By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• Wichita, Kan., firefighters helped a boy briefly visit his hospitalized firefighter father following wildfire injuries.
• Two Clark County firefighters were flown to a burn unit after sustaining injuries during mid-February wildfire operations.
• Wichita Fire Department used a tower ladder to lift the boy outside the hospital so he could see his father through a window.
• The firefighters’ museum reported the moment and shared photos of the visit.
• Both injured firefighters are reported to be recovering.
WICHITA, Kan. — Firefighters in Wichita coordinated a unique effort to help a child see his father, a fellow firefighter recovering in a hospital burn unit after wildfire injuries, officials and local reports said.
The incident stems from mid-February wildfire operations in southwestern Kansas, during which two Clark County firefighters were injured and flown to Ascension Via Christi St. Francis’ burn unit for treatment.
With assistance from the Wichita Fire Department’s Truck 2 crew and firefighter Josh Griffin, the boy was raised in a tower ladder outside the hospital so he could see his father through a window.
The Kansas Firefighters Museum shared photos of the moment and said the boy appeared joyful during the brief visit.
Both injured firefighters are reportedly recovering well, according to the museum’s account.