CRFD firefighters serve as counselors at ‘life changing’ burn camp

It is often said that first responders see people on the worst days of their lives, but rarely do they get to see those stories come full circle.

'We are often left wondering what happened to that person or how that family recovered,” said Julie Popelka, a firefighter/EMT with the Cedar Rapids Fire Department.

But once a year, Popelka and colleague Jake Corell, who also is a firefighter/EMT with CRFD, get to see the fruits of their labor.

Popelka and Corell have served for several years as camp counselors at St. Florian's Miracle Burn Camp, a summer camp that caters to burn survivors between the ages of 8 and 18. The camp aims to provide a fun experience and esteem-building opportunities for children with burns in a nonthreatening environment.

During the weeklong camp each July, young burn survivors participate in a variety of activities including swimming, canoeing, art, yoga and archery.

Camps like the one hosted by the St. Florian Fire and Burn Foundation can be found across the country, Popelka said, and many have popped up internationally, but there is one aspect that makes Iowa's burn camp unique.

'Iowa's burn camp is the only integrated camp in the country,” she said. 'That means it includes both burn survivors and children who have not suffered such injuries.”

Popelka said she has been a camp counselor for the past five years, and it's the resilience and strength of the children she works with that keep bringing her back.

'Working with these kids, it's amazing,” she said. 'And it's educational for me as well. As a firefighter your job is to go in and fight the fire, but to see the flip side of what a burn has done or can do, and yet here are these kids who are carrying this amazing dignity and strength on the way they handle these burns, it has taught me so much.”

For Corell, who just returned from his third year as a counselor, burn camp is a testament to acceptance, something he said seems to be lacking in everyday society.

'Burn camp serves as a safe place where these kids can just be kids and have fun,” Corell said. 'It's really cool, because it doesn't matter what these kids are doing, what they look like, how they are dressed - they are just there to be themselves and have as much fun as they possibly can, and it's kind of refreshing.”

At the end of each year's burn camp, one exceptional camper and one outstanding counselor are selected to attend the International Burn Camp in Washington, D.C., in September.

Last year Popelka was chosen, and this year Corell gets to go.

During the international camp, selected counselors and campers from each camp in the country, as well as those in Canada, converge on Washington, D.C., where they get to sightsee by day and participate in summer camp activities at night.

'It's just a big support showing for these burn survivors, to really remind them that they're not alone, there are a lot of people looking out for them and who care about their stories and want to help in whatever way they can,” Corell said. 'And, I'm just overwhelmed that I get to be a part of it. I'm excited to meet all these other people from all across the country and all these other kids. It's just really special, and it reminds you what's important in life.”

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