Texas Fire Fighter Back on Duty After Extensive Burns

August 21, 2008 – After recovering from burns to 40 percent of his body, Beaumont, TX Local 399 fire fighter Cody Schroeder is back on the job. Schroeder received the burn injuries responding to a house fire in December 2007.

“We are glad to finally have our entire family back on duty,” says Galen Key, president of Beaumont Local 399. “Schroeder and Local 399 received great support from the IAFF, the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters (TSAFF) and other locals.”

Schroeder was among the fire fighters who entered the house to fight the fire from the inside. A flashover injured six. Schroeder was the most severely injured. Another local 399 member, Calvin Carrier, was also seriously burned.

Carrier was able to return to work about four weeks after the fire, but Schroeder, who was transported to the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Blocker Burn Unit with burns to 40 percent of his body underwent six surgeries and spent two months at UTMB before going home in late February 2008. Doctors predict the local 399 fire fighter will still need at least one more surgery.

Meanwhile, the members of Local 399 and the Beaumont community conducted several fundraisers to help offset Schroeder’s financial burdens, raising an estimated $60,000.

Additionally, IAFF 11th District Vice President Sandy McGhee and fire fighters from across the state of Texas visited Schroeder to boost his morale.

His first day back at work was August 19, 2008. “It was a good first day,” says Schroeder, an eight-year veteran fire fighter. “Right now, the department is putting me through a series of training-type exercises, like pulling hoses, to make sure I’m not going to have any issues related to my injuries. It is certainly a better routine than being in a hospital room or sitting around the house.”