Each year, an estimated 7 to 12 million people worldwide sustain burn injuries that require medical care. That trauma can lead to long recovery, absence from work, school, or even death.
Amid those dark statistics is a bright spot in Sacramento: The Firefighters Burn Institute, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023. To mark the occasion, the organization unveiled a permanent memorial display at the Sacramento Regional Fire Museum on Jan. 22.
“It’s our history. It’s how we, as a community in Sacramento, knew we could do better and what we have tried to continue to do,” said Joe Pick, institute director.
The institute was created after a September 1972 crash that left 22 people dead and 25 in need of specialized treatment for their traumatic burn injuries. From the ashes of the wreckage came a dedicated center for burn treatment at UC Davis Health, transforming the regional response to burn care.