Firefighters so often save lives, but not every person that they pull out of a burning building gets a chance to thank them.
When a firefighter runs into a fire, they are putting their life on the line. In the United States, almost 70% of firefighters are volunteer employees. Which means those men and women aren’t even paid for their heroic acts!
One person rescued by their local firemen has finally gotten to chance to meet the people who saved him and say thank you.
2-year-old Alex Stephenson was in a horrific fire in December 2016. In just a month following the fire, Alex had nine surgeries to help with the second and third-degree burns that covered 80% of his body.
“They have put grafts of his skin-auto grafts- on his chest, his back and one patch of the ankle,” Alex’s mother, Amanda Stephenson, told KJRH. “And half of the other leg past the ankle and his eyelids.”
Alex was found in his home surrounded by flames when the fire broke out. A neighbor had run into the house and heard Alex crying. The neighbor grabbed Alex and ran him out of the house, just as firefighters got on the scene to rescue Alex’s mother.
Jon Steiner, District Chief of the Tulsa Fire Department, recalls the horrifying moments from that tragic day. There was thick smoke and the house’ garage was engulfed in flames.
“To see that image of a little boy, he’s only this big, and he was severely burned…”
But thankfully the Tulsa Fire Department now has a reason to smile. The chief admits that the reunion between the firefighters and Alex pulls on the heartstrings.
Tulsa firefighter Greg McCourt said:
“To see your kid so vulnerable and out of your hands, for the help they need, it is hard to comprehend.”
The men of the station 18 fire department were able to finally meet Alex after that fateful day.
Little Alex was joined by his family on his visit to the fire station, where he got to see a fire truck up close without the sirens and lights flashing. The toddler even got to get inside of a truck!
Now three years old, Alex was happy to meet with the firefighters and give them hugs to say thank you for their hard work that day. The firefighters were happy to give Alex gifts to show him that he means a lot to them.
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