Bobcheck, Scheper, DeFino, Maran Earn Humanitarian Awards

Lieutenant Vincent Bobcheck, Lieutenant Keith Scheper, Firefighter Richard DeFino and Firefighter Spencer Maran received Humanitarian Awards at the Feb. 28 South Orange Board of Trustees meeting. The award recognized their efforts in supporting the Arthur C. Luf Children’s Burn Camp, located in Union, Connecticut. 

In donating their time and expertise over the past several years, the men have constructed  of steps that give campers safe access to a lake for swimming and water sports, numerous bunches for campers and their counselors to sit around a campfire in an amphitheater setting, and they have cleared trees and storm debris.

The Children’s Burn Camp is the only one of its kind on the east coast of the United States.  Children of all ages from the United States and across the world, come to the camp, at no cost, to experience normal camp life with other burn survivors.  Most of these children have never seen a campground or enjoyed an overnight camp-out due to their conditions. 

The Children’s Burn Camp is maintained and run by active and retired firefighters from departments along the east coast.  The firefighters, medical personnel trained in treating burns, burn survivors and other individuals donate their time and effort to this effort.

“For these selfless deeds and their individual efforts, the South Orange Fire Department confers a Humanitarian Award to Lieutenant Vincent Bobcheck, Lieutenant Keith Scheper, Firefighter Richard DeFino and Firefighter Spencer Maran,” said South Orange Fire Captain Daniel Sullivan.