Years of Trailblazing

Times have changed but the need hasn’t" remarks Martin Johnson, the Burn Fund’s co-founder and Chairperson. "We raised $2,500 from our first Fire Fighter's Banquet and Ball and thanks to our volunteers, sponsors and donors, we have been able to raise between $200,000 and $300,000 annually. This has allowed us to fund improvements in the care of burn survivors, support burns research, continuing education for members of the burn team, and create a province wide Fire/Burns Prevention Fund."

To firefighters, there is no greater measure of courage than burn patients struggling to survive devastating injuries. The heroism of burn survivors inspires the men and women of Manitoba’s Fire Departments to volunteer their time and effort in raising funds to support exceptional burn care, treatment, rehabilitation and research.

In 1976, Martin Johnson and Gary Macdonald and several of their fellow firefighters in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada organized a Banquet and Ball to raise money for charity. Looking for a cause to champion, the group decided to support the improvement of burn treatment at local hospitals. Two years later, a formal committee was created and The Firefighters Burn Fund Inc. was formalized.

In its first year, the Burn Fund raised enough funds to purchase an operating room microscope and auxiliary equipment. Since then, the Fund has provided financing for a wide-range of burn-related equipment.

Since 1978, the Firefighters Burn Fund has been a leader in supporting the development of innovative programs for burn survivors. Following discussions with the Head Nurse of the Pediatric Burn Unit, we joined forces and established Canada’s first Children’s Burn Camp in 1986. Camp Mamawi (Cree for ‘friendship’), provides children who have been patients in the Burn Unit with the opportunity to have a normal camp experience with other children who have gone through the Burns Program.

In 1998, the Burn Fund joined a committee of Burn Team members to create a Burn Survivor Day which has since grown into a two day conference (Mamingway Burn Survivor Society). Burn survivors, family members, burn care professionals and firefighters make up the 125+ attendees each year.

Another one-of-a-kind program that the Burn Fund supports is Canada’s only Young Adult Retreat for 18 to 30 year-olds. The canoeing and camping excursion in a wilderness setting offers survivors an opportunity to use their own resources in a week-long confidence and team-building experience.

The Firefighters Burn Fund has created an annual Bursary Program for up to three young burn survivors entering post-secondary education. This includes College, University or a trades program.