they want to, they want to see the rig. Um, and so it's a it's a pretty valuable experience for them. Uh, a little bit of an outlet for for some of those patients that are there for a long time to be able to, you know, talk to the crews about what they went through and and kind of get some of that, get some of that out. I mean, the the emotional trauma of a significant burn or or significant injury is you know maybe worse than the than the physical toll it's taken. So I think uh there's an educational component to it that's valuable for us. There is um you know a close-the-loop. And then, you know, at the end of the day, there's also interaction with the staff there. Um Brian mentioned Dr. Ashrogi, he's the he's the director of the Burn Center, has been for quite some time, phenomenal, phenomenal physician, great guy, and loves talking to the crews. You know, when Dom organizes the Caroling events, he's it's high fives and handshakes and hugs. He's really excited to have the involvement from Portland Fire. Um, and so having more opportunities with that was kind of the the driving factor behind you know putting something like this together.

SPEAKER_03 13:10

So awesome. Thank you. Um, Dominic, I'll go to you next. Uh I just learned recently about your role with the IAFF and then your involvement with all the camps. Um can you just talk about, you know, maybe some reassurance to members that are just not sure? Like it's pretty heavy being exposed to burn victims, especially your first time. Maybe we do have baggage from you know rescuing a victim and just not being sure about how that interaction's gonna feel. Can you talk about just your experiences and maybe what you think about, you know, maybe what you how you felt when you got started doing this kind of work?

SPEAKER_01 13:53

Yeah, I think um more for like the why for me and maybe people who are unsure is um the whole reason I started doing it was I was just like this is what we train to prevent um for ourselves and for other people, and it's it's a very real possibility. Like we've gotten closer and closer the last couple years to um putting our own members there, or uh Spencer from Gresham had his accident. It's very real, and um so that's how I got started, and then I've just usually been involved on the youth side of things, and so I would just say um it's kind of nice to just go to the the camps and they like I don't know how to temper expectations for somebody, but they just want to be treated like a normal kid. Like I go and I'm a camp counselor and I don't change my personality like at all. And I just treat them like I would treat my kids I'm coaching or my own children, and uh I don't know, like I just talk a little trash to them and they they love it. Yeah, I mean it's makes them feel normal, um and more to yeah, it just makes you know they just want to be seen as just you know, yes, they have something significant going on, and some of them you would never know. Like we're referring hospitals, so um, some of the kids that I've dealt with are from our own burn center. Um, you wouldn't know. You you would not know, and then other ones is very obvious that they have something going on. Um, and so for me, just throughout the years, uh I got sent to camp and experienced that, and uh what what Brian was talking about with like the closure um for me again is very satisfying is like I go there and like in that one week I'm there, like I just I mean it sounds preachy, but it just kind of restores my faith in humanity in general. I just yeah, I work it's an amazing staff in Colorado. Um the experience with the children, it's the whole the whole thing. Um it can be overwhelming at first because if you aren't coming from a camp setting, like I've never gone to like a a camp of anything, unless it was sports. So go into a camp where you're holding hands and you're singing and there's uh um like therapy like scheduled at at night and in the mornings and just the whole experience, but at the end of the way, just you're like whoa, it's it's it's amazing. Um, as far as my involvement with like the IAF, um I've been to their burn camps and I'm not I don't represent the IFF. Um there might be a little um misunderstanding on that. I am good friends with our district rep, so district nine, um Joe Brooks, and I met him through Colorado just randomly. Um so that's my connection with that. And so Joe and I are close because of our experiences at camp. Okay. And then I used to go to uh World Burn Congress, which was more of a family therapy, um uh for the world. Like it's World Burn Congress, it's since because of COVID kind of defunct, like the funding on it's hard. Um one thing I've learned about burn care is uh in like hot in our healthcare system, um, burns cost more money, they don't make money, and so they um it's expensive for those centers to run, so they need a lot of support. And so going through that, I was part of the you belong program that was a uh youth program, so adults would go and they would bring their kids, but they didn't have anywhere to put them, and so we started a youth program. So like w while the adults were trying to get some closure or just some therapy on things that they needed, um, we would go with the children, and it seemed to fit because I was already doing like the uh the camps and whatnot. Yeah. And that's kind of been my background. Yeah. I'm not sure if that answered everything. No, that was great.

SPEAKER_03 17:35

Um so and I I mean I think I could take that. I feel like you were talking about just how it affected you personally to have these experiences, you know, in a positive way. And so I could ask you, Brian, um, you know, from your perspective, kind of not as a patient, but with with your wife as a patient, um, could you just kind of talk about maybe what it would mean to a patient to have, you know, somebody come visit or like how you guys did from 13?

