Badly Burned CA Firefighter Returns Home

Oct. 1—A West Stanislaus firefighter was welcomed home by about 200 people after spending more than a month in the hospital due to severe burns he suffered while battling the Caldor Fire.

Richard Gerety III of Patterson was on a strike team with three other firefighters from West Stanislaus Fire that was assigned to the fire in El Dorado County in August. The team had been there 10 days when on Aug. 28 Gerety fell, suffering third-degree burns on his arms and hands and second-degree burns to his legs.

Gerety, who began volunteering for West Stanislaus Fire in 2017, underwent skin grafting surgery at UC Davis Medical Center and spent the last month there recovering.

When he returned to his Patterson home Wednesday, fire trucks and engines lined the streets near his house and neighbors held up sings welcoming him home.

Jeff Gregory, fire chief for Patterson and West Stanislaus Fire, said apart from their agencies, firefighters from Newman, Westley, Burbank Paradise, Woodland Avenue, Mountain View, Denair, Turlock Rural Hughson, Cal Fire, Stanislaus County Fire Warden, Stanislaus County OES, Stanislaus County Fire Prevention and Pioneer Fire department from Amador County attended the homecoming.

Gregory said Gerety is happy to be home, holding his 2-year-old son again and eating home-cooked meals.

"He has more recovery ahead, including physical therapy," Gregory said. "The goal for him as well as the department is to get him back to work. We just want to be sure we don't rush things."

Gerety is one of five people, civilians and fire personnel, injured by the Caldor Fire. The fire, which started Aug. 14, has burned 221,775 acres in three counties and destroyed more than 1,000 structures. It is 91 percent contained, with full containment expected later this month.

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