10-13-2024 4:48am

Burn Prevention Network to Recognize Heroic Bravery with Valley Preferred Spirit of Courage Awards

Lesley Misko Editor

by Erin Alderfer

The annual Valley Preferred Spirit of Courage award celebration will recognize eight individuals with Spirit of Courage awards for risking their lives to save someone from a fire.

Four of the awards will be presented to police officers who entered buildings thick with smoke to save people who most likely would have died without their intervention. A Partners in Prevention award will be presented to John Bast, retired Easton Fire Department chief. The Phoenix award will be presented to an extraordinary burn survivor. The sole survivor of a fiery plane crash that killed her mother, Reeva Gupta survived her own catastrophic injuries and is giving back to the burn community through survivor programs.

In addition to the awards, special guest John Salka will share his experiences of 33 years with the Fire Department of the City of New York, including his role as incident commander during and after the September 11 World Trade Center attacks.

The celebration will be held at DeSales University, 2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley, PA, beginning at 5:00 p.m.

The Burn Prevention Network (BPN) BPN has a nearly 40-year history of successful program and service delivery and is one of the most respected burn nonprofits in the U.S. Its mission is to reduce the risk for burns and empower burn survivors and their families. They support burn survivors and their families as they continue to deal with their trauma and then empower them as they adjust to a new reality.

For 19 years, the VPSOC awards ceremony has honored heroes and burn survivors who have helped others in the burn community. As one of the most esteemed events in eastern Pennsylvania, it attracts more than 500 first responders (firefighters, EMTs, police officers), burn care providers, and businesspeople from the Lehigh Valley and across the state of Pennsylvania. Proceeds from the event support Camp Susquehanna and other burn survivor support programs provided by Burn Prevention Network and the Lehigh Valley Health Network Regional Burn Center.