{"id":14182,"date":"2016-07-21T19:25:49","date_gmt":"2016-07-21T19:25:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=14182"},"modified":"2016-07-21T19:25:49","modified_gmt":"2016-07-21T19:25:49","slug":"dekalb-firefighters-volunteer-at-burn-victims-camp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=14182","title":{"rendered":"DeKalb Firefighters Volunteer at Burn Victims\u2019 Camp"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Brookhaven Post<\/a>) \u2013 The Post Reports, from a DeKalb\u00a0County News Release<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Each year DeKalb County Fire and Rescue personnel volunteer at the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation\u2019s Camp OO-U-La for young burn victims.\u00a0Camp OO-U-La\u00a0began in the early 1980\u2019s\u00a0and annually\u00a0serves approximately 100 youth. Camp OO-U-La offers young burn victims the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors and provides a way\u00a0for\u00a0other campers who share the common experience of suffering from a burn injury to meet.<\/p>\n

One longtime volunteer is DeKalb County Fire Rescue Capt. Shawn Staton, who has served as a camp counselor for 17 years.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s hard to describe my experience at the camp in a few words,\u201d said Staton, a 19-year DCFR veteran who supervises personnel at Station 22 in Tucker, Ga. \u201cThis place brings great memories with the return of the campers that are now counselors.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his time volunteering at the camp, Staton has worked as a cabin counselor, supporting counselor and lead counselor. This year, he headed up the fishing activity for the weeklong camp held at the Fort Yargo State Park in Winder, Ga.<\/p>\n

Another DeKalb firefighter who volunteers as a camp counselor is Nicholas Ribal, who attended the burn camp as a camper.\u00a0When Ribal was 10 years old, he was severely burned on his face and arm after his brother set a gas container on fire while playing with matches.\u00a0His injuries required extensive treatment at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta.<\/p>\n

At the completion of his treatment, Ribal received an invitation from the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation to attend its annual summer burn camp. The camp, which is free for Georgia youth ages 7-17, offers burn-injured children opportunities to grow in their physical and emotional recovery, forge friendships and receive peer support in a fun, safe and accepting environment.<\/p>\n

Ribal attended the camp for 13 years and even worked there as a counselor.\u00a0\u201cI talked to firefighters who volunteered at the camp and I liked the camaraderie they shared with each other and the campers,\u201d Ribal said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to be a member of a fire department,\u201d said Ribal, who chose to work for the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department, the fire rescue department that started the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation and the summer burn camp.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"