Honor Your Burn Hero

Lehigh Valley, Pa. (April 24, 2008) - Heroes are everyday people who do extraordinary things that benefit others.

Valley Preferred, the Burn Prevention Foundation and the Regional Burn Center at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH) are looking for heroes, people who have risked their lives to save others from a burn or death by fire. They also seek individuals and groups that have done an outstanding job promoting fire safety or burn prevention education.

In 1999, Don Miller of Macungie was caught in an electrical explosion that nearly took his life, leaving him with burns to over 60 percent of his body. After four months in Lehigh Valley Hospital's Regional Burn Center, where he underwent some 60 surgeries, Don completed months of physical therapy to help him relearn to walk, eat and dress himself. Though his injury left him physically altered and permanently scarred, Don turned this tragedy into an opportunity to help others.

Last year, Miller received the Phoenix Award for giving his time freely, visiting burn patients in the hospital and offering his wisdom to the Burn Survivors Support Group. Miller has also contributed financially to burn survivors and the burn team, educating electricians on burn safety, and using his humor to keep things light in often extremely difficult circumstances. "Selfless acts of the kind that Don Miller has made in support of this very important cause, should not go unnoticed," said Gregory Kile, CEO and executive director of Valley Preferred. "It is for this reason that we are supporting this program, and urging others to nominate the Don Millers of the Lehigh Valley."

Heroes can be nominated by first responders or private citizens for brave acts or education performed between June 1, 2007 and May 31, 2008. The nomination period runs until June 13.

The following criteria will be used to select award winners:

Valley Preferred Spirit of Courage Award

1. The nominee must have performed an exceptionally courageous act while attempting to save another person from death or serious injury from any fire source - house, car, outdoors, industrial, etc. (Civilian or uniformed personnel may be nominated).
2. The rescue attempt must have involved a significant degree of personal risk - exposure to either death or severe injury, and must have been undertaken by a resident of eastern/northeastern Pennsylvania or western New Jersey, or taken place within that area.
3. The act must have taken place between June 1, 2007 and May 31, 2008.

Partners in Prevention Award

1. Nominee(s) must have done an outstanding job presenting or promoting fire safety and burn prevention education to the community.
2. The resulting education must have impacted a significant percentage of the general public or targeted group.
3. The education must have taken place between June 1, 2007 and May 31, 2008.

A panel of fire service and emergency services representatives will review nominations and choose award winners. Selected individuals and groups will receive Valley Preferred Spirit of Courage or Partners in Prevention award plaques at the Valley Preferred Spirit of Courage Award Celebration on Sept. 16, 2008 at Lehigh Valley Hospital - Muhlenberg in Bethlehem, Pa.

"The Valley Preferred Spirit of Courage Award Celebration provides special opportunities to not only recognize heroes in our communities for their valor or commitment to prevention of burn injury, but also to thank the people who have nominated them," says Daniel Dillard, executive director of the Burn Prevention Foundation in Allentown.

Valley Preferred, a partnership of doctors and hospitals, is sponsoring the Valley Preferred Spirit of Courage Awards to raise public awareness regarding burn safety and prevention, according to Kile.

"We are delighted to take an active role in this event and feel strongly that this commitment is a culmination of our long standing partnership and support of the Burn Prevention Foundation," Kile says. "Our expectations were dramatically exceeded last year. This event reached its goals and objectives and was an emotional night for awardees, nominators and the community who drew recognition to the heroic acts of its fellow comrades, both uniformed and civilian. Our drive is to enhance burn safety awareness that can ultimately lead to healthier communities."

"Whether they're first responders or civilians, persons who put their lives on the line when rescuing a victim of a fire are to be admired for their courage and selfless action," says Daniel Lozano, M.D., medical director of the Regional Burn Center at LVH. "Our thanks for these actions is the least we can give to them."

Nomination packets for Valley Preferred Spirit of Courage or Partners in Prevention awards are available by calling Lehigh Valley Hospital at 610-402-CARE or by visiting www.lvh.org/burncenter. The nomination deadline is June 13, 2008.

Based in Allentown and Bethlehem, Pa., Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network comprises Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest & I-78, Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th & Chew, Lehigh Valley Hospital - Muhlenberg and Lehigh Valley Health Services, which includes home health, hospice, pharmacy and health management. Advanced regional resources at these non-profit hospitals include a Level I Trauma Center with added pediatric qualifications, as well as burn, kidney and pancreas transplant, perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer care, and neurology and complex neurosurgery. LVHHN hospitals are designated national Magnet hospitals for excellence in nursing.

Valley Preferred, is a community partnership of doctors and hospitals dedicated to connecting local businesses and individuals with quality health care coverage while also providing valuable clinical knowledge, practices and services proven to result in enhanced personal health. Valley Preferred's network is also a leader in clinical integration, which is a process where all the vital links in health care - doctors, patients, hospitals, health insurance companies and employers - are empowered through new modes of medical data, communication and technology to deliver higher standards of precision and performance.

Burn Prevention Foundation is a non-profit, community-based organization providing burn prevention and fire safety education programs to high-risk populations, primarily young children and older adults. The Foundation's primary service region spans twenty counties of northeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey*. Annually, Foundation programs benefit 250,000 individuals.

Programs and services target populations and focus include: Curriculum-based school programs for preschool and K-5 grade levels; Kids Fire Safety House programs; Preschool Learn About Burns; Stop-Drop-Roll-Cool-&-Call , a clothing fire intervention program; Nursing & Professional Seminars; Speakers Bureau; EMS & First Responders' Training; Older Adults Fire & Burn Safety Programs; and specialized population programs (Juvenile Firesetters Intervention - Lehigh region only at this time).

The Foundation partners with fire services organizations throughout its service region to deliver community-based fire prevention and home escape planning and practice, primarily via its Fire Safety House program. For more information on Burn Prevention Foundation programs and services, volunteer opportunities, or other ways to further its mission, visit www.burnprevention.org/help.asp, or phone 610-481-9810.

* Counties served: Berks, Bradford, Bucks, Carbon, Columbia, Lehigh, Monroe, Montour, Northampton, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, Wyoming, all in Pa; and Warren County, NJ.

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