Expect sirens on Wednesday
The annual North Bay Firefighter’s Burn Relay comes to town on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., bringing with it a fleet of firefighter engines, trucks and emergency vehicles from around Sonoma and Marin counties led by a California Highway Patrol motorcycle brigade.
The procession will finish up a tour through Marina and Sonoma counties at the Healdsburg Fire Department and enjoy a barbecue hosted by the city’s fire fighters.
“We like to provide dinner,” said Healdsburg’s Fire Chief Jason Boaz.
The event is a fundraiser for the Alisa Anna Ruch Burn Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of burn survivors and promoting burn prevention education in the community.
In 2016, the Burn Relay raised $38,190.
The foundation uses the money to help fund Champ Camp, a week-long camp in Sanger, California for burn survivors. During the camp, approximately 130 children, ages 5 to 17, play games, swim and participate in sports. It is free to all burn survivors and is fully staffed by medical doctors, nurses, program staff, volunteers and counselors — many of whom are also intimately involved with burn survivors on a daily basis.
“There are kids there who have minor burns that you can’t see,” said Sebastopol Fire Chief Bill Braga. “There are also kids where you can see what they went through physically.”
He said all the children have endured some psychological trauma as burn victims.
According to the foundation’s website, the “main focus of the camp is for burn survivors to have fun and just be kids away from medical procedures and financial hardships. Camp provides a safe environment where burn survivors can play, learn, grow, gain self esteem and make new friends.”
“This is a good cause,” Boaz said. “We like to join our fellow departments in raising funds for this foundation.”
