Serious Injuries
We will also respond to serious injury situations and will help a family and
department prepare for the worst.
The team members have the ability to remain calm and get the necessary
information together to make sure everyone is aware of the benefits a fallen
firefighter's family can receive.
We can also help a department deal with the stress associated with a serious
injured colleague on the job.
If things get better than, great.
Jimmy's Story...
Jimmy Shafer returning home to Doniphan.
Jimmy was seriously injured in a field fire with burns covering a large percent of
his body. He was not expected to live. Here's his story.
I don't remember very much the first few months, since I was not conscience a
lot of the time. The first hours/days are a blur of surviving each moment. For
our family/community, CarePages.com was a life line. It kept rumors to a minimum
and helped us stay connected to friends, family & others. If you are not
familiar with this website or Jim’s story, check it out by logging in with User
ID: Trosfeld -- Password: Rosfeld
To be honest, at the time I didn’t realize we were utilizing the NE SI&LODD team
as much as we were. Todd King is an old and dear friend who we knew had been
through a similar trauma - so it was natural that he would offer any and all
help at his disposal. He and Kevin Placzek were at the hospital the first night.
During Jim’s hospital stay Mark Bonser helped whenever needed although I never
spoke directly to him. I spoke with Teresa Gregg almost everyday and numerous
times a day whenever there was a crisis. If we had a need she thought could be
fixed, she would call Bonser and presto it would be fixed! At the moment I can’t
think of a specific request. I think he was involved with finding out if autopsy
was mandatory or how the forms needed to be filled out. I’m sure he was involved
in “pre” planning things that would’ve been necessary for a funeral. But I’m
sure there were many other things he helped with that I simply don’t remember or
didn’t realize.
I believe someone on the team contacted the Lincoln Fire Dept. and asked them to
have a chat with the hotel where our parents were staying. From that point
forward, we were treated like special guests of the hotel.
My parents and family were instructed to call the Lincoln Fire Dept. if we
needed anything from a flat tire fixed to someone to stay with Jim to whatever
else we needed. Thankfully we never needed to use this but it was comforting to
know it was available.
I’m not sure I ever met Karla but I know that she visited with Mom & Dad – on
more than one occasion. I've also been told that the Response Team checked on me
and my family members almost on a daily basis.
A few weeks after my injury, Mark, Karla & Kevin came and visited with my fellow
members from the Doniphan Fire Department. They understood how much they were
hurting inside and perhaps needed to have someone visit with them about what the
future may hold for me.
From the time I've been able to comprehend what was going on around me in the
hospital to my time coming home, has been nothing short of amazing. That cold
evening at I-80 Holiday Inn when it seems everyone in Hall County was there to
greet me! Just knowing the Response Team was concerned not only for me, but for
my family, truly shows, that we are a FAMILY.
Jimmy Schafer and Family.
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