SPEAKER_02 18:03

I think something that um that a perspective that probably isn't known, which might might help, is that burns are extremely painful for people. And so these kids that are in there that have been burned, they are hearing other people around them screaming all night long, all day. They're trying to, they're trying to cope with their new normal, with with what they're trying to deal with, and the unknown of what their outcome is, and depending on their age, I can only imagine how scared they are. And to have a fire truck show up and then have them come out and look at the fire truck and see that they get out of that space for a moment, they get a little bit of normalcy, they get to have have people, us that don't that aren't staring at them, right? We we recognize the injury, we recognize what happened, and having that that little break in the day, I I can only imagine is absolutely amazing. And then speaking from the family side, um to see your child smile when they've gone through something like that has to be amazing for the the family, right? For me, when I was in there, there was not a lot of smiling, there was not a lot of laughter, there was no no uh no great moments. Everything was it was always questionable because of how sick my wife was. But as I would see people come and go and just the their faces just not, I mean, they're going through the worst time of their lives, and if it's their child that's in there that's um us being able to put a smile on their child's face puts a smile on their parents' face, and that just brightens the day. So it is absolutely um important for us to be part of this. Yeah. So that that is kind of my take.

SPEAKER_03 19:45

Thank you. Um I think I'll just do one last round of, you know, is there anything that you hope others take away from you know the time here that we've had today? Anything else you'd like to tell folks before I kind of give some closing remarks about what people can expect moving forward?

SPEAKER_00 20:04

I think the opportunity for the cruise is is good. I mean, I'm you know, I I recognize the busyness, I recognize the the call volume at every firehouse in the city right now and and what folks are doing, and adding another thing to the day, I I can imagine what maybe the a little bit uh the initial sentiment might be. Um but it is I'll tell you right now, like, and this isn't just for me, I recognize my involvement and relationship with the Burn Center is is different, just like these guys. Um but taking crews there before, or um when I was at station two, taking some of our new recruits there, um you know, it's it's a valuable experience. Um, you know, and it does the takeaway, and and like what Brian's saying, you know, any bright spot in the day for them. I know I've heard like after a visit, you know, some little kid will be they're still talking about it. Days later, you know, how great it was to have the fire truck come by. Um we recently visited a little guy in there who has a terrible, terrible burn. And uh there is a collective, you know, among the crew. It's it's a heavy experience to and it's we all have kids, and it's hard not to personalize it and go, what if it was mine? You know, and and Brian has a you know very unique relationship in that regard. But um so it's hard not to see it from that perspective, but I you can feel it in the rig. Like when you leave and you get back in the rig, it's feels a little heavy for a minute. You know, and they're going, Wow, that okay. Oof. Yeah. Um so I I think it's I think crews will will find some value. They'll find a little, you know, personal feeling of like, Hey, that was we still are the hero. Yeah. You know, they did look at us like we are Yeah. And it feels good to have that. For us. They love it. To feel good for us. So and any other benefit is just on the extra. Extra.

SPEAKER_03 22:07

Yeah. Thank you. What about you, Dominic?

SPEAKER_01 22:10

Yeah, I I would just encourage people to give it a shot. Um, I know like we're pulled in many directions. Um a lot of people outside um are doing amazing things. There's so many different things that people are involved with that this is just another another thing. Um I would just say for me again, I I just this is a real possibility of of uh of what we do and this is what we train for. And you know, just going back and if you look on the East Coast, um their connection to their burn centers is is huge. I mean they're they're very, very, very connected. And that used to be here, like if you get more into the into the weeds and the backstories, like the burn center and Portland Fire at one point were close, and then I don't quite know all the ins and outs of it, but you know, just through time is kind of gone away, and just seeing this happen is is awesome, and I would just encourage anybody to be open to it. Um, it's not always just kids, it's adults too. Um, you know, it is a wound care center as well, so I wouldn't go in there with the expectation you're gonna have like 16 rooms filled with all children. Like that's just not what it is. Um, there's also adults in there, and so it might be just uh perking up an adult as well. Um, it can be very lonely in there, it's very expensive. Um, people, you know, there's only three burn centers on the West Coast. It's uh Harbor View up in Seattle, Us, and Sacramento. Um, Sacramento's fire department actually is responsible for like building their burn center. Like there is connection there. Yeah. And I just, you know, if you're looking for something um that calls to you, I I think this is a great cause. Um you're gonna get more um from it than you're gonna, you know, than you're gonna put into it. Yeah. Um if you know, even if it's just one visit, and I just would encourage people to just be open to it and check it out. And um, there's really good people that work there, they're amazing. They're amazing. And um yeah, I mean I could go on and on about it, but I just encourage people to give it a shot. Yeah. So be open to it. Super.

