Boy has surprise reunion with his rescuers at Manchester Children’s Burns Camp

A young camper at this year’s Manchester Children’s Burns Camp (MCBC) was stunned to discover two of the camp leaders were the firefighters who saved his life. 

Patrick, was 12 years old when he was rescued from his burning house by breathing apparatus crews from Moss Side and Gorton and given CPR by Crew Manager Peter Fitzpatrick and Watch Manager Ian Melville.  

 Peter and Ian were two of the first firefighters on the scene.

Upon reaching the upstairs landing the BA teams found Patrick unconscious, and quickly carried him out of the house, where the pair performed lifesaving CPR before ambulance crews took Patrick to hospital.

The Chief Fire Officer recognised their bravery and professionalism, by presenting them with a commendation.

Speaking about the incident Crew Manager Peter Fitzpatrick, said: “This job was a tough one, when we found Patrick he was lifeless and the chances of him surviving weren’t great, but thankfully he did pull through.

“I’d already spent a few days with him at camp so it was a massive shock when he said who he was, I had no idea it was the same young lad from that burning house.

“It’s still a strange experience to process, however it was great to be able to see Patrick and how he is moving on from a very traumatic event in his life”.

The MCBC which took place at Ghyll Head Outdoor Activity Centre between August 5 - 10, is an initiative involving firefighters from Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, nurses and doctors from the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, psychologists and other volunteers from around Greater Manchester.

This year 27 children who have been injured in fires attended the older children’s camp and had the opportunity to get involved with a number of activities including caving, mountain climbing, kayaking, ghyll scrambling and even a guided yoga session.

Over the week the children grow in confidence and learn to accept their injuries with others in a similar position.

It culminated in a trip to a public swimming pool, an activity that would have otherwise seemed daunting for many campers.

The campers show significant growth in confidence over the week and the initiative is an invaluable opportunity for these young people to boost their self-esteem following a traumatic event.

19/12/2018 11:53 AM