PHOTO: Minneapolis Fire Capt. Scott Coffey was on scene at a 2010 house fire when a backdraft explosion blew fellow firefighter Jake LaFerriere across a room, leaving him with severe burns and ending his career.
Coffey never forgot the trauma of that day, but he also found inspiration in the way LaFerriere moved forward after his recovery and launched Firefighters for Healing, a nonprofit that supports burn victims and first responders.
Now Coffey, an Oak Grove resident, hopes to inspire others to support the organization’s mission.
This spring, Coffey will attempt to summit Mount Everest to raise money for Firefighters for Healing, and he hopes to hit his $10,000 fundraising goal by Thursday, March 25. All proceeds go to the charity.
“Mountain climbing is kind of my passion,” Coffey said. “I’ve gotten really into it the last five or six years. I’ve been traveling around the world climbing high mountains.”