SPEAKER_03 24:11

How about you, Brian?

SPEAKER_02 24:12

Um, I'll talk maybe spiritually a little bit because I feel like um miracles are happening there. And I think that uh God is present, and I think that the nurses um have some type of calling, and they are angels. Like they're they're saving lives and they're doing they're doing this and dealing with these horrible traumatic injuries day in, day out, and they're continuing to do it. And each patient gets one nurse per day, and so they're just focused, and and to be part of that and see my faith grow. And even though her outcome was so horrible, she still survived, she was still there in the end, and there were more miracles that happened, and I could just feel it. I could feel the faith growing and um what the nurses have done for for us. They don't they don't allow my wife, wasn't able to see our kids while she was in the burn unit, and so we were gonna miss Christmas, we were gonna miss things. But uh all the nurses got together and they said we're not gonna let that happen. So they put a Christmas together in the waiting room, and it was Trisha's first time to be able to come out of the burn unit to see her kids right before Christmas. And and so we we had Christmas at the burn unit um in the waiting room, and it was it was amazing. And um that that doesn't happen with with people that are just there to do their job, right? So there's there's a special calling that they have and and something spiritual about that. So I think it will it will um test your faith and it will um only test it in the right way. So I I say it's a a win in all directions to go.

SPEAKER_03 25:54

Thank you. Um I was so glad that you brought up just how when you were at 13s you guys would check to see if you could bring milkshakes or anything like that. I would love um when we get this finally put together for our crews to be able to ask that same question before they go. Um I hadn't even thought about that. We had talked when I went to visit about different options. You know, it could be reading a book to a kid, you know, a patient. It could be just sitting with an adult whose maybe partner can't visit as often, who maybe is in a different state and they're really by themselves. Um you guys have heard me talk about food enough, but like I'm I'm I love the milkshake idea, so I hope people keep that in mind. Um I want to thank you all for spending the time with me to do this today. I think that you know, your leadership, your experiences specifically related to this topic kind of tells the story so much better than than it than I could. Um so I'm I'm really glad we've had this opportunity. And um I want to talk about next steps. So I I think right now where we're at is Rick Graves and Captain Malloy are kind of our two primary contacts. Um and the next step is just kind of finalizing the details about how we get crews signed up. Um it's not mandatory for anybody. This is really just an opportunity that, like Dominic was saying, I I think this is a partnership that the Fire Bureau should have. Um it just makes all the sense in the world to me. And so I kind of want to enable that to happen by saying we can do this on duty and make it official, um, to sign up for a time like with the liaison and get on the calendar to be able to say that that's what you're doing that day. So look out, uh be on the lookout for a memo to come from me with specific instructions uh soon. Um but I just really want to say thank you again. You know, what what you've shared shared today makes me feel like this is really the right time and the right thing to do. Um so thank you for all of that. And and I hope that others will ask questions if they need it. Um Yeah, go for it.

SPEAKER_01 28:11

I forgot I had one plug.

SPEAKER_03 28:12

Do it.

SPEAKER_01 28:13

No, uh I promised Aaron Horax I would do this. Uh we have the chili cook-off. Yes. Um they're trying to get that going, and it is extremely difficult to get new events going. So I just would encourage uh February 13th, um, this is just right before Valentine's Day. Um just if uh when you see that, like way down in uh next February, sign up if we can. Uh we'd love to represent. It's um for everybody, it's not just for firefighters, it's for everybody that is involved in the aftercare or the or the pre-care or anybody that's just um that would be you could possibly think of for um for that for burn center for the cook-off. And I just want to make sure February 13th, cook-off. Um we've had representation, I think, for both of them. Um, it'd be cool if we could just get a couple different stations involved. Um, I know it's another thing to do, but uh just make it chili, it's pretty harmless. It's eating, right? We like to eat. It's eating. I just I uh I promised Erin I would I would pitch that and try to help her get that going. I love it. I just wanted to sorry.

SPEAKER_03 29:18

And I'll no, I'll piggyback off of that chat. Our chat team had an entry this year. It was my first exposure, really, was coming to the Burn Center uh for the chili cook-off. I went to the chili cook-off first, and then I went to the burn center. Um but it was great to see that we did have representation there. And maybe that's that's what I want to close with is this is not just for stations or cruise companies to come do these outings. You know, I I would love it if we set it up for when chat can take a few hours and get out of their regular day-to-day, day two-day, and go visit a patient or some the fire marshal's office. Or I certainly plan on just grabbing folks from the third floor at once and saying, let's go do this for an outing. So I hope people get together, think about it a little bit outside the box, but plan to do it as a group and go brighten somebody's day at the Burn Center. So thank you so much, and thank you all.