By Janelle Foskett
DAVIS, Calif. — A Stanislaus County volunteer firefighter seriously burned while working the Caldor Fire is finally home.
Richard Gerety walked out of the U.C. Davis Medical Center Burn Unit on Thursday to find fellow firefighters offering their support, plus a West Stanislaus County Fire Protection District engine awaiting him for the two-hour drive home to Patterson, California, reported CBS Sacramento.
Gerety had been hospitalized since late August, when he suffered second- and third-degree burns to 20% of his body at the Caldor Fire in Northern California. Part of his treatment included skin grafts for his hands.
Fire Chief Jeff Gregory of the West Stanislaus County Fire Protection District said it’s an “important day and it’s a good day,” getting Gerety to come home.