By EMS1 Staff
SALT LAKE CITY — A firefighter was reunited by happenstance with a boy he treated years ago for severe burns.
Unified Fire Authority firefighter Robert Marriott was counseling at the University of Utah’s Burn Camp, which aims to “help support burn survivors with the personal challenges associated with surviving a burn injury,” according the university’s website.
“The campers were going around, talking about their injuries,” Marriott said. “I thought back to seven years ago, to a call that we had in Big Cottonwood Canyon.”
George, now almost 10 years old, was a toddler when he tripped into hot coals of a campfire while his aunt was putting bug spray on him. When Marriott heard George tell his story, he realized that he was the one who responded to the call. The two had not seen each other since the incident.
“Rob showed up in an ambulance on the way to a practice, and my mom flagged him down and we went to the burn unit,” George said.
“With our job, we don’t typically see the outcomes or the long-term, so to see George now at nine years old, almost 10 years old, from a 2 and a half year old in a lot of pain, crying, screaming to who he is now today, such an incredible young man with so much strength and knowledge; it’s incredibly rewarding,” Marriott said.