CAL FIRE NEWS: Firefighters son improving

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

CAL FIRE NEWS: Firefighters son improving

Boy Who Drank Lighter Fluid Awake, Responding to Treatment

Posted on: Sunday, 4 May 2008, 03:00 CDT
By Shellie Branco, The Bakersfield Californian -Link

May 4--A 1-year-old boy who drank lighter fluid at a family barbecue on April 27 remained in critical condition Saturday evening, but was awake and responding to treatment.

Aniken Roquemore drank the fluid after relatives stepped away for a moment at his home on Lynett Way near Stockdale Highway. The 20-month-old is suffering from chemical-induced pneumonia and is being treated at Children's Hospital Central California in Madera.

The family will continue a lemonade sale at their home, 13205 Lynett Way, on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. to raise money for Aniken's medical treatment. A second lemonade sale will take place Sunday at the Kern County Fairgrounds Swap Meet on Ming Avenue from 7 a.m. to close. More fundraisers are planned for the coming weeks.

Aniken's father, state Cal Fire firefighter Jermaine Roquemore Sr., said the boy's breathing improved when doctors pulled his chest tube on Thursday, releasing fluid from his lungs.

He was taken off the ventilator completely by noon Friday and was breathing on his own. He woke up two to three hours afterward.

Doctors will monitor him, but he is in recovery and eating a bit, Roquemore said. If he doesn't start playing or eating well and acting normal in the next few days, he'll remain in the hospital. Otherwise, he'll be released by the middle of next week. He will have long-term breathing problems, Roquemore said.

Roquemore added his son is depressed.

"He's just laying in bed watching cartoons and that's not something he does as a 20-month-old," he said. "He's trying to talk but he makes noises."

He's grateful for the community support, but wonders why his fellow Cal Fire firefighters haven't called to offer their emotional support. The Fresno Fire Department has been supportive, offering food and other living necessities as the family remains by the boy's side, he said.

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Tuesday, May 6, 2008